Professional Designations
FSCP® - Financial Services Certified Professional® Designation
Founded in 1927, The American College of Financial Services is located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. The American College has served as the premier educational institution dedicated to the development of financial services professionals. The College has worked tirelessly to educate our nation’s advisors, to help them raise the level of their service, and to ensure that society can rely on a profession built on trust.
Candidates for the FSCP® designation learn a wide range of topics, with curriculum addressing such concepts as product solutions, ethics and practice standards, available government programs, retirement planning, practice management, financial and estate planning, long-term care, business insurance, healthcare and much more.
Graduates and designees of The American College of Financial Services have studied, have passed rigorous exams, and have proven that they not only have the technical knowledge to serve their clients, but have sworn to practice ethically and in the best interest of the good people they serve. Holders of the FSCP® designation are required to complete ongoing continuing education and participate in the Professional Recertification Program.
For more information phone 1-888-263-7265 or visit www.theamericancollege.edu
CFP® - Certified Financial Planner® Designation
More and more consumers understand the importance of working with a financial planner they can trust. As part of their certification, CFP® professionals demonstrate their expertise and commit to high standards to earn the respect of their clients..
As part of their certification, CFP® professionals commit to CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct, which means they commit to work in their clients’ best interests at all times when providing financial advice. Not all financial planners make that commitment to their profession.
Some CFP® professionals started in other careers and fields. Many come from related fields in the financial services industry. Those who hold other professional designations and licenses decide to add the CFP® mark to their resume to complement their existing credentials, demonstrate their commitment to personal financial planning and help them to stand out from the competition.
For more information phone 1-888-263-7265 or visit www.theamericancollege.edu
CLU® - Chartered Life Underwriter® Designation
The premier designation for insurance professionals. Launched in 1927, the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®) is the insurance profession's oldest standard of excellence. Today, it continues to be the credential for practitioners who desire to provide their clients with the security of life insurance and risk management. Since its inception, tens of thousands of financial services professionals have obtained this prestigious designation. With particular emphasis placed on ethics and commitment to clients, the CLU® has earned a distinguished reputation backed by security and stewardship.
In the Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) program, students learn how to fully serve the diverse needs of their individual and business clients through in-depth insurance knowledge. Upon completion, students have the expertise to provide guidance to clients on types and amounts of life insurance, make recommendations on aspects of risk management, and expert knowledge of various insurance solutions. A CLU®designee understands the legal aspects of life insurance, and assisting clients in making decisions about estate planning, including various wills and trust arrangements.
For more information phone 1-888-263-7265 or visit www.theamericancollege.edu
LUTCF® - Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow® Designation
In 1984, the Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow (LUTCF®) designation was developed by the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA). In 2014, NAIFA partnered with the College for Financial Planning, to develop an entirely new curriculum that reflects changes in the profession.
The College for Financial Planning provides LUTCF® students with a thorough education focusing on the unique needs of insurance agents and financial advisors.
Study materials are written and updated regularly by the College’s full-time faculty, who specialize in investments, insurance, taxation, retirement planning, and estate planning.
The LUTCF® program emphasizes integrated needs assessment of a client’s total financial situation. The program promotes a thorough evaluation of a client’s insurance and investment needs before an advisor makes appropriate recommendations.
Candidates must be a member in good standing with NAIFA before authorization to use the designation is co-conferred by NAIFA and the College for Financial Planning.
Additional information on the LUTCF® program can be found at http://www.cffpinfo.com/LUTCF or contact the College for Financial Planning at 1-800-237-9990.
RFC® - Registered Financial Consultant® Designation
Founded in 1984, the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants (IARFC) provides the professional consultant the tools to grow a practice with creative sales and marketing ideas, technical and professional information, and networking opportunities.
In a world of constant economic, political, and social change, consumers engage the guidance of financial consultants to achieve financial security and independence. An IARFC designation sets members above their peers as qualified and trained professionals that have met a high level of competency.
For more information call the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants at (800) 532-9060 or visit www.iarfc.org
CFS® - Certification Fund Specialist® Designation
The CFS® designation was developed in 1988—making it the fourth-oldest designation in the U.S.—to fill a serious gap in the professional practice of certified financial planners. In this intermediate-to-advanced course, the designee obtains a strong working knowledge of:
⦁ Mutual funds, ETF, and REITs
⦁ Closed-end funds and similar investments
⦁ Advanced fund analysis and selection
⦁ Asset allocation and portfolio construction
They also master sophisticated investment strategies that top financial advisors use on a daily basis for risk management, taxes, and estate planning.
The CFS® designation is not only one of the most respected designations in the industry, but also among the most transformational. With CFS® knowledge and strategies, designees master the tools that clients need most by helping:
Increase client comprehension.
Show clients how any investment can be easily understood and categorized.
Pick proven winners.
Learn which value stock sectors outperform their growth counterparts.
Develop discernment skills.
Understand valuation numbers and determine when equities are fairly valued.
Avoid common mistakes.
See why gold, oil, and other commodities have become poor investments.
Assess risk with confidence.
Learn to use the one measurement that can be applied universally to calculate all risks.
Communicate optimal strategies.
Explain when indexing should be used and when active management is the best approach.
Identify alternative investments.
Discover effective substitutes for money market and high-yield bond funds
CES™ - Certified Estate and Trust Specialist™ Designation
This graduate-level designation is conferred upon candidates who complete an educational program focusing on trusts, wills, probate, retirement benefits, caring for children, and what should be done after the death of a loved one. The CES™ designation expands the advisor’s range of services to include estate planning and asset repositioning on behalf of financial planning clients.
CES™ certification requires mastery of different types of trusts, ownership rules, disinheritance, probate, pay-on-death accounts, insurance, spousal restrictions, special needs, conservatorships, and managing assets. According to IBF, “There are a large number of estate planning books and courses offered. The CES™ program is one of the only courses that covers all aspects of estate planning including what needs to be done after death.”
The student must pass two comprehensive exams and a written case study as well as adhere to the IBF Code of Ethics and IBF Standards of Practice as well as fulfill annual continuing education requirements. The CES™ program is designed for brokers and advisors who have clients in their 60s or older as well as those who may be providing care to an aging relative.
Additional information regarding these designations is available by contacting the Institute of Business and Finance (IBF) at www.ICFS.com or calling 1-800-848-2029.