Did You Know? - Continuing Education for Designation Renewal

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in Financial Planners Professional Community

Continuing Education for Designation Renewal:

To renew your designation, you'll need to report Continuing Education (CE) hours at the end of your two-year authorization period. When renewing through your student portal, you do not need to upload or provide copies of your CE credits. Instead, you'll complete an electronic attestation confirming that you've earned the necessary CE credits in the approved Subject Topics for CE Credit.

As long as the subject or topic of your CE matches what's listed in the College for Financial Planning's College Catalog Subject List (see page 167), you can use it for renewal. On page 167, you'll find a list of chapters for each designation, organized alphabetically. Scroll through to find the relevant subject list for your designation. Each designation has multiple chapters and subjects/topics listed. As long as the subject of your CE aligns with one of these listed topics, it can be used for your renewal. Most CE credits typically fall under categories like Ethics, Retirement Planning, General CE, Life Insurance, and similar topics.

Link to: 2024-25 College Catalog

Here are some key points to remember:

  • Random Audits: The College for Financial Planning may randomly audit renewals to ensure compliance. If selected for an audit, you will need to provide documentation for your claimed CE hours.
  • Documentation: Keep records of your CE hours for two years after your authorization period ends. These records might include grade reports, transcripts, or certificates of attendance, and should only be submitted if requested.
  • What to Keep: Documentation should include your name, the program name, the CE sponsor, the date and location of the program (or indicate if it was virtual), the number of CE credits earned, and a signature from the sponsor's representative. It's also helpful to keep an agenda showing the topics covered and the time allotted for each.

Courses taken from the College for Financial Planning are exempt from audit, but keeping thorough records is essential for compliance.

Please note that if audited, screenshots, photographs, Excel charts for tracking completed CE hours, or forwarded/PDF emails of CE transcripts/certificates or emails of webinar attendance, will not be accepted, as they are not considered official documentation of CE. 

Official documentation must include grade reports, transcripts, or certificates that clearly show your name, the courses completed, the number of CE credits earned, and a signature from the sponsor's representative. All dates on these documents must fall within two years of your designation renewal date.

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