Trade Associations

NAPFA Must Do The Right Thing With CPA/PFSs If It Wants To Retain Its Special Role As An Advocate For Consumers

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  It's been over a year since the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) decided to accept as new members only those holding the Certified Financial PlannerTM (CFP®) designation. I was not happy, to say the least, about this decision and need to get this off my chest.   As a CPA/PFS (Personal Financial Specialist), I thought I would adjust to the new rules, especially since my membership in NAPFA was grandfathered, thus, allowing me to retain my NAPFA membership.  After attending the AICPA's Advanced Personal Financial Planning Conference a couple of w

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CFA Level 1 Exam Prep Now Being Offered By The American College, Reflecting The Growing Popularity Of The CFA Designation

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If you're interested in completing the CFA Level 1 Exam, you can now study online 24/7 through The American College’s prep site. Level II and III packages will be available in the fall of 2014.

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Charles J. Yang, CFA, Elected Chair Of CFA Institute Board Of Governors

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Charles J. Yang, CFA, has been elected the new chair of the Board of Governors of CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals. Effective Sept. 1, Yang succeeds Alan M. Meder, CFA, who will continue to serve on the Board as immediate past chair. A new board lineup was elected by the membership at the CFA Institute 66th Annual Conference in May.   CFA Institute represents a competitor to the CFP mark and is growing fast. CFA Institute says it has more than 117,000 members in 137 countries and territories,

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NAPFA, In Saying Only CFPs Can Become Members, Snubbed The AICPA, Exposing Fractures In The Movement To Professionalize

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The American Institute of CPAs, in a letter emailed to its financial advisor members last Friday, shrugged off an announcement earlier week by the National Association Of Personal Financial Advisors to accept only CFPs as NAPFA members.   “As the professional home for CPA financial planners, the AICPA stands behind our members and the qualifications and expertise they bring to supporting their clients,” said the email to AICPA Personal Financial Planning (PFP) Section Members & CPA/PFS credential holders. AICPA’s response to NAPFA was muted, considering that NAP

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IMCA Sets Out To Define “Wealth Management” But Critics And Competitors Take Issue With The Definition

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The Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA) last week planted a stake in the ground and defined - for what it says is the first time ever - private wealth advice or wealth management for the financial services industry. IMCA, which is a nonprofit professional association and credentialing organization with more than 8,700 individual members, also released a white paper detailing the findings of a comprehensive job analysis that defines the practice of wealth management.

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