American College Raises ChFC Bar

By Warren S. Hersch

February 03, 2009 at 07:00 PM

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A financial services school is imposing tougher requirements on applicants seeking a popular designation.

Beginning Oct. 1, the American College, Bryn-Mawr, Pa., will require candidates for the Chartered Financial Consultant designation to take a case analysis course.

The college already has been requiring ChFC candidates to take all of the courses required of a Certified Financial Planner designation holder along with two additional specialized electives.

ChFC candidates also must adhere to a code of ethics, and ChFC designation holders must meeting ongoing continuing education requirements.

The newly required case analysis course, like other ChFC program courses, must involve 50 or more hours of study time and a detailed, proctored examination.

In addition to case analysis, the ChFC curriculum covers ethics, investments, and insurance, tax, retirement and estate planning.

Electives include macroeconomics, estate planning applications, financial decisions for retirement, and executive compensation.

More than 45,000 financial planners have earned the ChFC credential since its inception 1982, according to the college.

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