CFP
Board's first book, the Financial Planning Competency Handbook, is now available from booksellers nationwide.
Published by highly respected academic publisher John Wiley & Sons, Inc., the Handbook is designed for the
entire financial planning profession — including students, professors and practitioners — and provides a theoretical
framework for many of the major content areas in financial planning as well as real-world guidance for practicing
professionals.

“The Financial Planning Competency Handbook is a
seminal work for the financial planning profession, and it serves as a comprehensive handbook for CFP®
professionals who are already practicing, students, those who are candidates for CFP® certification, faculty
and those interested in the profession,” said CFP Board CEO Kevin R. Keller, CAE. “CFP Board is actively working to
build upon an academic foundation for financial planning as a profession, with this book adding to the body of
knowledge.”

The 85-chapter, 735-page book was edited by CFP
Board’s Dr. Charles Chaffin, Director of Academic Programs and Initiatives. Twenty-one volunteers from academia and the
profession contributed to the book. Each chapter is dedicated to one of CFP Board’s 78 topic areas, bringing together
theory and practice through an overview of what a CFP® professional should know in theory as well as how it
works in the real world through vignettes.

The most
recent administration of the CFP® Exam was held March 15-16,
2013 at testing sites across the nation. CFP Board is pleased to share that
successful efforts to reduce the time required to complete the scoring
process will allow us to release results for the March
2013 and future exams approximately 5 weeks following the exam date.

The next
CFP® Exam will be held July 19-20, 2013. Encourage your
qualified colleagues to register online for the July 2013 exam by the
registration deadline, June 4, 2013, at www.CFP.net/exam.

Did
You Know?
Individuals who hold specific academic degrees and professional
credentials can register for the CFP® exam after completing a
single financial plan development (capstone) course offered by a CFP
Board-Registered Program. The specific degrees, licenses or credentials
that qualify for this “Challenge”
status are:

Ph.D. in business or economics

Doctor of Business Administration

Licensed attorney

Licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA)

Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC)

Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU)

Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®)

CFP certification from the Financial Planning
Standards Board Ltd. (FPSB) Affiliate located in the individual’s
territory of residence outside the U.S.

CFP® Exam registrations under
“Challenge” status must be
accompanied with documentation verifying the individual’s qualification
and completion of the capstone course.

Public
awareness is one of the Board’s highest priorities, given its importance
for the future of the CFP® certification and financial
planning profession, and CFP Board’s first large-scale advertising
campaign continues to enhance awareness of CFP® professionals.

The
public awareness campaign includes print and online advertisements,
sponsorship messages on NPR, as well as a TV ad that has been broadcast on
national television cable networks. All of the advertisements direct people
to our consumer website – letsmakeaplan.org
– where they can learn more about the CFP® certification and
look up a CFP® professional in their area.

Last
year, CFP Board conducted a brand tracking study that confirmed the
campaign is having impact and positively moving awareness of and preference
for CFP® professionals. The study found statistically
significant percentage point increases in consumer awareness amongst the
campaign target as well as increases in the preference for CFP®
professionals and increases in recognition of the CFP® marks, as
compared to baseline numbers established at the start of the campaign.
Nancy Kistner, CFP®, 2013 Chair of CFP Board's Board of
Directors, shared details on the study's findings during CFP Board's July
2012 Business Update Webinar.

In 2012,
the campaign introduced advertorial-type messages alongside some of the
print ads. These worked to tie in the topic of the
magazine to the benefits of working with a CFP® professional. In
2013, the campaign will continue to benefit from this type of print added
value, and supplement it with similar opportunities to enhance our
television advertising. Learn more about these and other campaign updates
by viewing the recording of CFP Board’s March
2013 Business Update Webinar.

CFP®
professionals have access to many materials that can be used to help extend
the reach of the campaign in their communities. Visit the Public
Awareness Campaign Toolkit for customizable ad templates, CFP®
marks artwork, and information on the 2013 media schedule.

CFP
Board and our partners in the Financial Planning Coalition — the Financial
Planning Association and the National Association of Personal Financial
Advisors — recently released the results of a new nationwide survey of
consumers that shows, by an overwhelming margin, Americans want the federal
government to play an active role in protecting investors, including
extending a fiduciary standard to broker-dealers who provide personalized
investment advice to retail clients. Consumers also want the federal
government to protect investors by increasing oversight of investment
advisers.

