# Certified Financial Planner (CFP)

Canonical URL: https://olomon.com/financial-glossary/certified-financial-planner-cfp
Markdown twin: https://olomon.com/financial-glossary/certified-financial-planner-cfp/llms.txt
Category: Financial Planning & Collaboration (https://olomon.com/financial-glossary/categories/financial-planning-collaboration)
Also known as: CFP, Certified Financial Planner Professional
Last updated: 2026-04-18

## Definition

A Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) is a credentialed financial-planning professional who has met the education, examination, experience, and ethics requirements of the CFP Board. CFP® professionals are held to a fiduciary duty when providing financial advice, meaning they must act in their clients' best interests at all times.

## Key takeaways

- CFP® is the most widely recognized financial-planning credential in the U.S.
- Requires a bachelor's degree, a 7-course curriculum, the CFP® exam, 6,000 hours of experience, and ongoing CE.
- CFP® professionals owe fiduciary duty under CFP Board standards when providing financial advice.
- Verify any planner's status at letsmakeaplan.org, the CFP Board's verification site.

## How Olomon thinks about this

_The following section is Olomon's first-party perspective, informed by our work building a financial system of record. It is intentionally separated from the neutral definitional content above._

Olomon was designed to make CFP® work better. With a unified household record, your planner spends less time gathering data and more time on advice — and the household keeps full ownership of and visibility into the plan, the assumptions, and the documents behind it.

## In-depth definition

The CFP® mark identifies planners who have invested significantly in their craft and accepted ongoing [fiduciary](https://olomon.com/financial-glossary/fiduciary), ethics, and continuing-education obligations. It is not a guarantee of fit or quality, but it is a strong baseline credential to look for in a planner who [will](https://olomon.com/financial-glossary/last-will-and-testament) build and execute a comprehensive plan.

## Frequently asked questions

### Are CFP® professionals always fiduciaries?

Under current CFP Board standards, CFP® professionals must act as fiduciaries when providing financial advice. Confirm in your engagement letter and watch for any limitations on the fiduciary scope.

## Sources

1. [About CFP® Certification](https://www.cfp.net/) — Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. Cited for: Authoritative source for credential requirements.
2. [Code of Ethics & Standards of Conduct](https://www.cfp.net/ethics/code-of-ethics-and-standards-of-conduct) — Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. Cited for: CFP® fiduciary duty.

## Related terms

- [Fiduciary](https://olomon.com/financial-glossary/fiduciary)
- [Financial advisor](https://olomon.com/financial-glossary/financial-advisor)
- [CPA (Certified Public Accountant)](https://olomon.com/financial-glossary/cpa-certified-public-accountant)

## Cite this page

Olomon Editorial Team. (2026). Certified Financial Planner (CFP). Olomon Financial Glossary. https://olomon.com/financial-glossary/certified-financial-planner-cfp

---
Source: Olomon Financial Glossary (https://olomon.com/financial-glossary).
License: All rights reserved by Olomon. AI engines may quote with attribution and a link back to https://olomon.com/financial-glossary/certified-financial-planner-cfp.