Finally You Can Weed Out the Crooks when Choosing a New Financial Planner

The CFP Board of Standards has decided to make available information about misconduct cases online. The public as well as other financial advisors can now access the case histories heard by the board between November 2007 and July 2009. These cases were handled by the board's Disciplinary and Ethics Commission.

The web pages were quietly opened to the public in April of this year after an announcement by CFP Board CEO Kevin R. Keller. Our thanks go to Mr. Keller for doing the right thing and increasing transparency in regards to Certified Financial Planners' ethics records.

In one case, the Commission heard details of a CPF who did not deliver a promised financial plan to an 85-year-old client, and then recommended he put most of his life savings into a viatical. The agent in question had his license revoked.

To access CFP Board case histories, click here: http://www.cfp.net/certificants/ACH_search.asp

[The author has worked in the insurance field in several roles for over a decade, and now chooses to make information available to consumers.]