The
survey showed:

93 percent of respondents agree with the statement
that financial advisers providing advice “should put your interests
ahead of theirs and should have to tell you upfront about any
conflicts of interest that potentially could influence that advice.”

84 percent of American investors agree that
“financial advisers should be regulated by the federal government to
protect investors and build confidence in financial services.”

80 percent of American investors do not believe the
federal government is doing enough to protect “consumers from being
taken advantage of” by financial advisers.

The
survey was released as the Senate Banking Committee considered the
nomination of Mary Jo White as the next Chairman of the Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC), whose nomination was confirmed by the Banking
Committee and referred to the Senate for final confirmation. The Coalition
believes that this nationwide survey demonstrates the public’s continued
desire for the SEC to fulfill its mission to protect investors.

“These
results should serve as another wake-up call for the SEC, Congress and the
Administration to protect American investors who continue to be vulnerable
to fraud and abuse while key Dodd-Frank investor-protection reforms are
mired in rulemakings or need follow-up congressional action,” said the
Coalition in a statement that restated its support for White’s nomination.
“American investors remain at risk, as policymakers continue to debate the
merits and implementation of these important investor protection provisions
in the Dodd-Frank Act,” the Coalition concluded. “We strongly urge the new
Chairman of the SEC to champion extending the fiduciary standard and
support the user fee option as a way to fund increased oversight of
investment advisers.”

The
survey showed that American investors indicated strong support of one of
the Coalition’s highest priorities: extending the fiduciary standard of
conduct to broker-dealers who provide investment advice to retail clients.
“The adoption of the fiduciary standard for broker-dealers will help to
restore and strengthen public trust in financial advisers — both investment
advisers and broker-dealers — offering long-term benefits to consumers and
to our economy,” said the Coalition, which plans to submit a response to
the SEC’s
recent request for information about costs and benefits related to the
fiduciary standard rulemaking process. (PDF, 303KB)

The
Coalition also strongly advocates for a properly funded SEC to enhance its
oversight of investment advisers and to ensure that examinations are
conducted at least once every four years, as opposed to the current
frequency of once every 11 years. The current level of examinations, which
is due to a resource gap at the SEC, is bad for investors and for advisers.

To pay
for increased examinations, the Coalition is advocating for Congress to
authorize the SEC to collect user fees from SEC-regulated investment
advisers. This targeted, efficient and effective solution will provide the
SEC with the additional resources it needs to do its job. It comes at no
additional cost to taxpayers and is roundly supported by consumer and
industry groups, with investment advisers also saying they are willing to
pay for the increased oversight. A Boston Consulting Group study commissioned
by the Coalition and others in 2011 found user fees to be significantly
less costly than a self-regulatory organization (SRO) operated by FINRA and
the preferred solution by more than 80 percent of investment advisers.

The New
York Times shared insights from CFP Board’s Consumer
Advocate, Eleanor Blayney, CFP® and CFP Board Ambassador
Connie Stone, CFP® in a story focused on the increasing
problem of debt among older Americans

The Wall Street Journal and FundFire
published articles highlighting CFP Board’s work to encourage large
financial service firms to increase the number of CFP®
professionals among their ranks

CEO Update
magazine featured the work of CFP Board’s Consumer Advocate

Financial Planning magazine introduced CFP Board’s new Director of
Marketing and new Government Relations Counsel

CFP Board Seeks Candidates for 2014 Board of
Directors: CFP
Board is currently accepting applications for individuals interested
in serving on the Board of Directors beginning in January 2014. Board
Directors have a significant opportunity and responsibility to
participate in guiding the policy direction of the organization,
working with the Board Chair, the CEO and other Directors to provide
strategic leadership for CFP Board. Those interested in serving on CFP
Board’s Board of Directors should review the Board
Director Position Description and Candidate Specifications
document and submit a completed Board
Director Volunteer Application Form no later than June 14, 2013.

Community Leadership Awards: Nominate a colleague for the 2013 Community
Leadership Awards, established by the Invest in Others Charitable
Foundation to recognize and celebrate financial advisers across the
country for their exemplary leadership and contribution to various
philanthropic efforts. Nominations are being accepted through April
26, 2013. Learn
more >