Certified Military Financial Advisor®
Empower your team to provide expert financial guidance to the military community with a certification built exclusively for military-focused financial planning.
Build competence
Have the confidence to address the unique needs of military personnel and veterans.
Stand out
Differentiate yourself as an advisor with military-focused expertise that complements general knowledge.
Stay relevant
Keep up to date on the military financial planning landscape with relevant continuing education.
Show credibility
Earn your certificate of completion from the prestigious Wake Forest University.
Certified Military Financial Advisor®
About the Program
Who this program is for
Any advisor who wants to differentiate themselves in the market with a specialized designation can benefit from this program, including:
Advisors with a customer base of military personnel or veterans that require tailored financial planning services.
Advisors looking to grow their businesses with specialized financial planning services for the military and veteran community.
Advisors who want to complement CFP® certification with the unique content covered in the program, which can be taken before or after earning CFP® certification.
All advisors, regardless of whether they served. Unlike other military-focused financial planning designations, there is no requirement to be a veteran to pursue the Certified Military Financial Advisor® designation.
What’s included
Self-study materials delivered online
12 months of access
14 learning modules totaling approximately 22 study hours
Resources for working with clients including client meeting checklists to help prepare and use in real time.
Certificate of program completion from Wake Forest University
Qualifies for 22 hours of CE for CFP® certification
What to expect
High-quality content: Learn the most important financial planning concepts and scenarios for advising the military community.
Expert course designers: Our program designers served in the US military and now serve active duty and veteran clients.
Flexible study: The online, self-paced program gives you the flexibility to customize your studies at your own pace.
Engaging learning: Multi-modal learning includes on-demand videos, case studies, and more to boost retention.
Personalized support: Get the help you need every step of the way from our first-rate customer support team.
We recommend completing eight hours of continuing education (CE) every two years to stay current on topics impacting military and veteran clients.
Course topics for CE
CeriFi recommends 8 CE hours every two years within one or more of these topics:
Active-Duty Benefits and Programs
Guards and Reserves Benefits and Programs
Veterans Benefits and Programs
Retired Service Members Benefits and Programs
Education Benefits
Life Insurance
Survivor’s Benefits
Retirement Benefits
Disability Benefits
Tax Planning Considerations
Divorce Considerations
Estate Planning Considerations
Service Members with Special Needs Dependents
Transitioning from Military Service
Disclosure
The Certified Military Financial Advisor® certification is offered by Dalton Education. To obtain this certification, candidates must pass a comprehensive examination, agree to abide by a code of ethics. Dalton Education owns the certification mark Certified Military Financial Advisor® in the United States.
Code of Ethics
Individuals who have earned the Certified Military Financial Advisor® certification are required to adhere to the following Code of Ethics.
A Certified Military Financial Advisor ® professional must:
- Show integrity. These professionals agree to provide services with integrity, fairness, and dignity. They must maintain their client’s trust and confidence at all times.
- Offer objective advice. The advice and/or services these professionals provide should be objective, impartial, and accurate. Further, it must be the result of a holistic and thorough analysis, including but not limited to the client’s goals and current situation.
- Be competent. These professionals must successfully complete the education and examination requirements to receive the certification. Further, they must maintain an appropriate level of knowledge in order to provide their clients with the proper level of advice.
- Maintain confidentiality. These professionals agree to keep client information confidential and will disclose such information only when authorized by their clients or if compelled by law.
Certified Military Financial Advisors® professionals should display or otherwise make known to individuals receiving advice or services from them this Code of Ethics.
CeriFi reserves the right to periodically update the Code of Ethics, and it is the individual’s responsibility to make sure they are following the most recent version.
Complaint Procedures
Individuals who have been authorized to use the Certified Military Financial Advisor® designation are subject to CeriFi’s disciplinary process. Complaints against a designee may be filed by anyone with a formal business relationship such as a peer, supervisor, or client. Any complaints filed will go through an internal review process. CeriFi maintains a list of Certified Military Financial Advisor® professionals in good standing.
Please use the following form to submit your complaint.
https://dalton-education.com/dalton-support
CeriFi reserves the right to periodically update the complaint procedures, and it is the individual’s responsibility to make sure they are following the most recent version.
Use of the Certified Military Financial Advisor® Mark
CeriFi is the owner of the Certified Military Financial Advisor® mark. Use of the Certified Military Financial Advisor® mark is limited to individuals who have been specifically authorized by CeriFi. Only individuals who have completed the Certified Military Financial Advisor® course, passed the examination, and adhere to the Code of Ethics are authorized to use the mark.
Certified Military Financial Advisor® professionals may not use the mark in a manner that disparages CeriFi, its products or services, or its affiliated companies.
- The first letter of each word should be capitalized: Certified Military Financial Advisor®.
- Always use the ® symbol with Certified Military Financial Advisor®.
- The mark should be used as an adjective and followed by a noun such as “professional,” “certification,” or “designation,” or used immediately following the name of the individual who earned the certification.
- If you abbreviate Certified Military Financial Advisor® using CMFA, do not use a ™ or ® symbol with the abbreviation.
- The mark may not be incorporated into business or product names, email addresses, or URLs.
CeriFi reserves the right to periodically update these trademark guidelines, and it is the individual’s responsibility to ensure they are following the most recent version. If you have questions about trademark or logo usage, please contact trademarks@cerifi.com.
Continuing Education (CE) policy
CE is Voluntary
Completing CE is not required to earn or keep your designation. You are encouraged to because military benefits, tax rules, and entitlements change often and staying current directly improves the advice you give service members, veterans, and their families.
Acceptable CE Delivery and Methods
• 1 CE hour = 50 minutes of qualified instruction (0.5-hour increments after the first hour).
• You may claim up to 3 hours of CE, per 2-year cycle, for teaching or authoring within the recommended designation course topics.
• Any recognized financial-services CE counts toward the Designation’s voluntary CE when its content falls within the CE course topics: including CFP Board CE, IAR CE (NASAA), ChFC®/CLU®, CFA Institute, state insurance CE, accounting CPE, and FINRA.
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