Guide to Continuing Education (CE) for Financial Advisors

Obtaining professional certifications or designations can underscore your expertise and help you attract new clients to your business. Earning financial advisor credentials typically requires a combination of education, experience and examination. Maintaining your credentials, meanwhile, may be contingent on completing additional continuing education requirements. Here’s what you need to know about continuing education for financial advisors.

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The Importance of Continuing Education for Financial Advisors

Continuing education is a commitment to lifelong learning. And certain credentials may require you to fulfill a certain number of CE credits periodically, such as on a yearly basis. However, there are several other important reasons to consider continuing education beyond renewing a certification.

Advisors who embrace CE have an advantage when it comes to:

Staying up-to-date on industry trends.
Adapting to a changing financial services landscape. (For example, the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in wealth management has prompted the introduction of CE courses pertaining to the ethics of AI.)
Developing their professional and personal capabilities in order to better serve their clients.

Continuing education builds on the foundation of knowledge you’ve already established through your college experience and in obtaining a professional certification. Failure to complete CE requirements can also result in the loss of your credentials. As a result, it’s something advisors will want to take seriously.

When Is Continuing Education Required for Financial Advisors?

An advisor researches continuing education courses for financial advisors.

When you obtain a professional credential, continuing education for advisors is typically required. Additionally, CE may be a requirement for membership in certain organizations. If you’re expected to complete CE credits to maintain a specific credential, the issuing organization should make that clear to you prior to and after earning the certification.

The following are some examples of when advisors are subject to continuing education standards:

Certified Financial Planners™ (CFPs®). If you plan to earn a CFP® mark, you’ll need to complete 30 hours of continuing education every two years. At least two hours of study focused on ethics is required.
Chartered Financial Analysts (CFAs). CE is not mandatory for CFAs, but the CFA Institute does encourage charter holders to complete at least 20 professional learning credits each year. It’s recommended that at least two of those credits focus on standards, ethics and regulation.
Investment Advisor Representatives (IARs). IARs of registered investment advisor firms must complete CE if they’re registered with a jurisdiction that has adopted the NASAA’s model rule, which requires continuing education. Under the rule, IARs must complete 12 hours of CE credits each year, including six hours of products and practices and six hours of ethics and professional responsibility.
Financial planners. Financial planners who register with the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) must also complete CE requirements. Advisors who joined before June 30, 2024, must complete 60 credits every two years, including two hours in ethics. Advisors who joined after June 30, 2024, but before December 31, 2025, must complete 15 to 45 hours of CE.
CIMAs, CPWAs and RMAs. Certified investment management specialists, certified private wealth advisors and retirement management advisors must complete a minimum of 40 hours of CE credits every two years. Two hours must be in ethics and one hour must focus on tax or regulatory topics.
Chartered Financial Consultants (ChFCs). If you plan to work with clients as a ChFC, you’ll need to complete 30 hours of CE credits every two years. At least one hour must be concentrated in ethics.

Your credentials will determine when you need to complete CE, which specific topics you must cover (if any), and how you can satisfy the requirements. For example, you may be able to get CE credits by taking live classes, attending in-person or virtual seminars and workshops, or completing a self-guided course.

Continuing Education Resources for Financial Advisors

Once you know what you need to do to meet CE requirements, the next step is finding eligible courses, lectures or workshops that will allow you to earn the necessary credits.

The following are some resources you may consider when exploring options for CE education:

CFP® Board. The CFP® Board offers a searchable database of eligible courses you can use to complete CE requirements, both online and in person.
Financial Planning Association. The FPA has an online learning center that members can use to find CE credit-eligible courses. You can also earn CE credits with free live and on-demand webinars.
BlackRock. BlackRock offers numerous CE resources through the Advisor Center, including free ethics CE credits.
WebCE. If you prefer to complete CFP® continuing education requirements online, you can find a list of courses offered through WebCE.
Adviser CE. Adviser CE offers self-guided learning resources that you can use to complete required credits at your own pace.
The American College of Financial Services. The American College of Financial Services features a CE subscription platform that advisors can use to access learning resources on demand.
Kaplan. Kaplan is a well-known name in CFP® exam prep. But the company also has CE courses for a variety of certifications and credentials.

As you evaluate your options for earning CE credits, here are some factors you might want to consider:

Cost. Many CE courses require a fee, but some organizations offer free continuing education credits.
Time. Some CE credits may take longer to earn than others. Developing a schedule and getting an early start can help you ensure that you don’t miss the deadline for earning the credits you need.
Content. Aside from ethics, you have some leeway when it comes to the topics you cover. As you choose which credits to pursue, consider which areas of focus would be most valuable for your business.
Format. Attending courses or lectures in person may be easier said than done if you have a busy schedule. Consider which format (i.e., online, in-person, live classes, self-guided, etc.) works best for you.
Reporting. You’ll need to ensure that any CE credits you earn are accurately reported to the appropriate organization. For example, if you’re a CFP®, then you’ll report your credits to the CFP® Board. Some platforms will handle reporting for you, but others may require you to manually log your credit hours.

Bottom Line

An advisor logs his continuing education credit hours.

Continuing education is designed to help you become the best advisor you can be, both for yourself and your clients. When it comes to maintaining the credentials you’ve worked so hard to secure, it’s important to understand what’s required, the time frame you have to complete CE credits, as well as how to report them, if necessary.

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Should you take continuing education courses if they’re optional? Doing so could offer some distinct advantages if you’re able to expand your knowledge, develop new skills or expand your professional network. If you have the option to complete CE, research the courses, workshops or lectures that cover topics that are relevant to your business or explore areas you’re most interested in learning more about.