Certifications and Associations

The following designations are held by some or all of our team members:

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™

Certified Financial Planner™ Certificants or CFP® Certificants are financial planners who have met rigorous professional standards. These standards are known as the “four E’s” and include:

  • Education
    CFP® professionals must complete a comprehensive course of study through an accredited college program. The program must comprise of coursework that covers all six major areas of financial planning, which includes: the financial planning process, tax planning, employee benefit and retirement planning, estate planning, investment management and insurance.
  • Examination
    Once certificants have met the education requirement, they are eligible to sit for the CFP® Certification Examination, a two-day, ten-hour exam that tests the planner’s ability to integrate all areas of financial planning.
  • Experience
    Professionals must have at least three years of full-time experience in the field before using the CFP® certification marks.
  • Ethics
    Lastly, the professional must sign an agreement to the terms given in the CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility and Financial Planning Practice Standards. This code of conduct obligates the professional to act with integrity and always put the clients’ needs first. It gives the CFP Board full authority to enforce its Disciplinary Rules and Procedures.

Once CFP® practitioners become certified, they are required to continue a high level of competence and skill. They must complete 30 hours of continuing education every two years. Two of these hours must be used studying the CFP Board’s Code of Ethics.

Enrolled Agent (EA)

An Enrolled Agent is an individual who has been licensed by the IRS in the field of taxation. Enrolled Agents are qualified to prepare tax returns, complete taxation planning, and represent taxpayers before the IRS. Only attorneys, CPAs and EAs can represent clients to the IRS.

Enrolled agents must complete several requirements to maintain their license. EAs must pass a comprehensive exam that covers all sections of tax code. Professionals are also required to sign a code of ethics and complete at least 72 hours of continuing education credits every three years.

Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®)

The Chartered Life Underwriter specialty is earned by completing an eight course program of study in:

  • the application of life insurance
  • the tax and legal aspects of insurance planning
  • estate planning
  • planning for professionals and business owners

A Chartered Life Underwriter specializes in the areas of risk management, insurance, and wealth transfer for individuals, business owners and professionals. An individual who has earned the CLU designation must have at least 3 years of experience and distinguish themselves by upholding a code of ethics and obtaining at least 30 hours of continuing education every two years.

Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®)

The ChFC® certification is sponsored by the American College. To earn this certification, one must complete detailed course work in insurance, income taxation, retirement planning, investments, and estate planning.

 

ASSOCIATIONS

National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) This is an elite organization of financial advisors that has high standards for membership. To be a member, one must have specific educational requirements and experience as well as submit a comprehensive financial plan for peer review. Members have online access to each other, thereby providing an extensive research staff for each other. LONGVIEW employees are the only NAPFA members that permanently located in Huntsville, AL.

Huntsville Estate and Financial Planning Council Membership is reserved for the most experienced financial planners, CPA and estate attorneys in north Alabama. The council provides LONGVIEW's professionals the ability to keep up with the latest laws and issues related to estate planning. It also provides us with contacts with other professionals that may be of service to our clients.

Alabama Study Group The NAPFA members located in Alabama get together four times a year to discuss current law or regulatory changes and how best to react to them, new technologies that help us service our clients, and other issues where our collective knowledge is beneficial to the group.

Mastermind Study Group is composed of NAPFA members, including Jeff Cedarholm, that are geographically dispersed.  At their monthly meetings, they discuss ways to refine their business models and procedures to enhance the services provided to their respective clients.