Ongoing DEI Certification Requirements

NAPFA’s DEI Certificate & Training Program was started in 2022 as a way for financial advisors to continue their DEI journey and learn valuable and actionable takeaways to improve their DEI work as advisors, in their firms, and in the fee-only financial planning profession. The “DEI Certified” badge is awarded to those advisors who complete the program and will need to be renewed annually.

The requirements for renewal are outlined below:

  • 4 hours of DEI continuing education.
  • A statement of action (500 words or less) outlining what the advisor has done to advance DEI over the past 12 months individually, in their firm, and/or in their community.

The 4 hours of eligible DEI continuing education are outlined below, and follow NAPFA’s DEI continuing education guidelines:

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) educational programs that are eligible for NAPFA CE are those that encourage representation and participation of diverse groups of people, including:

  • Gender
  • Race
  • Ethnicity
  • Abilities & Disabilities
  • Religions
  • Cultures
  • Ages
  • Sexual Orientation

The below examples are representative of eligible subject matter. Programs are not limited to those specifically focused on financial planning:

  • Presenting information to increase awareness and solutions to address gaps that disproportionately or differentially affect minority or underserved populations from a financial planner or client perspective.
  • Increasing awareness of disparities created by structural, socioeconomic, socio-environmental, and/or biological factors.
  • Closing the racial wealth gap.
  • Increasing financial literacy in traditionally underserved populations.
  • Increasing representation of minority or underserved populations in the financial planning profession.

For the 2023-2024 renewal year, after the first 12 months of using the “DEI certified” badge, participants can meet the 4 hours of DEI continuing education as follows:

  • Participate in a live or recorded session
  • Write an article
  • Present to an outside group (examples include an association, non-profit, or academic audience) on a DEI relevant topic
  • Reading or listening to a relevant podcast can be used for 1 of the 4 hours.

NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisors will log their DEI hours in their CE accounts. All other membership categories and non-members will be asked to produce proof of completion for their four hours of eligible CE after one year.

If you are a not a NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor, hours and statement of action must be reported by the end of the renewal year. You can submit to bones@napfa.org or diversity@napfa.org.

At the end of each renewal year, you will receive an updated version of this Ongoing DEI Certification Requirements document. These requirements are subject to change as the program evolves. The most up to date information can also be found on NAPFA’s DEI Initiative page.