The American College of Financial Services recently revealed plans for a certification program aimed at financial advisors who want to serve clients in a more tax-aware manner.
More than 2,000 advisors have signed up for the course waiting list, Jared Trexler, chief marketing and strategy officer at the American College, said in an interview with ThinkAdvisor.
Trexler was joined in the discussion by Jeff Levine, a CPA and planner, who is one of the certification's chief architects. Levine said the response to the program's pending launch "has been humbling and inspiring," especially on LinkedIn and in private conversations with advisor firm leaders. The duo said they expect the program to be in high demand, especially as greater public debate about tax policy looms in the months ahead.
In the interview, Levine and Trexler said the American College was still finalizing some program details but was on track to launch in the fall.
Here are highlights from our conversation:
THINKADVISOR: Jeff, can you tell us about the early response to the new Tax Planning Certified Professional program? It seems like advisors on social media have really taken notice.
JEFF LEVINE: It's been incredible, even beyond our expectations. The volume and the depth of the positivity has been humbling and inspiring. I've gotten some wonderful comments online and via phone calls and texts.
It shows me, as we suspected, that people in the industry have been waiting on something like this. It's exactly what we need as an industry, in my opinion. We've heard from small firms and from leaders of large firms that are all looking at this.
After literally years of planning, it was really great to finally get the message out there via my LinkedIn announcement, especially because this is being launched by a partner like the American College. They're the right partner for this. It's not just some letters to put behind your name. It's a meaningful designation with academic rigor behind it.
Jared, what would you add from the American College's perspective?
JARED TREXLER: I would echo everything Jeff said, but I want to point something out as well.
Late last year, your publication sat down with American College CEO and President George Nichols to discuss how financial advisors are evolving and what that meant for us as an education and accreditation organization. One of his ideals was for the college to become a platform that connects our in-house faculty with experts from the industry, like Jeff.
This program is one culmination of that vision. We have our own staffers involved, like Michael Finke and Sophia Duffy, but we also have industry stars like Michael Kitces, Ed Slott and Alan Gassman.
I would also add that this program reflects our belief that the future of financial advice is for specialists. You know, the CFP and ChFC both provide a great foundation for planners, but lasting success is really going to come from advisors specializing in things like tax and estate.
