Financial Planner Designations

Financial Planner Designations on the Spring Team

What are all those letters about?

The finance industry has so many designations that they’re practically a cottage industry. How are you supposed to know whether or not the designation is useful to you?

Rather than provide you with a robust list of all possible designations (something we’ve considered, and started several times), we’ve decided to provide you with a breakdown of the designations that exist within our firm. It’s a smaller list, and less exhausting.

(In Alphabetical Order, updated June 2023)

BBA – Bachelor of Business Administration

An undergraduate degree in business administration, designed to give a broad knowledge of the functional aspects of a company and their interconnections, while allowing for specialization in particular areas.

CFP – Certified Financial Planner

Governing Body: Financial Planning Standards Board
This program is designed to ensure financial planners are able to meet their clients’ needs and the evolving requirements of the financial services industry. There are 6 steps to certification, including curriculum, examinations, experience, and a capstone course. The QAFP™ certification is bestowed at step 3, and the CFP designation at step 6. Certificants are required to maintain robust body of knowledge, minimum Standards of Competence, Standards of Professional Responsibility, and 25 hours of continuing education each year.

Governing Body: The Institute for Advanced Financial Education
Surprisingly, this designation does not certify a charter holder to underwrite life insurance, but is instead is focused on advanced estate, tax, and business planning education. Certificants are required to complete a minimum of 30 hours of continuing education each year, and adhere to a Code of Professional Conduct.

Governing Body: The Family Enterprise Exchange
This unique program is (currently) the only one of its kind in the world, teaching business family advisors how to integrate their own discipline with those of other professionals in order to provide collaborative and complementary advice. Modules include family dynamics, strategy, governance, facilitation, communication, and much more. Designates are required to complete a minimum of 7 hours of continuing education each year and uphold the FEA Code of Ethics and Professional Standards.