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CFP Board Establishes 501(c)(6) to Focus on Workforce Development

By Dan Madden, CFP®

CFP® Board Updates The CFP Board announced in January that they have established a new 501(c)(6) to help achieve their strategic workforce development priorities.  The end result will be a 501(c)(3) called the CFP Board Center for Financial Planning and a 501(c)(6) called the CFP Board of Standards. Why are they taking this action? The…

Dependent Care Assistance Plan

By Bruce Starks, CPA, CFP®

Course: Retirement PlanningLesson 9: Building Retirement Wealth by Maximizing Fringe Benefits Student Question: Is a Dependent Care Assistance Plan (DCAP) funded by an Flexible Spending Account the same thing as a Dependent Care FSA?  If not, could you provide some additional info as to how the two would work together (could an individual utilize both…

Section 179 Expensing

By Dan Madden, CFP®

Which of the following expenses can Vicki expense entirely under Section 179 expense assuming she meets all other requirements? $10,000 for a new coat of paint in the lobby and office. $20,000 for a new roof on the warehouse $30,000 for vacation $25,000 for new computers CLICK TO REVEAL ANSWER Expand D is the answer.…

Do You Really Need a Calculator for the CFP Board Exam?

By Bruce Starks, CPA, CFP®

Good to Know We’re financial professionals, right? So let’s analyze the question posed in this article’s title. The CFP Board exam (the exam) consists of 170 questions. Anecdotally, the average exam has from 8 to 12 calculation questions which rank from moderately difficult to highly difficult. It’s been said (but not by us!) that studying…

Internal Rate of Return Calculation

By Dan Madden, CFP®

Course: Fundamentals of Financial PlanningLesson 5b: Using the HP 10bII Calculator Student Question: In Example 2, the solution given has 6 years (including CF0) instead of 5. I believe the first year of Carl’s coin purchase should be CF0, but the fifth year – which includes a purchase and a sale – should be CF4.…

OASDI Disability Income Benefits

By Dan Madden, CFP®

Which of the following statements concerning OASDI disability income benefits is correct? Disability is defined as the inability to perform all major duties of the insured’s own occupation. Unless specifically exempted, a waiting period of 12 months must be satisfied. If the disabled worker is also receiving workers compensation benefits, the full OASDI benefit is…

Making Sense of the Duty to Report Information to CFP Board

By Bruce Starks, CPA, CFP®

CFP® Certificants in the News Are CFP® Certificants obligated to report merely being charged with a felony or misdemeanor to CFP Board? How about being notified of a regulatory investigation or action? Read on to get the answers, based on CFP Board’s Duty to Report Information publication. Text in quotation marks is taken from this…

Daily Compounding

By Bruce Starks, CPA, CFP®

Course: Fundamentals of Financial PlanningLesson 5: Using the Calculator Student Question: Why is 360 used for compounded daily? Shouldn’t this be 365 days?? Instructor Response: 360 is used by most banks for two reasons:

Defining a Stock Spread

By Dan Madden, CFP®

Which of the following combinations correctly describes a spread? A combination of a short sale and a purchase of a call for the same stock A combination of buying and selling calls on the same stock with different expiration dates and exercise prices A combination of a put and a call on the same stock…