Enhancing the ways we serve your needs

Michael Rodenbaugh holds several key professional credentials. They are indicative of his commitment to enhancing and expanding his knowledge in order to provide the most informed and thoughtful financial guidance.

  • Most people think that all financial planners are “certified”, but this isn’t true. Anyone can call himself or herself a “financial planner.” Only those who have fulfilled the certification and renewal requirements of CFP Board can display the CFP® certification marks.

    Individuals certified by CFP Board have taken the extra step to demonstrate their professionalism by voluntarily submitting to the rigorous CFP® certification process that includes demanding education, examination, experience and ethical requirements. These standards are called “the four E’s,” and they are four important reasons why the financial planning practitioner you select should display the CFP® certification marks.

    When selecting a financial planner, you need to feel confident that the person you choose to help you plan for your future is competent and ethical. The CFP® certification can help to provide that sense of confidence by allowing only those who meet the following requirements the right to use the CFP® certification marks.

    CFP® Certification Requirements: The Four E’s

    Education: CFP® professionals must develop their theoretical and practical financial planning knowledge by completing a comprehensive course of study at a college or university offering a financial planning curriculum approved by CFP Board. Other options for satisfying the education component include submitting a transcript review or previous financial planning-related coursework to CFP Board for review and credit, or showing the attainment of certain professional designations or academic degrees.

    Examination: CFP® practitioners must pass a comprehensive two-day, six-hour CFP® Certification Examination that tests their ability to apply financial planning knowledge in an integrated format. Based on regular research of what planners do, the exam covers the financial planning process, tax planning, employee benefits and retirement planning, estate planning, investment management and insurance.

    Experience: CFP® professionals must have three years’ minimum experience in the financial planning process prior to earning the right to use the CFP® certification marks. As a result, CFP® practitioners possess financial counseling skills in addition to financial planning knowledge.

    Ethics: As a final step to certification, CFP® practitioners agree to abide by a strict code of professional conduct, known as CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility, which sets forth their ethical responsibilities to the public, clients and employers. CFP Board also performs a background check during this process, and each individual must disclose any investigations or legal proceedings related to their professional or business conduct.

    How the CFP Board's Code of Ethics Benefits You

    Through the Code of Ethics, CFP® practitioners agree to act fairly and diligently when providing you with financial planning advice and services, putting your interests first. The Code of Ethics states that CFP® practitioners are to act with integrity, offering you professional services that are objective and based on your needs. They are required to provide you with information about their sources of compensation and conflicts of interest in writing.

    Ongoing Certification Requirements

    Once certified, CFP® practitioners are required to maintain technical competence and fulfill ethical obligations. Every two years, they must complete a minimum 30 hours of continuing education to stay current with developments in the financial planning profession and better serve clients. Two of these hours are spent studying or discussing CFP Board’s Code of Ethics or Practice Standards. In addition to the biennial continuing education requirement, all CFP® practitioners voluntarily disclose any public, civil, criminal or disciplinary actions that may have been taken against them during the previous two years as part of the renewal process.

    Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, Certified Financial Planner™, CFP® (with plaque design) and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.

  • The Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) program was specifically designed for business advisors who work closely with owners of privately held companies to have value-added conversations around growth and exit. The program helps to effectively address all of the personal, business, financial, legal and tax issues involved in selling a business. The organizing principle of the program is Master Planning™, which is executed through the implementation of the Value Acceleration Methodology™ process.

    CEPAs are an elite group of advisors who have received this designation and are part of the Exit Planning Institute’s international community. The CEPA program is the most widely accepted and endorsed professional exit planning program in the world. 

  • Certified Investment Management Analysts℠ (CIMAs®) are dedicated to elevating their practice through education, experience, examination and the highest standards of ethics. CIMA® professionals have the advanced investment management knowledge necessary to truly – fully – serve affluent clients, and they use that in-depth knowledge to analyze and hand-select the investment products that they believe make the most sense for your circumstances. Earning a CIMA® designation requires three years of broad experience in investment management consulting and completion of the demanding educational program put forth by the CIMA® board. To maintain this designation, CIMA® professionals are required to adhere to a rigorous code of professional responsibility and complete 40 hours of continuing education every two years.

    But what does this designation mean for you? It means that when you work with an investment consultant who has taken the time to become CIMA® certified, you’re working with someone who has the education designed to help them understand the financial complexities and risks that come with being in the highest tax bracket, to be well-versed in modern concepts of investment advice, and, perhaps most important, to be educated enough to understand how your individual investments are being managed and how they work together – no matter how complex it may be. These skills, along with a commitment to advanced education, enable them to provide you with the kind of service that you not only want, but deserve.

    Investments & Wealth Institute™ (The Institute) is the owner of the certification marks “CIMA” and “Certified Investment Management Analyst.” Use of CIMA and/or Certified Investment Management Analyst signifies that the user has successfully completed The Institute's initial and ongoing credentialing requirements for investment management professionals.

A financial relationship you can count on

Rodenbaugh Wealth Management of Raymond James

 

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Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, Certified Financial Planner™, CFP® (with plaque design) and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.


Exit Planning Institute owns the certification marks “CEPA” and “Certified Exit Planning Advisor.” An advisor who earns the CEPA® designation has successfully completed the Exit Planning Institute’s initial and ongoing requirements.


Investments & Wealth Institute™ (The Institute) is the owner of the certification marks “CIMA” and “Certified Investment Management Analyst.” Use of CIMA and/or Certified Investment Management Analyst signifies that the user has successfully completed The Institute’s initial and ongoing credentialing requirements for investment management professionals.


Alternative investments involve specific risks that may be greater than those associated with traditional investments and may be offered only to clients who meet specific suitability requirements, including minimum net worth tests. You should consider the special risks with alternative investments including limited liquidity, tax considerations, incentive fee structures, potentially speculative investment strategies, and different regulatory and reporting requirements. You should only invest in alternative investments if you do not require a liquid investment and can bear the risk of substantial losses.


Every investor's situation is unique and you should consider your investment goals, risk tolerance and time horizon before making any investment. There is no assurance that any investment will meet its investment objectives or that substantial losses will be avoided. Diversification and asset allocation do not ensure a profit or protect against a loss.