Personal Financial Planner (PFP®)

What is the Personal Financial Planner (PFP®) designation?

The Personal Financial Planner (PFP®) designation is a leading credential for comprehensive financial planning in Canada, recognized by Canada’s largest financial institutions. It ensures that financial professionals have the knowledge and skills to address all aspects of a client’s financial situation.

The PFP® Professional Competency Profile provides an overview of the responsibilities, skills and knowledge that are unique to someone who holds the PFP® designation. It is the foundational document for the Personal Financial Planner (PFP®) designation that describes the required competencies (i.e., the knowledge, skills and abilities) of professionals awarded the designation.

The PFP® is approved by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario for using the Financial Planner title in the province of Ontario.

When you earn the PFP®, you will hold the premier designation recognized and adopted by Canada’s largest financial institutions and held to the highest standards through its accreditation.   

What is the PFP® Competency Profile?

The PFP® Professional Competency Profile provides an overview of the responsibilities, skills and knowledge that are unique to someone who holds the PFP® designation. It is the foundational document for the Personal Financial Planner (PFP®) designation that describes the required competencies (i.e., the knowledge, skills and abilities) of professionals awarded the designation.

The Competency Profile is the defining resource for what a financial planner can and should do in practice. As such, it is used to set the requirements for the pre-requisite education programs, the work experience component, the Applied Financial Planning Certification Examination and for continuing education requirements.

As the PFP® designation continues to progress to meet the changing needs of clients, employers and most recently regulators, CSI revises the Competency Profile every 5 years through an extensive consultative process involving a range of stakeholders. The last review was completed in 2021 with a new profile now available. Download your copy of the 2022 PFP® Competency Profile.

Meeting the Highest Standards

Our procedures adhere to the utmost standards in certification, and we meticulously align our practices with international testing standards to ensure compliance with rigorous certification protocols. Furthermore, our courses and credentialing programs undergo annual audits by financial services regulators to uphold integrity and quality assurance:

• CSI meets recognized global standards for certification bodies
• Those who earn the PFP® letters meet the most rigorous requirements for competency and professionalism