Welcome to the Certificants Forum, my name is Marty Kurtz and I am acting as moderator for this discussion.  FPA has been kind enough to offer this space.  This is an available area where CFP® Certificants can share their ideas about the Financial Planning Profession with other Certificants to increase community knowledge and understanding of current events which affect “the Marks” (CFP® Marks), and then also affect us as Certificants.  This is an open community site therefore anyone can access the site; you need not be a FPA Member or a CFP Certficant.  The purpose of this site is to give us all an “open mike” to speak what you feel and think.  All opinions are welcome and the driving principle involved here is getting accurate information out into the Certificant community, to inspire new and better discussion about issues that affect CFP® Certificants and to assist us and our community leaders on how to make strong and profound decisions about the future of this profession.

This discussion started with the resignation of five of the DEC Commissioners in March at the Washington D.C. hearing panels.  Since then there has been a group of Certificants (about 30) who have been having discussions on teleconferences attempting to sort out a community consensus on if the CFP® Board has violated its own by-laws or if it is moving in the right direction.  Were the five DEC Commissioners correct in resigning and if so, how do we present the case to the CFP® Board?  These discussions have lead to opening up of multiple issues that have been being running in the background of Certificant conversations for the last decade.  The CFP Board has had seven CEOs in seven years.  They made a controversial move from Denver to Washington D.C., and the mission statement has been revised almost as often as the CEO has changed.  The tax status of 501c (3) seems to be the driving force in defining reasons for actions along with the Carver Governance Model as a modus operandi.  The time for secrecy and esoteric actions is coming to an end.  I think we all wish to begin a new era where Certificants and Board members alike decide to end the frustrations on both sides and create an environment (the ever popular container analogy) that we can all share our thought and ideas, where we can communicate and disagree without any personal agendas or disparity.  This author’s sincerest wish is for our profession’s clinical apathy starts its slow death. 

This is a time for leadership.  Not some ego driven leadership that comes with personal glory or gain, but as Marcus Aurelius puts it “a community of the mind.”   The more brain power we get pushing on the challenges of the future, the better chance we have of achieving all of those altruistic goals we have used as mantras since we past that CFP Exam and said we were going to make a difference.  Years ago CFP-Lite inspired a ground swell of emotions on what the direction to the profession should be.  Let me put you on notice – THE DISCUSSION ISN”T OVER!   Two designations is not the issue today or is it!  Who will regulate the industry in the future?  Does the CFP® Exam allow more to enter the ranks by changing the exam?  Does the DEC (Disciplinary and Ethics Commission) no longer have a system of peer review and is the dandy of a staff administered system which worries more about efficiency and less about fairness?  Do you care?  The CFP® Board has to deal with immensely difficult issues and to leave them alone without our collective thought is irresponsible. 

We are at the crossroads of change but we are very fortunate.  I believe we have a CFP® Board that is willing to listen to us.  We must enjoin them into our conversations.  There is no other way!  There is no failure, only results that we don’t like.  Our only safe harbor is Certificants entering the discussion and announcing that they have an opinion.  So write down your thoughts, your questions.  If you don’t understand something, ask, someone will answer.  If we don’t know the answer, we will find out. I am posting a few of the documents we have been circulating around, the DEC White Paper, a letter I wrote to Dave Strege, CFP® Board Chair and his response in the download folder for this forum at: http://community.fpanet.org/cs/files/folders/certificants_forum/default.aspx.  Bob Veres has articles in the last two Inside Information periodicals and Marilyn Dimitroff has a letter she wrote on www.BobVeres.com.  Check out everything and post how you feel.  This is the time to enter the discussion. 

Forward this link to others,, 59,000 people are CFP Certificants – less than fifty have been in on the discussions – spread the word – the influence you have can start here………..m