Our credentials and their significance

Individuals who have earned the AAMS™ designation are recognized as financial professionals who possess key knowledge in asset management, investment planning and strategic financial decision-making.

This professional credential demonstrates that a client’s chosen advisor has completed a specialized curriculum and exam focused primarily on asset management. AAMS™ designees are required to engage in ongoing education to maintain their credential.

An AAMS™ designation signifies an advisor’s proficiency in comprehensively and carefully integrating asset management into a broader financial plan.

Individuals who hold the ADPA™ designation have completed a course of study encompassing wealth transfers, federal taxation, retirement planning, and planning for financial and medical end-of-life needs for domestic partners. Additionally, individuals must pass an end-of-course examination that tests their ability to synthesize complex concepts and apply theoretical concepts to real-life situations.

All designees have agreed to adhere to Standards of Professional Conduct and are subject to a disciplinary process.

Designees renew their designation every two-years by completing 16 hours of continuing education, reaffirming adherence to the Standards of Professional Conduct and complying with self-disclosure requirements.

Most people think that all financial planners are “certified,” but this isn’t true. Anyone can claim to be a “financial planner.” Only those who have fulfilled the certification and renewal requirements of CFP Board can display the CFP^® certification marks.

Individuals certified by CFP Board have taken the extra step to demonstrate their professionalism by voluntarily submitting to the rigorous CFP^® certification process that includes demanding education, examination, experience and ethical requirements. These standards are called “the four E’s,” and they are four important reasons why the financial planning practitioner you select should display the CFP^® certification marks.

When selecting a financial planner, you need to feel confident that the person you choose to help you plan for your future is competent and ethical. The CFP^® certification can help to provide that sense of confidence by allowing only those who meet the following requirements the right to use the CFP^® certification marks.

CFP^® CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: THE FOUR E’S

Education: CFP^® professionals must develop their theoretical and practical financial planning knowledge by completing a comprehensive course of study at a college or university offering a financial planning curriculum approved by CFP Board. Other options for satisfying the education component include submitting a transcript review or previous financial planning-related coursework to CFP Board for review and credit, or showing the attainment of certain professional designations or academic degrees.

Examination: CFP^® practitioners must pass a comprehensive two-day, six-hour CFP^® Certification Examination that tests their ability to apply financial planning knowledge in an integrated format. Based on regular research of what planners do, the exam covers the financial planning process, tax planning, employee benefits and retirement planning, estate planning, investment management and insurance.

Experience: CFP^® professionals must have three years’ minimum experience in the financial planning process prior to earning the right to use the CFP^® certification marks. As a result, CFP^® practitioners possess financial counseling skills in addition to financial planning knowledge.

Ethics: As a final step to certification, CFP^® practitioners agree to abide by a strict code of professional conduct, known as CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility, which sets forth their ethical responsibilities to the public, clients and employers. CFP Board also performs a background check during this process, and each individual must disclose any investigations or legal proceedings related to their professional or business conduct.

HOW THE CFP BOARD'S CODE OF ETHICS BENEFITS YOU

Through the Code of Ethics, CFP^® practitioners agree to act fairly and diligently when providing you with financial planning advice and services, putting your interests first. The Code of Ethics states that CFP^® practitioners are to act with integrity, offering you professional services that are objective and based on your needs. They are required to provide you with information about their sources of compensation and conflicts of interest in writing.

ONGOING CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Once certified, CFP^® practitioners are required to maintain technical competence and fulfill ethical obligations. Every two years, they must complete a minimum 30 hours of continuing education to stay current with developments in the financial planning profession and better serve clients. Two of these hours are spent studying or discussing CFP Board’s Code of Ethics or Practice Standards. In addition to the biennial continuing education requirement, all CFP^® practitioners voluntarily disclose any public, civil, criminal or disciplinary actions that may have been taken against them during the previous two years as part of the renewal process.

The Certified Portfolio Manager designation is designed to provide a deeper understanding of fundamental security analysis, asset allocation and portfolio management concepts for financial industry professionals managing discretionary portfolios. The program advances knowledge in three vital areas: valuation analysis, portfolio construction and risk management.

The curriculum encompasses eight core concepts:

• Quantitative Methods
• Financial Statement Analysis
• Corporate Finance
• Fixed Income Analysis
• Equity Analysis
• Fiduciary Responsibility
• Derivatives
• Portfolio Management

A Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist™ is a professional financial planning designation awarded by the College for Financial Planning to those who create, implement and maintain retirement plans for businesses. Unlike most other professional financial planning and advisory professional designations, the CRPS™ focuses on wholesale and business clients. Every two years, CRPC™ professionals must complete 16 hours of continuing education.

A J.D. is a professional law degree that’s required for an individual to practice law in the United States. Its main purpose is to prepare individuals to practice law. However, the versatile analytical and problem-solving skills honed in a J.D. degree are also valuable in other professions, including finance.

J.D.-educated financial advisors and professionals may be knowledgeable in estate planning, tax planning and financial planning that involves reviewing or explaining legal implications and documentation.

Raymond James does not provide legal services. Please discuss these matters with the appropriate professional.

The MBA is designed to equip individuals with a holistic understanding of different business functions, from finance and strategy to operations and marketing. Financial professionals equipped with an MBA can apply analytical and critical thinking skills to offer clients more well-rounded and informed advice.

Completing an MBA program also indicates the recipient has honed skills relating to business risk management, business strategy and ethical business decision-making.