CFP Board Launches Video Series and Handbook to Explain CFP Board’s Enforcement and Adjudication Process

CFP Board today announced it has produced the Upholding the Code & Standards video series and an associated Handbook for Respondents to educate CFP® professionals and the public about CFP Board’s enforcement and adjudication process. CFP Board is committed to setting and upholding ethical standards that benefit the public. The steps CFP Board has taken to uphold its Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct (Code and Standards) distinguish CFP® certification from other credentials in the financial services profession.

“CFP Board aims to uphold standards in a manner that is fair to those whose conduct is being evaluated and credible to the public,” said CFP Board CEO Kevin R. Keller, CAE. “These new resources are designed to educate CFP® professionals and the public, foster confidence in our processes, support ongoing professional development and maintain the integrity of CFP® certification.”

The Upholding the Code & Standards video series is composed of nine short, animated videos. Two videos are intended primarily for the public: one that provides an overview of the enforcement process and another that explains how CFP Board addresses concerns from the public regarding professional conduct. The handbook and the remaining seven videos are most relevant to Respondents in a CFP Board proceeding.

The video titles and brief descriptions of each are as follows:

• Video 1: Enforcement Process Overview
  CFP Board’s Procedural Rules set forth Enforcement and Adjudication processes that are credible to the public and fair to those whose conduct is being evaluated. This video provides an overview of how those processes operate, from the time a CFP® professional commits to abide by the Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct to the time the CFP® professional engages in conduct that comes under review by CFP Board's Enforcement Department and potentially becomes the subject of a matter presented to the Disciplinary and Ethics Commission.
• Video 2: Introduction to Investigations
  This video explains how CFP Board detects information leading to an investigation, what to do if you receive a Notice of Investigation and how to respond.
• Video 3: Duty of Cooperation
  This video describes a CFP® professional’s Duty of Cooperation and discusses the consequences of failing to cooperate with CFP Board’s investigation.
• Video 4: Resolution of the Investigation Process
  This video explains how CFP Board resolves an investigation, covering topics such as dismissal and the initial process of filing a complaint alleging a violation of the Code and Standards.
• Video 5: Settlements, Complaints and Motions
  This video describes CFP Board’s peer-review process for determining whether a CFP® professional has violated CFP Board’s Code and Standards.
• Video 6: Hearing Process, DEC Decisions & Appeals
  This video describes hearings before CFP Board’s Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (DEC), decisions issued by the DEC and CFP Board’s appeals process.
• Video 7: Interim Suspensions & Administrative Orders
  This video describes CFP Board’s process for handling special cases, including cases involving conduct requiring emergency action and cases involving a Respondent’s failure to cooperate with CFP Board’s investigation or disciplinary process.
• Video 8: Post-Hearing Compliance & Reinstatement
  This video describes the obligations of a Respondent after they have been subject to sanctions under the Procedural Rules.
• Video 9: The Grievance Process
  This video describes the process for lodging a complaint with CFP Board.

The associated Handbook for Respondents provides an overview of CFP Board’s enforcement process, including the investigation process, information about what to do after receiving a Complaint, how to file an Answer or settle the Complaint and what to expect before, during and after a hearing or review held by CFP Board’s Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (DEC). In conjunction with this handbook, readers should familiarize themselves with CFP Board’s Procedural Rules. The Procedural Rules apply to any person who agreed to CFP Board’s Terms and Conditions of Certification and Trademark License (Terms and Conditions) or the Pathway to CFP® Certification Agreement.

Learn more about CFP Board’s investigation and adjudication process at cfp.net/Enforcement.