Blog
The Big Bust – Planner Takes $1.24 Million
A kickback is an illicit payment made to a person who uses their position of power to influence a transaction. The practice is common in the business and finance world. Since kickbacks are illegal, they are hidden, and therefore hard to discover at times. Not this time. It was discovered that Appleton’s founder and former…
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Save Money for 2013
According to Consumer Advocate Eleanor Blayney, CFP®, the majority of Americans don’t pay adequate attention to their taxes. In their minds, everything is okay as long as there is a return. However, simply preparing a tax return is not enough to reap full benefits. “If Americans broadened their focus, they could discover savings in their…
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CFP Board Approves Changes for the Better
On April 5, 2012, Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. communicated changes incorporated into the CFP® designation. These changes were implemented to strengthen the rules and procedures and to clarify public disclosure. The changes mainly touch three domains of requirements: Experience, Bankruptcy Disclosure Procedure, and Amendments to Disciplinary Rules. Changes in the Experience Requirement:…
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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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