NCCA re-accredited the Society of Certified Retirement Financial Advisors examination program, Certified Retirement Financial Advisor (CRFA) for a five year period expiring December 2017 during its recent meeting.   CRFA was founded in 2003 and recognized by the IRS in 2008 as a 501 (C) 6 not-for-profit entity.    CRFA is a professional certification organization acting in the public interest by establishing and enforcing education, examination, experience and ethics requirements for certification.    CRFA first received NCCA accreditaiton in January 2013. 

The Society of CRFA received NCCA accreditation of its CRFA program by submitting an application demonstrating the program's compliance with the NCCA's Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs.   NCCA is the accrediting body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE).   Since 1977, NCCA has been accrediting certifying programs based on the highest quality standards in professional certification to ensure the programs adhere to modern standards of practice in the certification industry. 

There are five NCCA accredited entities listed on the FINRA designation list, and CRFA is one of the five designations.

 Certified Retirement Financial Advisor 

Are you an elite financial retirement advisor?  Have you successfully passed a comprehensive exam that confirms your elite status?    Would you like to transition from product sales to providing objective retirement financial advice?  The Certification Board of the Society of Certified Retirement Financial Advisors has developed a comprehensive examination that identifies advisors knowledge and skills.  Certified Retirement Financial Advisor is bestowed on advisors who are successful and pass the examination with a scaled score of 70 or greater.   Our professional advisors have a minimum of three years of experience as financial advisors serving retirement focused clients or possess three years of educational equivalency that equals the practical job experience.  CRFA considers retirement issues to be long range goals along with paying for children's education, planning for mid-life events, forcasting exit from a career, and establishing a new slower paced career.       

Over 1200 financial advisors were invited to participate in our survey that identified the skills and knowledge an advisor should possess in order to provide outstanding ethical service to clients planning their retirement or clients entering the distribution stage of retirement.  The Certification Board of the Society of Certified Retirement Financial Advisor (SCRFA) and Schroder Measurement Technologies Inc (SMT) then compiled an examination with the help of our subject matter experts.  This comprehensive examination consists of 100 multiple choice questions that require the advisor demonstrate professional knowledge and skills.  Complete our application process and become a CRFA "Elite Advisor"  by clicking on the CRFA Certification tab on the left and download the Application and the Handbook that will guide you through the process.   

This designation has been approved by: American Equity Insurance Company, Centaurus Financial Inc., FSC Securities Corporation (includes Sage & Royal Alliance), LPL Financial, PlanMember Securities Corporation (in Carpinteria, CA), Transamerica Insurance, Security Benefit Life Ins. Company and more.     Our approval list continues to expand.   

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WE ARE SEEKING PRACTICE ENHANCEMENT WEBINARS AS WELL AS EDUCATIONAL WEBINARS.   IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A PRESENTATION TO OUR MEMBERSHIP PLEASE SEND YOUR INFORMATION TO This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  

IF YOU ARE AN INVESTOR SEEKING A FINANCIAL ADVISOR, WHY SHOULD YOU SELECT ONE OF OUR ELITE ADVISORS?  

Our Certified Retirement Financial Advisors^TM have successfully passed a competency exam covering the following areas of importance for retirement minded individuals.   The testing program is unique due to the fact that we focus on the distribution years of retirement.    Has your advisor's knowledge and skills been successfully measured by an examination of knowledge and skills in the following areas?    

• Retirement taxation issues 
• How to reduce tax on social security income
• The real facts about deductibility of LTC premiums
• Reporting LTC benefits as income
• Use of rule 72t and 72q for early retirees-and the dangers
• Retirement distribution planning, which preferred share dividends qualify for the special tax rates
• Four ways to avoid capital gains tax
• The true comparison of tax free bonds and annuities
• 1035 and 1031 exchanges and much more
• Appropriate use of trusts and how trust can protect your beneficiaries
• Advance directives
• IRD, and elimination or reduction of estate tax
• How to build a low risk equity portfolio for retirees
• How to build a secure retirement income using fixed income ladders and annuity ladders

Regardless of any other designations or licenses that your advisor may hold, working with a Certified Retirement Financial Advisor^TM gives consumers the ability to work with an ethical financial professional with the knowledge to advise clients on how to set goals that preserve and manage their financial assets during the golden years.