The CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® (CFP®) mark identifies individuals who are devoted to a high level of professionalism in providing financial planning advice. Much more then an educational designation, the CFP® certification is a professional certification that helps to set apart those serious about a career in financial planning. Certification requirements include initial and ongoing education, examination, experience, and ethics components. Mr. St. John pursued this professional designation because of the importance of offering his clients the highest level of knowledge and professionalism that someone in the financial industry can provide. The rigorous standards surrounding the CFP certification exemplify Chris’s level of dedication and passion for his profession.
The Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) program focuses on the complete financial planning process as an organized way to collect and analyze information on a client’s total financial situation. ChFCs can identify and establish specific financial goals and then formulate, implement and monitor a comprehensive plan to achieve those goals. Individuals who earn a ChFC® can provide expert advice on a broad range of financial topics including financial planning, wealth accumulation and estate planning, income taxation, life and health insurance, business taxation and planning, investments and retirement planning.
A Chartered Advisor for Senior Living® (CASL®) is a financial services professional who is qualified to work with mature clients in preparing for retirement specializing in areas of pension funds such as 401k’s, 403b’s, IRA’s, Social Security, planning for long-term healthcare needs, developing estate planning strategies, and helping with life course transitional phases including family relationships and living arrangements.
The Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) when earned demonstrates the financial professional’s expertise in areas of life insurance and estate planning. Individuals who earn a CLU® can provide expert advice on a broad range of financial topics including protection of family current and future income, determine appropriate levels of risk to assume, and can help better manage personal, corporate, and estate taxes.
The Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®) program provides financial professionals with the knowledge to become experts in today's growing retirement planning market seeking to specialize in the retirement income planning field. The accredited RICP® designation empowers individuals with skills needed to build sustainable, holistic retirement plans, delivering unbeatable value for their clients and becoming a sought-after counselor with valuable, and valued, expertise. Those who earn the RICP® designation can provide insight on a vast range of specialties, including estate planning techniques, portfolio assessment, personal finance best practices, health expense budget creation, home equity strategies, and more.
As a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® (CDFA®), Chris can help clients along with their attorneys to better understand how financial decisions made today can impact the clients’ financial future by addressing topics such as: properties, debts, retirement assets, tax issues, businesses, insurance, and income and expenses by completing a thorough analysis of both the short-term and long-term financial effects.
An Enrolled Agent (EA) is a person who has earned the privilege of preparing and filing of tax documents, representing taxpayers before the IRS and communicating with the IRS.
Certified Fraud Examiners (CFE) have the ability to: Examine data and records to detect and trace fraudulent transactions; interview suspects to obtain information and confessions; write investigation reports, advise clients as to their findings and testify at trial; be well-versed in the law as it relates to fraud and fraud investigations; and understand the underlying factors that motivate individuals to commit fraud.
The Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®) designation is a graduate level specialization in estate planning, obtained in addition to already recognized professional credentials within the various disciplines of estate planning. The AEP® designation is available to attorneys (JD), Chartered Life Underwriters® (CLU®), Certified Public Accountants (CPA), Certified Financial Planners® (CFP®), Chartered Financial Consultants® (ChFC®), and Certified Trust and Financial Advisors (CTFA). It is awarded by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC) to recognize estate planning professionals who meet stringent requirements of experience, knowledge, education, professional reputation, and character. An AEP® designation holder must embrace the team concept of estate planning and adhere to the NAEPC Code of Ethics.
The Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) provides you with the knowledge and tools you need to help clients articulate and advance their highest aspirations for self, family, and society. CAP® holders become members of a growing network of top planners who are working to make our towns and cities better places to live for generations to come. Courses provide an insight into the process of philanthropic planning, including, but not limited to, tax, tools and techniques.
The Accredited Behavioral Finance Professional® (ABFP®) certification program is a unique graduate-level program for advanced financial planners. Blending classic foundational theory with academic experiments and real-life situations, students will learn to recognize and mitigate client financial behaviors. The ABFP® program explores the field of behavioral finance: the study of psychological explanations for economic behavior exhibited by individuals, institutions, and nations. Behavioral science is an interdisciplinary body of knowledge with strong ties to the social sciences - psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, and political science. The role of the scientific method in understanding and applying knowledge regarding topic areas provide the foundation for further exploration. This course is devoted to understanding the nature and role of psychological biases, heuristics, and emotions in influencing financial decision-making under uncertainty. Areas of decision-making behavior that will be thoroughly explored include economic theory, psychological perspectives, and applications to investments or lifetime retirement planning cash flows. This course provides financial advisors and investment professionals with the foundational knowledge of behavioral finance history, definitions, trends, and portfolio construction principles, and best practices for integrating behavioral finance theories into real-life situations.
The Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist® (CRPS®) designation enables financial advisors and other professionals to demonstrate their expertise in administering retirement plans for businesses and wholesale clients. As retirement plan options evolve and tax complexity increases, many companies seek professional plan administrators to design, install, and maintain their company retirement plans. Firms, non-profits, and government organizations of all sizes recognize the unique skills needed to implement and oversee these internal retirement plans. The CRPS® designation demonstrates that you have those skills.
The Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor® (APMA®) program, is a designation program for financial professionals. The program educates advisors on the finer points of portfolio creation, augmentation, and maintenance. Students will gain hands-on practice in analyzing investment policy statements, building portfolios, and making asset allocation decisions.
The Certified Social Security and Medicare Specialist™ (CSS™) program expands one's range of services and equips one to provide expert guidance on key Social Security features and Medicare coverage, benefits taxation, evaluating the impact of individual work histories, unemployment and disability benefits, and the dos and don'ts of claims filing.
The Certified Tax Specialist™ (CTS™) certification requires mastery of the basic income tax formula and its computation, retirement plans, deductions, credits, capital gains, depreciation, payroll taxes, and tax planning.
