Glossary
CFP (Certified Financial Planner)
A CFP (Certified Financial Planner) is a person who has met the CFP Board's education, examination, experience, and ethics requirements for comprehensive financial planning.
The credential covers planning broadly — investments, retirement, insurance, tax, and estate topics — and requires continuing education. CFP professionals commit to a fiduciary standard when providing financial advice under the CFP Board's code of ethics.
Why it matters in practice
Credentials describe training, not business model: a CFP may work at a fee-only fiduciary firm, a commission-based brokerage, or an insurance agency, and the compensation structure still shapes incentives. Checking a planner's certification status at the CFP Board and their firm's registration and Form ADV together gives a fuller picture than either alone.
Related terms: Fiduciary · Fee-Only · Series 65 · Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) · Form ADV