Blog
Creating Goals to Achieve Financial Freedom
We all have the goal of getting to retirement, having plenty of money, and doing the things we love. The problem is, a lot of folks don’t set a proper financial plan to reach that goal, or have unrealistic expectations of what retirement will be like. Everyone wants to be a millionaire, travel the world,…
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Helping Investors to Understand
When it comes to engaging a financial intermediary, it is essential that investors be provided with disclosures that are written in simple and comprehensible English. That is the position of the CFP Board, who recently sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission urging, among other things, that more attention be paid to the…
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Escaping from the Jeopardy of Debt
Reducing your debt does not mean the problem is over. Debt reduction without a constituted management plan may create a permanent risk in your financial security, as stated by Eleanor Blayney, CFP, a Consumer Advocate of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. Blayney encourages American families to have a more thoughtful approach to debt…
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FINRA Outlines New Suitability Requirements
The date of July 9, 2012, marks the implementation of new FINRA rules governing the suitability requirements of brokers under Rule 2111. While many see this as the first foray into a new set of regulations and harmonization of the true fiduciary standards that RIA’s must meet, these new rules and standards push brokers to…
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NOTICE: CFP Program Annual Course Updates
In the next 6 days, we will be introducing updates to both the Estate Planning and Retirement Planning courses, in that order. The updates will center on 2012 inflation adjustments. To ensure your success, if you are close to taking an exam, you will see an “Updates for the Course Midterm/Final Exam” link above the…
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CFP Board Promoting the CFP® Certification
In the past few years, through extensive research, the CFP Board identified a need to better educate the general public about the need for financial planning and the unique advantages that can be provided by CFP certificants. In response to this need, the CFP Board has undertaken a large advertising and awareness effort to inform…
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CFP Board Changes Bankruptcy Rules
With the difficult economic situation the last few years, bankruptcy filings for CFP professionals have been on the rise. Historically, the CFP Board has had strict guidelines limiting anyone who has filed bankruptcy from getting the CFP certification. However, effective July 1, 2012, the CFP Board is implementing a new bankruptcy rule applicable to all…
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We All Learn Differently
Styles of Learning: Online vs. In-class Visual vs. Auditory Self-paced vs. Scheduled In our normal conversations with both prospective students and current students, it is abundantly clear that we all learn in different ways. That was brought very clearly to my attention in two phone calls I had one afternoon. The first student, whom we…
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CFP Board Changes Experience Requirement
The CFP Board has recently altered a key component to CFP certification – the experience requirement. Previously, those seeking CFP certification were required to gain three (3) years of relevant financial planning experience prior to the CFP Board of Standards issuing the CFP marks. On September 1, 2012, the Board will now recognize two (2)…
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