Qualified Associate Financial Planner™ Professional Toolkit
How we manage money shapes our lives. But making financial decisions can be stressful and confusing. No matter what your financial situation, your goals deserve attention. You may not know how to start or where to turn. A Qualified Associate Financial Planner™ professional can make all the difference.
QAFP professionals appreciate the demands and priorities of people’s diverse lives and their everyday financial concerns. You can trust these skilled, knowledgeable, and ethical professionals to understand your needs and provide you with a holistic financial plan that fits your life and supports your goals. This is where confidence begins.
‘Elevator Pitch’ –spark interest in the value of what you do – for when you have 60 seconds to desctibe what you do
"Many people worry about money. No matter what your financial situation, your concerns deserve attention. Need some professional advice, but not sure how to start or where to turn? I understand everyday financial planning matters and will give you advice that fits your life and supports your goals. This is where confidence begins."
Log in to your FP Canada Portal and click on the ‘View my QAFP Digital Credential ’ link. On your digital credential page click “Add to Email Signature ”, located on the left-hand side, to access step-by-step instructions. Instructions are available for Outlook and Gmail users.
To add your digital credential to your website or blog, sign in to your FP Canada Portal and click on the ‘View my QAFP Digital Credential ’ link. On your digital credential page click “Embed Credential ”, located on the left-hand side, to access step-by-step instructions. You can choose to embed just the credential image (badge or certificate) or the full page of your digital credential.
To add your digital credential to your LinkedIn page, sign in to your FP Canada Portal and click on the ‘View my QAFP Digital Credential ’ link. On your digital credential page click “Add to LinkedIn ”, located on the left-hand side. Then go to your LinkedIn account and select “Add new profile section ”. Under “Accomplishments ”, select “Certifications ” and copy-and-paste the information from your digital credential page to your LinkedIn account, including the unique link to your digital credential.
To add your digital credential to your LinkedIn page, sign in to your FP Canada Portal and click on the ‘View my QAFP Digital Credential ’ link. On your digital credential page click on the social media icons on the right-hand side of the page to link your digital credential in any social media post such as a tweet or status update.
You’ve met a high bar for certification to earn your QAFP designation.
FP Canada encourages you to use the QAFP Mark extensively to showcase your certification as a financial planning professional. To maintain the integrity of
your QAFP designation, it’s important to use the marks correctly. Please read the QAFP Marks Usage Guide thoroughly to be sure you understand how to use the Marks according to the rules.
The 2021 Financial Stress Index shows that even in the midst of the enduring COVID-19 pandemic, nearly two-in- five (38%) Canadians continue to rank money—not personal health—as their No. 1 source of stress.
Canadians who work with a professional financial planner were significantly more optimistic about their financial future and were far less likely to say money stress led to health problems, compared to those who don’t work with a planner (20%
vs 31%).
As a QAFP™ professional, you are in a position to continue to help Canadians with their immediate financial planning needs and help them plan for the future.
Go to the 2021 Financial Stress Index page to read the research results, download the new White Paper and finds tools that will help your share the insights with your clients and colleagues. The Financial Stress
Index is an ongoing study commissioned by FP Canada that compares Canadians’ financial stress since 2014.
A holiday spending poll of consumers by FP Canada reveals that 60% of Canadians showed restraint, staying on budget with their early holiday season shopping over Black Friday and Cyber Monday. However, one-in-four respondents reported going over budget significantly.
The poll also found that Canadians who work with a professional financial planner did a good job of sticking to their budgets during the early holiday spending season. Canadians who work with a financial planner were far more likely (69%) to say they expect to enter the new year with $0 in credit card debt, compared to 51% of those who do not work with a financial planner.
Read the News Release.
A survey by FP Canada finds that Canadians are experiencing two vastly different pandemics.
The survey also shows how working with a professional financial planner is beneficial during good times and bad and how a financial planner can help clients adapt quicker to changing financial realities. Read through and use the data to better articulate the value you bring to clients as a financial planner.
Read more on the Updates & Insights page.
Read the survey results on FinancialPlanningForCanadians.ca.
A survey by FP Canada finds that 35% Canadians feel their bank accounts cannot withstand another financial emergency, up from 33% from two years ago.
As a financial planner, you are in a position to provide additional confidence to Canadians not only with respect to their financial plans, but also to their current financial situation. From debt management to emergency funds, the study
shows there are key opportunities to support your clients’ finances.
Read more on the Updates & Insights page.
Read the Study Results on FinancialPlanningForCanadians.ca.
A survey from FP Canada reveals that one in three Canadians feel they will never recover from a pandemic. However, those who work with a financial planner are much more confident of their financial health.
Use the study to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on your clients that may not be apparent in a typical financial plan review.
Read more on the Updates & Insights page.
Read the Study Results on FinancialPlanningForCanadians.ca.
What might be stopping Canadians from seeking professional financial planning services? A study by FP Canada shows four-in-10 Canadians say they have a reason preventing them talking about money issues with a financial planner. Reasons
include not enough money, afraid of being judged and it would cause stress, among others. Use these findings to adapt your client conversations.
Read more on the Updates & Insights page.
View the Study Results.
A study by FP Canada shows that nearly one-in-four Canadians feel money is a taboo topic, ranking it alongside other time-honoured, forbidden subjects such as politics, sex and religion. Read the study for insights into why people may
not be comfortable talking about money and how you can encourage your clients to discuss these topics.
Read more on the Updates & Insights page.
Read the Study Results on FinancialPlanningForCanadians.ca.
The FP Canada Research Foundation™ funded a study to investigate why the majority of Canadians take CPP and QPP benefits at 65 or earlier, when in many cases they should wait until age 70. Dr. Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald, Director of Financial Security Research of the National Institute on Ageing, led the study.
This research provides valuable insights to help planners better guide their clients to making the best possible choices when planning for retirement.
Read the research paper on the FP Canada Research Foundation website.
Many financial planners note that their clients do not always take action on the plans they deliver and discuss with their clients. But a survey funded by the FP Canada Research Foundation found that only 39% of clients surveyed felt that their financial plan was explained in a way they understood, and only 38% felt that the level detail of their plan was appropriate.
Examine the findings from the Implementation Gap Research to better support your client through the implementation stage.
Review the Executive Summary, use the Practice Notes and read more on the FP Canada Research Foundation website.
