Differentiate yourself!
The need for what we do is huge! The results we can provide are incredible, desirable and valuable! With today's high cost of college, many families are desperately seeking help to reduce college costs and pay the balance more effeciently without getting buried in debt. Most families don't know where to turn.
The CCPS certification program is designed for financial planners who want to actively assist families in reducing the financial impact of sending children to college while preserving their other financial priorities!
The purpose of the CCPS certification program is to provide designees with the knowledge and resources necessary to be effective in showing families new and creative ways of reducing the financial impact of college... without going broke. As a member of the NICCP, designees have access to the ongoing training and the diagnostic tools needed to help families of all incomes! Using financial aid strategies, cash flow strategies, tax capacity planning and investment planning, and exit strategies, CCPS designees can make college more affordable for everyone.
Certified College Planning Specialists enjoy the dedicated support of an organization and program founded entirely on the principles of ongoing professional education and vocational excellence within the specialized area of college financial planning.
Given the strict pre-qualification requirements, along with the rigorous testing, your CCPS certification is a symbol of knowledge, experience, expertise, and professionalism that will surely differentiate you from other financial advisors.
CCPS Study Modules and Testing
Candidate training and testing will focus on the three key areas or Modules highlighted below (with a listing of selected Module sub-sections):
I. Paying for College
• Financial aid overview
• Student resources, grants, scholarships
• Work-study
• College loans
• Alternative loans
• College admission issues
• Advanced financial aid topics (EFC worksheet, Federal vs. Institutional Formulas, etc.)
II. Saving for College
• Section 529 qualified tuition programs
• Coverdell education savings accounts
• UGMA/UTMA
• Roth and traditional IRAs
• Savings bonds
• Life insurance
• Tax efficient mutual funds
• Real estate
• Associated financial planning considerations
III. Advanced College Funding Strategies
• Academic strategies
• Hope and Lifetime Learning Credits
• Parent and child tax planning opportunities, implications, and tax capacity
• Coordinating investment contributions and withdrawals
• Cash flow & creative borrowing strategies
• Funding college and retirement at the same time
• Parent and grandparent estate planning considerations
• Middle and upper income family issues
CCPS candidates must pass the comprehensive competency tests associated with each of the above three modules. Once the modules are ordered, the associated tests can be administered one at a time or all at once. The cost of the testing is included in the price of the self-study modules. If the candidate does not pass one or more of the modules, he or she will be required to pay a $75 re-test fee.
Application for CCPS
A CCPS certificant candidate must complete an Application for Certification, pass comprehensive examinations, agree to abide by NICCP and CCPS's Code of Ethics, and meet continuing education requirements.
To become a CCPS, a candidate must complete an Application for Certification which asks a candidate to disclose whether they have been a party (or involved) in any criminal, civil, governmental, or self-regulatory agency proceeding or inquiry. The Application for Certification will state the disclosures that are considered to be unacceptable and will bar an individual from becoming a CCPS certificant unless the candidate successfully appeals their situation to the NICCP.
A CCPS certificant must renew every year. To renew the CCPS a certificant must: 1) Not be in violation of the NICCP and CCPS’s Code of Ethics, 2) Renew their certification fee, and 3) Complete 24 hours of approved continuing education courses.
The NICCP has determined that certain conduct of the CCPS certificant candidate will bar the candidate from becoming a CCPS certificant. The following conduct will bar a candidate from becoming certified:
* Felony conviction for theft, embezzlement, tax fraud, or other financially-based crimes.
* Involuntary revocation of a financial or professional license or designation.
* Felony conviction for any criminal activity (violent or non-violent).
* More than one personal or business bankruptcy.
* A civil or criminal judgment for a financial service performed.
A CCPS certificant candidate must disclose any of the above items on the Application for Certification.
If a CCPS certificant candidate feels that the above criteria should be waived in his/her individual situation, the candidate may file a written appeal with the NICCP for a review and approval of his/her Application for Certification.
Click Here to register for the CCPS designation
Module 1 Sample
