Designation Explanation

1. CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner, CFP®
   CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner, CFP® and federally registered CFP (with a flame design) marks (collectively the “CFP® marks”) are professional certification marks granted in the United States by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board).  
   
   The CFP® certification is a voluntary certification; no federal or state law or regulation requires financial planners to hold the CFP® certification. It is recognized in the United States and a number of other countries for its (1) high standard of professional education; (2) stringent code of conduct and standards of practice; and (3) ethical requirements that govern professional engagements with clients.
   
   To attain the CFP® marks, an individual must satisfactorily fulfill the following requirements:   
   • Education:  
     • Complete an advanced college-level course of study addressing the financial planning subject areas that CFP Board’s studies have determined are necessary for the competent and professional delivery of financial planning services. CFP Board’s financial planning subject areas include: insurance planning and risk management, employee benefit planning, investment planning, income tax planning, retirement planning, and estate planning.
     • Attain a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited United States college or university (or its equivalent from a foreign university).
   • Examination: Pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification Examination. The examination, administered in 7 hours, includes case studies and client scenarios designed to test one’s ability to correctly diagnose financial planning issues and apply one’s knowledge of financial planning to real world circumstances.
   • Experience: Complete at least three years of full-time financial planning related experience, measured as 2,000 hours per year.
   • Ethics: Agree to be bound by the CFP Board’s Standards of Professional Conduct, a set of documents outlining the ethical and practice standards for CFP® professionals.
   Individuals who become certified must also complete ongoing education and ethics requirements to maintain the right to continue to use the CFP® marks.
   
   
2. CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT, CPA
   CPAs are licensed and regulated by their state boards of accountancy. While state laws and regulations vary, the education, experience, and testing requirements for licensure as a CPA generally include:
   
   • Education:A bachelor’s degree with at least 150 semester hours or 225 quarter hours 
   • Examination:
     • Pass the Uniform CPA Examination broken into four sections:
       • Business Economic & Concepts (BEC)
       • Financial Accounting & Reporting (FAR)
       • Regulation (REG)
     • Pass the Ethics Examination 
   • Experience: Complete one year of full-time experience in accounting, measured as 2,000 hours per year, achieved under the supervision of or verification by a licensed CPA.
Individuals who become certified must also complete ongoing education and ethics requirements to maintain the CPA license.  


3. CERTIFIED WEALTH STRATEGIST®, CWS®
   The CWS® certification is one of the fastest growing in the financial industry. After 6 months of study, passing the Capstone project, and completing the CWS® Board of Standard's ongoing certification requirements, Diana was awarded the certification.
   
   
   A Certified Wealth Strategist follows a team player style of serving clients. This style involves CPAs, CFPs®, insurance specialists and other professionals to provide clients with a comprehensive methodology for the development of their life, retirement, and estate plans. With the excellent quality of professional team power that goes into these plans, the results are dynamic! And when life throws changes at us, these plans are adaptable and can be altered to keep up with changing times.