What is a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®)?

The CFP Certification designation identifies individuals who have met the
5 E’s established by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. :

Education

Examinations

Experience

Ethics

Enforcement

The CFP Board owns the CFP® certification designation and licenses qualified individuals to use it.  Only a Certified Financial Planner™ or CFP® licensees are
authorized to use this important designation.  The designation also signals that the
person has voluntarily submitted to the regulatory authority of the CFP Board.

Direct from the CFP® website:
Most people think all financial planners are "certified", but this isn't true.   
Anyone can call himself a “financial planner”, but only those who have
fulfilled the certification and annual renewal requirements of the CFP Board
can display the CFP
® marks, which represent a high level of professionalism.  
CFP Board's Standards of Professional Conduct require CFP
® professionals
to act in your best interest, putting your needs above their own.
 

The CFP Board’s certification process assures the public that individuals authorized to
use it are dedicated to a high level of professionalism!  As a Certified Financial
Planner™, they have been asked by the CFP Board to always act in the best interest
of the client and to put those interests ahead of their own at all times.  They are also
required to do so with the heightened duty of care of a "fiduciary" which as defined by
the CFP Board means "one who acts in utmost good faith, in a manner he or she
reasonably believes to be in the best interest of the client."   The seven principles of
the CFP® Code of Ethics are Integrity, Objectivity, Competence, Fairness,
Confidentiality, Professionalism, and Diligence...certainly qualities anyone would want
in their Financial Advisor!

     
  For any additional information on the CFP Board or their Standards of
                  Professional Conduct,
please click on the link below.
Services
Welcome to
Appelman Financial
Here is a listing of the services we provide…

College Savings Planning
Estate Planning
Fixed and Variable Annuities
Income Tax Preparation
Investment Analysis & Planning
Life Insurance
Long Term Care Insurance
Retirement Income Planning
Retirement Rollovers & Distributions—our specialty!
Risk Management
Tax Planning
What is a Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®)?

The Chartered Financial Consultant® designation is the highest standard of
knowledge and trust in the Financial Planning industry
as it requires the strictest
educational standards for any financial services credential.  In order to obtain this title,
advisors must take nine or more college-level courses through the American College
of Financial Services pertaining to a wide range of aspects in financial planning.  It is
estimated that each candidate spends 400 hours to satisfy the criteria of receiving this
designation and then they need to complete an additional 30 hours of continuing
education credits every two years, follow strict ethical standards, and fulfill vast
experiential requirements as well.

The Commitment of a ChFC®:
“In all my professional relationships, I pledge myself to the following rule of
ethical conduct: I shall, in light of all conditions surrounding those I serve,
which I shall make every conscientious effort to ascertain and understand,
render that service which, in the same circumstances, I would apply to
myself.”

Those with the Chartered Financial Consultant® designation are required to operate
under the highest of professional standards.  The authority to use the ChFC® mark is
granted by the Certification Committee of the Board of Trustees of The American
College and its use is conditional on the adherence to extensive ethical guidelines.  It
is required that Chartered Financial Consultants operate in a manner they would
choose for themselves in a similar situation and this guarantees that they advise
based on what would be most beneficial to their client.  Thus this prestigious
credential is a way to ensure both the expertise and integrity necessary for consumers
to get the professional financial advisement they seek.

For any additional information on the Chartered Financial Consultant
         designation or the American College of Financial Services,
                                please click on the link below.
You will be pleased to know that we have been a member of the
Better Business Bureau since 2004 and we hold an
A+ rating*!!!   

If you would like to check out the website for the Better Business Bureau,
please click on their logo
.
Check out some of the areas where
Appelman Financial provides special services
to their Gold Medal Service clients:

Investment Oversight Service
Tax Reduction Planning & Income Tax Preparation
Retirement Income & Distribution Planning
Family Wealth Planning
Client Services & Communication
Appelman Financial's A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau
Certified Financial Planner designation
Chartered Financial Consultant designation
Appelman Financial provides Gold Medal Services to it's top clients
*Please note that the BBB accreditation does not mean that
the business' products or services have been evaluated or
endorsed by the BBB or that the BBB has made a
determination as to the business' product quality or
competency in performing services.