Unlike the medical and legal professions that require years of study and advanced degrees among other rigorous requirements before someone can claim to be a doctor or lawyer, financial professionals have varying degrees of formal education and experience which means it’s even more important to do your homework when researching who you’ll hire.
A financial certification is a professional designation administered and awarded by a credentialing organization to individuals who meet certain prerequisites, complete required coursework, pass examinations and agree to uphold ethical standards.
Financial professionals will generally display the certifications they’ve earned in abbreviated form following their name on business cards and in online directories like LinkedIn and Wealthtender.
Depending upon your individual circumstances and financial situation, certain professional designations will be more relevant to your unique financial planning needs.
Among the more than 100 financial certifications offered by a diverse range of credentialing organizations, you’ll find several widely held professional designations along with many lesser known certifications in very specific areas of specialization.
We prepared the list of financial certifications below with a brief description of each, plus links to in-depth articles if you want to learn more about a particular designation.