My Qualifications

 

Most people think that all financial planners are “certified,” but this isn’t true. Anyone can call himself or herself a “financial planner.” Only those who have fulfilled the certification and renewal requirements of the CFP Board of Standards can display the CFP certification marks.
 
Martin Clement, CFP®, has completed the rigorous requirements established by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Practitioner. 
Currently, there are four requirements to attain CFP® Certification: education, examination, experience, and ethics.
 
Education:  CFP® practitioners must develop their theoretical and practical financial planning knowledge by completing a comprehensive course of study at a college or university offering a financial planning curriculum approved by CFP Board.  Practitioners must master nearly 100 integrated financial planning topics covering areas such as: general principals of financial planning, insurance planning, risk management, investment management, income tax planning, estate planning, employee benefits planning, and retirement planning.  In addition to fulfilling the educational requirement, a bachelor's degree, in any discipline, is required in order to attain CFP® Certification.
 
Examination:  CFP® practitioners must pass a comprehensive two-day, 10 hour CFP® Certification Examination.  Similar in concept to the bar examination for licensed attorneys and the examination for licensed CPAs, the CFP Board's CFP® Certification Examination requires full integration of knowledge covered in the CFP Boards' financial planning topic list.
 
Experience: CFP® practitioners must have three years minimum experience in the financial planning process prior to earning the right to use the CFP certification marks.  As a result, CFP® practitioners possess financial counseling skills in addition to financial planning knowledge.
 
Ethics: As a final step to certification, CFP® practitioners agree to abide by a strict code of professional conduct, known as CFP Board's Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility.  CFP Board also performs a background check during this process, and each individual must disclose any investigations or legal proceedings related to their professional or business conduct.  Through the Code of Ethics, CFP® practitioners agree to act fairly and diligently when providing financial advice and services, putting your interests first.  They are required to provide you with information about their sources of compensation and conflicts of interest in writing.
 
To verify that your planner is authorized by CFP Board to use the CFP® certification marks, call toll-free 1-888-CFP-MARK (1-888-237-6275) or visit CFP Board's website at www.CFP.net/search.
 
Martin Clement’s additional advanced financial planning designations include Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) from the American College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
 
“Designation” refers to a title awarded to individuals who pass certain education and examination requirements of entities such as universities and associations.
 
Martin Clement also holds an active California insurance license and an active California real estate brokers license.  His FINRA securities registrations include series 6 (investment companies & variable contracts representative), series 26 (investment companies & variable contracts principal), series 63 (uniform securities agent), and series 65 (uniform investment advisor).
 

Mr. Clement has been providing financial advice since 1987. He is a current member of the Society of Financial Services Professionals. He is a respected speaker on a wide range of financial subjects. He conducts a series of financial workshops throughout the year that help people understand the financial management process. Mr. Clement is a part-time continuing education instructor for A.D. Banker and Company, the nation’s largest insurance and securities continuing education provider. He is also an adjunct professor for College of the Canyons community extension program.

 

Martin's personal interests include beach volleyball, snow skiing, and bike riding.  He is a private pilot with an instrument rating.  Martin and his spouse, Martha, are also frequent volunteers in their church.