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The following text is provided to assist investment advisors registered with the SEC comply with the Form ADV brochure supplement (Part 2B) requirement. Advisors may use the entire text or choose sections to cut and paste.

Minimum Qualifications for the College for Financial Planning’s Professional Designations

• AAMS^®, or Accredited Asset Management Specialist^SM
• ADPA^SM, or Accredited Domestic Partnership Advisor^SM
• APMA^SM, or Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor^SM
• AWMA^®, or Accredited Wealth Management Advisor^SM
• CMFC^®, or Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor^SM
• CRPC^®, or Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor^SM
• CRPS^®, or Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist^SM
• RP^®, or Registered Paraplanner^SM

The College for Financial Planning awards its designations to individuals who successfully complete the following requirements:

Education

The College offers eight proprietary professional designation programs covering the asset management, retirement planning, and financial planning sectors. Programs are offered in both self-study and instructor-led formats and require the successful completion of a specific curriculum covering both theoretical and practical application of the material. The curricula are developed by the College’s full-time faculty with input from the country’s top investment firms.

AAMS^®

- Individuals who hold the AAMS^® designation have completed a course of study encompassing investments, insurance, tax, retirement, and estate planning issues. The program is designed for approximately 120-150 hours of self-study. The program is self-paced and must be completed within one year from enrollment.

ADPA^SM

- Individuals who hold the ADPA^SM 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. The program is designed for 80-100 hours of self-study and enrollment into the program requires the student to currently hold one of the following designations or certifications: CRPC^®, AAMS^®, AWMA^®, APMA^SM, CIMA^®, ChFC, JD, CPA, CFA, or CFP^®. The program is self-paced and must be completed within one year from enrollment.

APMA^SM

- Individuals who hold the APMA^SM designation have completed a course of study encompassing client assessment and suitability, risk/return, investment objectives, bond and equity portfolios, modern portfolio theory and investor psychology. Students have hands-on practice in analyzing investment policy statements, building portfolios, and making asset allocation decisions including sell, hold, and buy decisions within a client’s portfolio. The program consists of two parts designed for a total of approximately 120-150 hours of study. The first part includes an 11 module self-study course with an online, proctored exam. Students successfully completing the exam matriculate to the second part of the program. That part consists of a four week, instructor-led, online graduate course requiring successful completion of several graded assignments involving investor policy statements, portfolio construction, asset allocation, and portfolio buy, sell, and hold decisions. The program must be completed within one year from enrollment.

AWMA^®

- Individuals who hold the AWMA^® designation have completed a course of study encompassing wealth strategies, equity-based compensation plans, tax reduction alternatives, and asset protection alternatives. The program is designed for approximately 120-150 hours of self-study. The program is self-paced and must be completed within one year from enrollment.

CMFC^®

- Individuals who hold the CMFC^® designation have completed a course of study encompassing all aspects of mutual funds and their uses as investment vehicles. The program is designed for approximately 120-150 hours of self-study. The program is self-paced and must be completed within one year from enrollment.

CRPC^®

- Individuals who hold the CRPC^® designation have completed a course of study encompassing pre-and post-retirement needs, asset management, estate planning and the entire retirement planning process using models and techniques from real client situations. The program is designed for approximately 120-150 hours of self-study. The program is self-paced and must be completed within one year from enrollment.

CRPS^®

- Individuals who hold the CRPS^® designation have completed a course of study encompassing design, installation, maintenance, and administration of retirement plans. The program is designed for approximately 120-150 hours of self-study. The program is self-paced and must be completed within one year from enrollment.

RP^®

- Individuals who hold the RP^® designation have completed a course of study encompassing the financial planning process; the five disciplines of financial planning; and general financial planning concepts, terminology, and product categories. Additionally, individuals enrolled in the program, after passing the final exam, must complete a three-month long internship program in which they obtain verification from their immediate supervisor or employer documenting their mastery of the following financial planning-related skills:

• adequate verbal and communication skills;
• ability to use at least one type of financial planning software;
• ability to read and extract information for data gathering purposes from a client's financial documents, including insurance policies (life, medical, disability, property/liability), investment records, tax returns, wills/trusts, retirement, and property holding documents;
• ability to construct personal financial statements, including balance sheets (statement of financial position) and income statements; and
• ability to review and analyze information to identify basic strengths and weaknesses in a client’s financial situation relating to risk management issues, investment issues, income tax issues, retirement issues, and general issues (e.g., emergency funds, level of debt, budgeting, saving patterns, net worth fluctuations).

Examination

Individuals are required to pass an online, timed and proctored end-of-course examination with a 70% score or higher. The examination tests the individual’s ability to relate complex concepts and apply theoretical concepts to real-life situations.

Designation Application

After successful completion of the end-of-course examination, individuals apply for authorization to use the designation. The application includes:

1. Adherence to Standards of Professional Conduct.
   • Integrity

     Provide professional services with integrity, honor, fairness, and dignity and maintain client trust and confidence.

   • Objectivity

     Maintain objectivity and impartiality with respect to services rendered and advice given.

   • Competency

     Maintain an adequate level of knowledge and skill and effectively apply that knowledge while recognizing its limitations.

   • Confidentiality

     Keep client information confidential, disclosing only when authorized or compelled by law.

   • Professionalism

     Comply with all laws and regulations as required and applicable, refraining from actions that bring dishonor to you or your profession.

2. Self-Disclosure

   Applicants must disclose any criminal, civil, self-regulatory organization, or governmental agency inquiry, investigation, or proceeding relating to their professional or business conduct. Conferment of the designation is contingent upon the College for Financial Planning’s review of matters either self-disclosed or which are discovered by the College that are required to be disclosed.

3. Adherence to Terms and Conditions

   The Terms and Conditions outline designees’ rights to use the College’s Marks and acknowledge the rights of the College to protect the Marks from unauthorized use by individuals or entities.

Renewal Requirements

Following initial conferment of one of the College for Financial Planning’s professional designations, authorization for continued use of the credential must be renewed every two years by completing 16 hours of continuing education; reaffirming compliance with the Standards of Professional Conduct, Terms and Conditions; and complying with self-disclosure requirements.

The College monitors its designees’ compliance with the designation requirements and standards. Any alleged violations are subject to disciplinary procedures.

Disciplinary Procedures

Complaints against a designee may be filed by any individual using the Complaint Submission form found on the College’s Financial Designation Resource website, www.cffpdesignations.com. The College for Financial Planning investigates all complaints and its Ethical Conduct Committee determines whether allegations are justified and whether the conduct warrants disciplinary action.

If a violation of the Standards of Professional Conduct is found, disciplinary sanctions shall be based on the seriousness of the situation and may include, but are not limited to:

• Reprimand;
• Suspension; or
• Revocation.

About the College for Financial Planning

The College for Financial Planning is a regionally-accredited institution of higher education accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association. The College is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apollo Group, Inc. located in Phoenix Arizona. The College offers a Master of Science degree with a Personal Financial Planning major and two Master of Science in Finance degrees, eight proprietary professional designations, and the CFP Certification Professional Education Program. Founded in 1972, the College is the country’s oldest provider of financial planning education and has over 120,000 graduates from its Master’s and non-degree programs.