CFP Board Revises Sanction Guidelines and Fitness Standards

Posted on September 24th, 2024 at 11:16 PM
CFP Board Revises Sanction Guidelines and Fitness Standards

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

The CFP Board has finalized revisions to its Sanction Guidelines and Fitness Standards.

According to FinancialPlanning, key revisions include:

1. Conduct Categories: An updated inventory of 52 conduct categories that align with the CFP Board's Code and Standards.
  
2. Aggravating and Mitigating Factors: A new list of 25 general factors that describe when certain conduct should either aggravate (raise the sanction) or mitigate (lower the sanction).
 
3. Specific Factors: An expanded list of aggravating and mitigating factors tied to specific conduct categories.
 
4. Fitness Evaluation Framework: A revised framework for evaluating fitness that determines when an applicant is permanently barred, currently ineligible, or required to file a Petition for Fitness with the Disciplinary and Ethics Commission.
 
5. Conduct Description: A detailed description of conduct that will result in a permanent bar, ineligibility, or the need for a Petition for Fitness.
 
6. Uniform Sanction Guidelines: Ensuring that both applicants and CFP® professionals face similar consequences for misconduct.
 
7. Public Notice: Introducing a new public notice if the CFP Board grants certification to an applicant whose conduct would have resulted in a public censure if that applicant already had been a CFP® professional.

 

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, transition, regulatory, and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

Jim, Stephany and the whole team were a God send.  We felt like we were put into a situation where we had no advocate. Jim’s team came in with a strong, well laid out strategy on how to get our story heard. Where our outside compliance company had no ability to help, our Broker Dealer was impenitent, and the regulators were aggressive pursuing vague rules, Jim came like a barricade against an assault we did not understand. Though you pay member dues to be affiliated with FINRA and a B/D, you have no voice. The only thing that is truly heard in this un-level playing field is a bulldog’s bark like Jim’s. I would encourage anyone to call Jim and his team to find a real ally in the tough and complicated world of securities regulation. They are truly the best.

Greg P.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

December 11, 2025
DOJ Secures Five-Year Prison Sentence in Wolf Capital Crypto Fraud Case

Federal prosecutors have obtained a five-year prison sentence for Travis Ford, an Oklahoma resident who admitted to orchestrating a fraudulent crypto investment scheme through Wolf Capital.

December 10, 2025
SEC Highlights Rising Risks in RIA Consolidation and Focuses on Retailer Investor Protection

The Securities and Exchange Commission signaled heightened scrutiny of investment advisers involved in mergers and acquisitions, according to its newly released 2026 Examination Priorities.

December 9, 2025
The Vanishing Boundary Between Investing and Gambling

According to Bloomberg Law, there now are the tools, tactics, and a psychology of gambling that increasingly resembles those of retail trading.