Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) is an American 501(c)(3) certifying and standards-setting organization that administers the Certified Financial Planner certification program and oversees more than 89,000 professionals using the CFP® certification in the United States. CFP Board History CFP Board was founded in 1985 as a non-profit organization that has been granted 501(c)(3) status by the Internal Revenue Service, and thus operates within limitations that prevent it from engaging in aggressive lobbying activities. CFP certification worldwide In 1990, CFP Board established the International CFP Council. In 2004, the board established the Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB), A nonprofit, international standards-setting body, FPSB manages, develops and operates certification, education and related programs for financial planning organizations so that they may benefit and protect the global community by establishing, upholding and promoting worldwide professional standards in personal financial planning. FPSB uses the CFP and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER and CFP (with flame logo) trademarks, which FPSB owns outside the United States. . As of April 2010, FPSB has members and associate members from 23 territories around the world, including CFP Board, which joined FPSB in 2008. Collectively, FPSB members have authorized more than 126,000 individuals to use the CFP marks in their respective countries and regions. CFP Board’s certification requirements CFP Board awards CFP certification in the United States to individuals who meet its initial and ongoing certification requirements. Initial certification requirements include the “4 E’s”: Education: More than 200 institutions across the United States offer educational programs that satisfy CFP Board's education coursework requirement and qualify individuals to take the CFP Certification Examination. Applicants for CFP certification must also hold a qualified bachelor's degree. Examination: The CFP Certification Examination is offered three times a year at more than 50 locations across the United States. Approximately 3,000-4,000 individuals take the exam each year, and the pass rate for each exam administration has varied from 56% to 66% over the past decade. The comprehensive 10-hour exam was introduced for CFP certificants in 1991; prior to that point those applying for certification were only required to complete examinations for the individual course units. In November 2014, the CFP exam was converted from a paper-based exam to a computer-based exam, and the duration cut from 10 hours down to 6, with the number of questions similarly being reduced by 40% from 285 to 170. Experience: Applicants for CFP certification must complete at