Designations: NAPFA Membership

Membership in NAPFA is granted only to Fee-Only financial advisors who are paid directly by their clients. NAPFA members receive no commissions or other rewards for selling financial products. Those forms of compensation create potential conflicts of interest that may serve to undermine an advisor’s objectivity and fiduciary responsibility.

NAPFA members also sign a Fiduciary Oath to “place the clients’ interests first.”

In addition to tough standards on client-friendly compensation, NAPFA has some of the industry’s most rigorous education and training requirements for membership. All candidates for membership are required to submit a complete comprehensive financial plan for a full-scale peer review. Furthermore, NAPFA’s continuing education requirements exceed those of any other association of financial advisors.