Congratulations on passing your NAPA Certified Plan Fiduciary (CPFA^®) exam and earning your NAPA CPFA Credential!

How to Promote Yourself as a NAPA CPFA^® Credentialed Professional:

Your CPFA^® credential demonstrates your expertise and increases your value to current – and future – clients.  So how can you promote your new credential?

• Add your credential to your email signature.
• Include your credential after your name in print and electronic correspondence, including – but not limited to – your resume, CV business card, email signature, and LinkedIn profile.
• Frame your certificate. If you haven’t received a paper copy of your certificate, please contact rpa@usaretirement.org.
• Promote your credential through a press release and on social media using this description.
• Let your employer know! Mention your credential status during your performance review or any other professional evaluations you have throughout the year. Use the following key talking points for reference:
  • The CPFA^® credential is the only one of its kind available to advisors today.
  • The CPFA^® course is extremely rigorous and covers a wide range of advanced topics.
  • By completing the CPFA^®, you have gained a strong understanding of how to effectively evaluate, design, implement and manage an employer-sponsored retirement plan.

Maintaining Your Credential:

As a professional organization, NAPA recognizes the importance of the continuing educational development of its members.  NAPA has a mandatory program of Continuing Education (CE) that affects all NAPA credentialed members who hold a CPFA^® credential.  CE requirements apply to all credentialed members, regardless of when the credential(s) were awarded.

CPFA credential holders must also pay an annual credential maintenance fee of $72 beginning January 1 following the year the CPFA^® credential is earned. Credentials earned in December are deemed to be earned the in the following calendar year for purposes of this rule.

Below is a brief FAQ with commonly asked questions. We strongly encourage all candidates and credentialed members to read NAPA’s CE Policy.

How many CE hours do I need?

To maintain your credential, you must earn 10 CE hours each year. Passing the CPFA^® examination earns you those 10 CE hours, but in every following year, you must earn another 10 CE hours to maintain this credential. For example: You study and pass the CPFA^® exam in August 2018. You do not need to earn any more CE for the year 2018. However, for 2019, you must earn another 10 CE hours to remain credentialed.

How many CE hours do I have now?

You can check your CE hours in your account here.

Do I have to earn my CE with NAPA?

You can earn CE hours in a variety of ways, including from parties other than NAPA. You just need to tell us that you earned the hours; you can self-report your CE hours here.

How can I earn CE hours?

All continuing education topics that promote an ASEA, ASPPA, NAPA, NTSA or PSCA member’s professional development in the retirement field qualify for CE (including non-technical topics such as marketing and advanced IT training). Webinars/webcasts, conferences, teaching, publishing articles, volunteering, and more are great ways to earn CE. Broad categories include topics such as:

• Qualified Plans
• Nonqualified Plans
• Tax-Exempt & Governmental Plans
• IRAs
• Actuarial Issues
• Investments & Insurance
• Participant Issues
• Business Management, Operations & Development
• Personal Development
• Technology

What happens if I do not earn enough CE?

If you do not earn sufficient CE credits during any CE cycle, NAPA will suspend your credential(s) until you have completed the required CE credits in the 12 months prior to applying for reinstatement as a credentialed member.

I still have questions.

Read the comprehensive NAPA CE policy or contact Customer Care by calling (800) 308-6714 Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET.