Who We Are

I am certified for financial planning services in the United States by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (“CFP Board”). Therefore, I may refer to myself as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional or a CFP® professional, and I may use these and CFP Board’s other certification marks (the “CFP Board Certification Marks”). The CFP® certification is voluntary. No federal or state law or regulation requires financial planners to hold the CFP® certification. You may find more information about the CFP® certification at www.cfp.net.

CFP® professionals have met CFP Board’s high standards for education, examination, experience, and ethics. To become a CFP® professional, an individual must fulfill the following requirements:

• Education – Earn a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university and complete CFP Board-approved coursework at a college or university through a CFP Board Registered Program. The coursework covers the financial planning subject areas CFP Board has determined are necessary for the competent and professional delivery of financial planning services, as well as a comprehensive financial plan development capstone course. A candidate may satisfy some of the coursework requirement through other qualifying credentials.
• Examination – Pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification Examination. The examination is designed to assess an individual’s ability to integrate and apply a broad base of financial planning knowledge in the context of real-life financial planning situations.
• Experience – Complete 6,000 hours of professional experience related to the personal financial planning process, or 4,000 hours of apprenticeship experience that meets additional requirements.
• Ethics – Satisfy the Fitness Standards for Candidates for CFP® Certification and Former CFP® Professionals Seeking Reinstatement and agree to be bound by CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct (“Code and Standards”), which sets forth the ethical and practice standards for CFP® professionals.

Individuals who become certified must complete the following ongoing education and ethics requirements to remain certified and maintain the right to continue to use the CFP Board Certification Marks:

• Ethics – Commit to complying with CFP Board’s Code and Standards. This includes a commitment to CFP Board, as part of the certification, to act as a fiduciary, and therefore, act in the best interests of the client, at all times when providing financial advice and financial planning. CFP Board may sanction a CFP® professional who does not abide by this commitment, but CFP Board does not guarantee a CFP® professional's services. A client who seeks a similar commitment should obtain a written engagement that includes a fiduciary obligation to the client.
• Continuing Education – Complete 30 hours of continuing education every two years to maintain competence, demonstrate specified levels of knowledge, skills, and abilities, and keep up with developments in financial planning. Two of the hours must address the Code and Standards.

I am certified for retirement management services in the United States by Retirement Management Advisor Board of Standards, Inc. (“RMA Board”). Therefore, I may refer to myself as a Retirement Management Advisor professional or a RMA professional. The RMA certification is voluntary. No federal or state law or regulation requires financial planners to hold the RMA certification. You may find more information about the RMA certification at https://investmentsandwealth.org/rma

RMA professionals have met RMA Board’s high standards for education, examination, experience, and ethics. To become an RMA professional, an individual must fulfill the following requirements:

• Education - Completion of RMA online course, completion of RMA Capstone course, and completion and passage of an online multiple-choice examination.
• Experience - One of the following must be me prior to obtaining this designation: 

  - Be a financial services professional with three plus years of relevant experience or;

  - Already hold one of the following designations: CIMA, CPWA, CFP®, CFA, ChFC, or RICP

• Ethics - The candidate must adhere to the code of professional responsibility.

Individuals who become certified must complete the following ongoing education and ethics requirements to remain certified and maintain the right to continue to use the RMA designation:

• Education - The individual using the RMA mark must complete twenty (20) hours of continuing education annually.
• Ethics - The individual must always adhere to the code of professional responsibility. 

I am certified for investment management services in the United States by Retirement Management Advisor Board of Standards, Inc. (“RMA Board”). Therefore, I may refer to myself as a Retirement Management Advisor professional or a RMA professional. The RMA certification is voluntary. No federal or state law or regulation requires financial planners to hold the RMA certification. You may find more information about the RMA certification at https://investmentsandwealth.org/cima. 

The CIMA certification signifies that an individual has met initial and on-going experience, ethics, education, and examination requirements for the job of investment management consulting, including advanced investment management theory and application. Prerequisites for the CIMA certification are three years of financial services experience and acceptable ethical background/compliance history as decided in an admissions peer review process governed by the Ethics board. To obtain the CIMA certification, candidates must successfully complete a one-week classroom education program provided by a Registered Education Provider at an AACSB accredited university business school and pass a Certification Examination. CIMA designees are required to adhere to IWI's Code of Professional Responsibility and Guidance Document, Disciplinary Rules and Procedures, and Fules and Guidelines for Use of the Marks. CIMA designees must report 40 hours of continuing education credits, including two ethics and one tax/regulations hours, every two years to maintain the certification. The designation is administered through Investments and Wealth Institute® (IWI).

What is an enrolled agent (EA)?

Enrolled agents (EAs) are America’s Tax Experts®. They are the only federally-licensed tax practitioners who both specialize in taxation and have unlimited rights to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service. These tax specialists have earned the privilege of representing taxpayers before the IRS by either passing a three-part examination covering individual tax returns; business tax returns; and representation, practice and procedure, or through relevant experience as a former IRS employee. All candidates are subjected to a rigorous background check conducted by the IRS.

What are the differences between an EA and other tax professionals?

The enrolled agent license is the most expansive license the IRS grants a tax professional. Enrolled agents are generally unrestricted as to which taxpayers they can represent, what types of tax matters they can handle, and the IRS offices before which they may practice. Unlike attorneys and CPAs, who may or may not choose to specialize in taxes, all enrolled agents specialize in taxation. CPAs and attorneys are licensed by the states, but enrolled agents are federally licensed. While the IRS requires all preparers to obtain and maintain a valid Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN), enrolled agents have gone beyond basic requirements and have demonstrated their expertise through testing.