If you are a financial professional, you may want to look at the following information to see if you are interested in becoming a Certified Financial Coach.
Do you have the feeling that when you work with your clients as a financial professional that you are not quite getting through? Do you worry when a client says something about what money means to them that they seem confused, disturbed, or restless? Do you ask questions that make them feel uncomfortable but don't know how to go the next step to really helping them?
And finally, do you have a need to make a difference with your clients and other people in your life around helping them find meaning in their life?
If you are sensitive enough to experience the discomfort of your clients and you said yes to the question above in blue, you may want to consider becoming a Certified Financial Coach.
Becoming a CFC-Pro or CFC-R, however, requires passing specific benchmarks for acceptance into the Certified Financial Coach program. Financial professionals in the CFC-Pro or CFC-R Division have specific training, experience and licensing in addition to being trained as a Certified Financial Coach.
A financial professional qualified to become a Certified Financial Coach has passed various financial benchmarks in terms of checks on their identity, their history and their commitment to working with individuals around more than products or financial planning services. It takes a certain kind of financial individual to become a Certified Financial Coach.
To receive a list of qualifications needed to become a Certified Financial Coach, please contact the CFC-Board of Governors at using the CONTACT US button.
Q & A
There have been several questions raised by financial professionals regarding why there are two divisions of Certified Financial Coach Training. Below are some of these questions and answers:
Why did the CFC-Board of Governors decide to have two divisions?
There is a great need for Certified Financial Coaches and not all financial professionals have the emotional makeup, time or interest in becoming a Certified Financial Coach. There is great suffering in the world around money. People trained as professional coaches (who meet certain standards of training) and attend CFC-CoachPLUS training have learned skills to help people decouple from their emotional baggage and become present to what is real. When deciding on how to have the greatest positive impact, the CFC-Board of Governors realized that training only financial professionals who could meet or exceed the Registered Investment Advisor was a limiting factor. With the tremendous demand that exists for financial coaching, a great number of people are needed to help.
The CFC-Board of Governors decided that the coupling of two professional skill sets – the ability to coach and the ability to implement plans for a successful financial future for clients – were a perfect combination. This coupling of skill sets could be accomplished in two ways. The first was to have professionally trained coaches become partners with experienced, ethical financial professionals to provide the services needed. The second was for the financial professional to be trained as a professional coach. The board decided the criteria of skills and programs that would be important for the Certified Financial Coach™ to have a firm grasp of, and proceeded to develop the Certified Financial Coach professional licensing program.
HOW IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A COACH WITHOUT EXTENSIVE FINANCIAL BACKGROUND TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
A Certified Financial Coach helps individuals with core financial issues experience transformation in their relationship with money. A financial professional who helps individuals plan their financial future is a great affiliate for a Certified Financial Coach because once core issues are addressed, the person is ready to work with a financial professional with clarity and trust.
Unless and until a person can look at the realities of their life and how money plays a role in that reality, they will live with fear and suffering. Fear is one reason people convince themselves that it is better to do it themselves than work with a financial professional. They are suffering because they are run by fear or greed. They may have some emotional baggage around money, or it just may be that in our culture they are hooked by consumerism and bombarded with messages that cause them or someone in their family to spend money they do not have. They don’t want to look at how they are with money. They seek escapism, not advice. People would rather talk about sex than money. The reason is that they are afraid they are doing something wrong, they will be thought of as not being smart, they will feel shame, blame, or be judged. A Certified Financial Coach™ knows how to “be” with people in a way that doesn’t trigger these emotions or project judgement.
Are people really that frightened? Are they really suffering?
Research abounds regarding the record debt, record bankruptcies and record suffering around money in this and other countries. Yes indeed, people are suffering.
Why would people work with a Certified Financial Coach? Do they see the difference between a coach and a financial professional?
We ask you to make your own conclusions
Ask any acquaintance these 4 simple questions:
1. If I gave you a gift of a free hour to work with a financial coach who was licensed, kept strict confidentiality, and was skilled in knowing how to help you develop new skills and a new relationship with money so you could stop suffering with any issues you might have around money, would you take time to meet with them?
2. Would you do that in the next week?
3. If I gave you a gift of a free hour to work with a financial professional who was licensed, kept strict confidentiality and knew how to help you plan for your future and would help you invest wisely for your future, would you take the time to meet with them?
4. Would you do that in the next week?
What do you think the response would be? Maybe yes to both, yes to one no to the other, but how about the timeline. How much lip service do people give that they will do it – but when it comes to scheduling it in their calendar, it becomes a reality – how many are just not sure?
How many would be more likely to talk to a financial coach than any other financial professional because a coach is about them and the financial professional is perceived to be about “the money”?
Make a speculation for yourself:
Financial Independence Foundation Educators (a foundation dedicated to helping people change their relationship with money) is currently conducting a study using these exact questions. This information will be published in the future.
