Its time to differentiate between those who just sell financial products and those who offer credible

financial advice. Become a Certified Personal Financial Advisor.

The primary objective of this certification examination is to create a minimum knowledge benchmark for professionals engaged in helping individuals manage their personal finance and investments. The examination covers: 1) Financial Planning as an Approach: Get acquainted with financial planning as an approach to investing, insurance, retirement planning and an aid for advisors to develop long term relationships with their clients. 2) Making a Personal Financial Plan: Know the basics of financial advisory, steps in the advisory process, making and implementation of financial plan. 3) Evaluating and Recommending Financial Products: Understand how to evaluate different products, their suitability and how the recommendation of the same can impact investment risks, returns and strategies in a personal finance environment for investors and prospective investors in the market. 4) Tax and legal aspects: Get oriented to Income tax, Wealth tax and legalities of Estate planning in personal finance, and regulatory aspects underlying advisory.

CPFA examination is for professionals who offer personal finance and investment solutions to individuals
This examination will be highly beneficial to:

1) Individual Financial Advisors 2) Employees of organizations engaged in financial advisory services that include Stock Broking and
Distribution Houses, Banks, Wealth Management Companies, Asset Management Companies, Insurance Companies, Consumer Credit Companies etc.

3) Students aspiring for a career in personal financial planning and wealth management

CPFA for Independent Financial Advisors

Independent Financial Advisors are an important and growing segment of professionals who contribute to the overall financial markets. The CPFA examination is a great opportunity for IFAs to be certified by a Neutral and Authoritative body that is established by SEBI.

Becoming a Certified Personal Financial Advisors (CPFA) has many advantages: 1) Benchmark Knowledge: You will raise your knowledge level about financial planning and advisory to industry benchmark 2) Gain Trust: Clients will trust you much more with certification from a Neutral body established by SEBI 3) Competitive Advantage: Gain an edge over peers in the industry 4) Supplementary Fees: Apart from commissions, being a certified advisor could generate additional advisory fees CPFA equips you to move up the value chain, from just selling financial products to holistically planning and managing your client's investments over a long term.

Course Curriculum
Unit 1: Concept of Financial Planning Introduces the concept, scope and need of Financial Planning and how to use it to pursue Financial Advisory as a profession so that one can offer need-based solutions and products to ones clients. The unit helps the reader understand the process of developing, advising and implementing a suitable financial plan with a focus on analyzing clients needs, goals and risk profile.

Unit 2: Managing Investment Risk Deals with the definition of risk, types of investment risk and the different sources of the same. This unit also covers risk measurement and various methods of calculation and interpretation of results and its consequence in taking a financial decision. This unit will help the reader in understanding different products available in the market and their risk-return aspects, the concepts of asset allocation and diversification, the benefits of hedging in order to manage risk while achieving the investment targets.

Unit 3: Measuring Investment Returns Details different types of returns, measuring returns, and defines the risk-return relationship. This unit helps the reader grasp the connotation of ability & willingness to take risk and optimal asset allocation. It also discusses the impact of tax on returns (post-tax returns) and importance of Net Present Value (NPV) over Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and calculation of Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR). This unit will help the reader evaluate and compare returns from various

investment options.

Unit 4: Investment Vehicles Introduces the reader to the concept of investing. Before starting to invest, one should be clear about the clients possible future requirements, needs and aspirations. This unit will help in understanding these needs, aspirations, the various options available to invest money, the pros and cons of these investment options.

Unit 5: Investment Strategies Introduces the reader to the different types of investment strategies which the advisor can adopt to meet his/her clients investment goals. It also discusses the various asset classes and the importance of asset allocation while making any investments.

Unit 6: Insurance Planning Discusses the importance of risk management and insurance as one of the forms to manage risks. This unit will help the reader to better understand the various concepts under insurance such as the meaning of insurer, insured and premium to be paid. This unit also discusses how insurance can be used as a tool to shield an individual against potential risks like travel accidents, death, unemployment, theft, fire mishaps etc.

Unit 7: Retirement Planning As every person has different life cycle stage, financial goals and risk profile, the retirement planning too differs from person to person. This unit deals with the retirement planning process. It also discusses the various factors which impact retirement planning such as current age, retirement age, life expectancy, investment horizon etc.

Unit 8: Tax and Estate Planning Addresses tax planning which is of high importance for any investment advisor. This unit discusses the significant provisions of the Indian Direct Tax Laws with the

objective of providing basic and working knowledge of the taxation aspects of estate planning. This unit also discusses estate planning as an integral part of the financial planning process with a focus on the Hindu Succession Act, and the concept of the Power of Attorney and Wills. Unit 9: Need for Regulation Deals with the legislative framework of the securities market. Regulation of the market is motivated by the need to safeguard the interests of investors. This unit discusses the role of Ministry of Finance, RBI, SEBI, IRDA, PFRDA, Economic Offences Wing, Financial Intelligence Unit-India etc. This unit also outlines the different statutes and regulations of the Financial Market.