Why I Chose to Earn Multiple Financial Planning Designations
As a seasoned financial advisor with over 15 years of experience, I have always strived to provide the best possible advice and services to my clients. However, I recognized that in order to continue to grow professionally and provide the highest level of service, I needed to enhance my knowledge and expertise in specific areas. That’s why I chose to earn multiple professional certifications, including the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®), and Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®). In this article, I will discuss why I chose to pursue these certifications and how they have helped me better serve my clients.
CFP® (Certified Financial Planner)
The CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ accreditation is widely considered as the gold standard in financial planning. The certification requires rigorous education and examination on a wide variety of financial planning issues, including retirement planning, estate planning, investments, insurance, and taxes. By receiving the CFP® certification, I proved my expertise in all elements of financial planning, allowing me to deliver more complete counsel to my customers.
CLU® (Chartered Life Underwriter)
The CLU® accreditation is primarily concerned with life insurance and estate planning. The CLU® program includes topics such as life insurance, annuities, business planning, and estate planning. By getting the CLU®, I was able to give more specific counsel to my customers by deepening my expertise of these crucial areas.
Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®)
The ChFC® credential, like the CFP®, covers a wide variety of financial planning subjects. The ChFC®, on the other hand, focuses more on practical applications of financial planning ideas. Coursework for the ChFC® includes courses on retirement planning, estate planning, investments, insurance, and taxes, as well as financial planning for small companies and special needs planning. I was able to apply financial planning ideas to real-world scenarios and deliver more realistic counsel to my clients after getting the ChFC®.
Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®)
The CAP® credential is geared toward philanthropic planning, such as charity giving and estate preparation. The CAP® coursework covers philanthropic topics including charitable giving vehicles, estate planning for charitable giving, and the tax benefits of charitable giving.
Final Thoughts
Obtaining several professional credentials has helped me to expand my knowledge and competence in certain areas of financial planning. By earning the CFP®, CLU®, ChFC® qualifications,I’ve been able to give more comprehensive and specialized knowledge, helping people in meeting their financial objectives to plan for a more sound future.
I completed the coursework and final exams for the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® CAP® designation and expect to receive the credential on May 1st, 2023.