<IMG SRC="/images/headerbanners/pam.gif" WIDTH=423 HEIGHT=90 BORDER=0">



E-Blast News

February 3, 2006

Table of Contents

  1. Celebrating 10 Years of FPSC and CFP Certification in Canada
  2. New Brochures Now Available
  3. CFP Ambassadors Work the Media
  4. Next Feature Article of the Month on Website's Learning Centre
  5. "Money Talks" Again in 2006
  6. Licensing Renewal Reminder
  7. The Public Face of CFP
  8. Upcoming CFP Advertisements
  9. Conferences & Seminars Posted

Here we are - 10 years and almost 17,000 licensed CFP professionals later. We've come far in a short period of time. Visit www.cfp-ca.org/10thanniversary to see how we celebrated, the milestones we hit and who sent us their best wishes.

In the Monday January 30th National Post, in his column headlined, "CFP has become the designation of choice," Jonathan Chevreau looks back at our 10-year history. The online version of the column is only available for two weeks.

In the February 2006 issue of Advisor's Edge, Editor Deanne Gage reflects on the CFP designation and its standing in Canada and abroad.

Heidi Staseson of Advisor.ca writes about Don Johnston's legacy as he nears retirement.

And Grant McIntyre of Investment Executive in his article "Johnston to step down as FPSC President" (February 2006, p.36) talks about Johnston, FPSC's initial challenges and the establishment of the Donald J. Johnston award.

This is the media coverage to date, but we expect more to come. Stay tuned.

As promised, three new consumer financial planning brochures are now available:

The first one provides a self-test designed to get readers to think about why professional financial planning may be just what they need. (entitled Do I need help with my financial planning?)

The second looks at what makes the CFP professional the right person to go to for financial planning help. (entitled What makes the CFP credential trustworthy?)

And the third details how the CFP Code of Ethics, and CFP standards of practice and competency offer clients assurance that financial planning works for them. (entitled What assurance do I have that financial planning is working for me?)

Altogether, these make a powerful statement about what financial planning is and who are qualified to offer professional financial planning guidance. You can purchase a pocket folder that will contain them in a neat package. The pocket folder is die-cut so that you can insert your business card. View the brochures and download the order form online in the CFP Publications section of www.cfp-ca.org/publicface/.

Have a comment or a question?
The CFP Professional Discussion Forum, open to CFP professionals only, is password-protected and a great place to share ideas with colleagues.

CFP Ambassadors continued to put their best foot forward in media interviews during December and January on a variety of topics showcasing the breadth and depth of the expertise and knowledge of the CFP community of professionals. Some of the interviews have yet to appear in published articles - so watch for them.

Congratulations and thank you to all who help inform Canadians about financial planning through mass media.

Please continue to let us know of your participation in media interviews (outside of those we arrange) so we can acknowledge you and celebrate the success with you and your peers.

Tina Tehranchian
Interviewed and profiled in Investment Executive.

David Salloum
Interviewed twice on Canada AM (managing holiday spending and post-holiday debt).

Ron Harvey, Brad Roulston and Laurie Stephenson
Interviewed for an article in the National Post (February special report on finances - financial planning).

Bea Grant
Interviewed by the Canadian Press. The article has since been published in at least six regional newspapers (self-directed RRSPs).

Peter Andreana
Interviewed in a taped syndicated radio program that will be aired later in seven radio stations across Canada: CFRB Toronto; CHMC Hamilton; CJBK London; CJAD Montreal; CJME Saskatoon; CKOM Regina; CJOB Winnipeg; CHQR Calgary; and CKOV Kelowna (financial planning and what to look for when hiring a professional planner).

Valerie Chatain-White
Interviewed by the Ottawa Citizen/Canwest for one article (financial planning advice for possibility of reduced taxes) and Winnipeg Free Press for another (encouraging clients to educate themselves online).

Marc Lamontagne
Wrote an article that was published on Advisor.ca (advisor's perspectives: transitioning to fee-based business model). He was also interviewed for another article.


The Feature Article for February is, "It's Not Your Grandparent's Retirement Anymore" by Ted Rechtshaffen CFP. "You need to make sure that your assumptions about retirement are based on the future reality as opposed to what you have seen from your parents and grandparents."

And as many Canadians head south in March, for the March Feature Article, we are looking for articles that will discuss travel/health insurance when traveling outside of Canada. For April, we're calling for articles that talk about tax refunds as not necessarily a good thing from a planning point of view.

To better the chances of having your article chosen, use a fresh and timely approach to your topic. The due date for March Feature Article submissions is February 20 and for the April Feature, March 20. Submit articles to Blake Glendenning at bglendenning@cfp-ca.org.

Read the Feature Article submission guidelines.

Learning Centre is an online resource for consumers. Organized by topic, it contains articles, a digest of books and links. It's a great place to direct your clients.

Again this RRSP season, FPSC sponsors the Money Talks. Are you Listening? radio call-in shows in seven cities (Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax). These educational programs featuring CFP professionals can also be accessed on the Internet by all Canadians.

WinnipegCJOB (680AM) Sat. Feb 18 Noon-1p.m.
Toronto CFMJ (640AM) Sat. Feb 18 11a.m.-Noon
Ottawa CFRA (580AM) Sat. Feb 18 Noon-1p.m.
Halifax CJCH (920AM) Sat. Feb 18 11a.m.-Noon
Vancouver CKNW (980AM) Sun. Feb 19 5p.m.-6p.m.
Edmonton CHED (630AM) Sat. Feb 25 4p.m.-5p.m.
Calgary CHQR (770AM) Sun. Feb 26 4p.m.-5p.m.

The CFP licensing period is from April 1st to March 31st, and you must renew annually. Read the current FPSC Licensing Policies.

Applications for CFP Licence Renewal were e-mailed on February 1st.

If you mail or fax your application, please allow two weeks for your payment to be processed. If you haven't received a confirmation e-mail from FPSC by that time, please contact FPSC Administration. If you renewal online and pay by credit card, you will receive immediate e-mail notification. If you don't, let us know.

If you would like to update your personal profile, go to FPSC's Online Services. It is the responsibility of all CFP Professionals to ensure their personal information is accurate and up-to-date.

In a new section of our website entitled, The Public Face of CFP, we celebrate all our activities promoting financial planning as a career and as a means to reach life goals. There are six sections that show where and how we present The Public Face of CFP.

CFP Ads - our advertising schedule and examples of all the ads.

CFP Radio Campaign - a synopsis of the success of the most recent Money Talks. Are You Listening? radio campaign.

CFP in the News - some of the better news stories/articles attributing CFP professionals as experts or expressing the value of the CFP credential in other ways.

CFP Events - a pictorial record of some of the events FPSC staff and CFP volunteers attend to help spread the word on the value of professional financial planning.

CFP Publications - our consumer brochures and other publications.

cfp-ca.org - information about the website including what's new in its development, and how and how much it is used.

FPSC's new print advertisements appear in the following magazines in February and March.

  • MoneySense (February/March)
  • Ski Canada (Spring edition)

We list third party events on the FPSC website that may satisfy some of your Continuing Education requirements. The following links take you to the February and March calendars. The Event and Seminar Calendar is updated regularly so check back often. And if you know of events not listed that may be of interest to your colleagues, e-mail us at communications@cfp-ca.org.

February 2006

March 2006