ADPA® Professional Designation
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Accredited Domestic Partnership AdvisorSM — ADPA®

The College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan Company is no longer accepting new enrollments for the Accredited Domestic Partnership Advisor℠ program. 

The Accredited Domestic Partnership AdvisorSM, or ADPA® program, is the only designation program of its kind that prepares financial professionals to address the unique planning needs specific to unmarried, coupled persons. You’ll gain an understanding of how planning differences for domestic partners compared to legally married couples manifest themselves in the individual domains of financial planning. Your skills, augmented with knowledge from this up-to-date program, will help you analyze and evaluate alternative planning techniques pertaining to wealth transfers, federal taxation laws, retirement laws and benefits, and planning for end-of-life needs. 

This program is ideal for advisors looking to augment their skills and knowledge to make appropriate recommendations to benefit clients in domestic partnerships and help compensate for the adverse effects of financial laws or benefits that are either unavailable or provide less protection to them. It is also beneficial for accountants and attorneys who provide tax and legal services for persons in domestic partnerships.

    Plus, completion of professional designations programs can also help you fulfill continuing education (CE) requirements:

    • If you are a CFP® professional, successful completion of the College’s professional designation programs can qualify for CE hours for CFP® certification renewal as follows:
      • ADPA® program: 28 hours (live online program); 22.5 hours (ondemand program)
      • SE-AWMA® program: 28 hours (live online program); 24 hours (ondemand program)
      • All other designation programs (except the FPQP® and WMSSM programs): 28 hours (either live online or ondemand program)
    • If you currently hold a professional designation from the College, completion of a new professional designation fulfills CE hours as part of the renewal of your current designation.

    Frequently Asked Questions about the ADPA® Designation

    The ADPA® designation program is ideal for advisors with industry experience who:
    • Desire financial planning credentials to advance their career
    • Wish to augment their skills and knowledge to effectively counsel clients in domestic partnerships 
    It is also beneficial for accountants and attorneys who provide tax and legal services for persons in domestic partnerships.


    For all designation programs except the Sports & Entertainment (SE) Supplemental Education for the AWMA® program
    Students in all professional designation programs except the Sports & Entertainment (SE) Supplemental Education for the AWMA® Program have 120 days from the date they are provided online access to complete a designation program (including testing and passing the Final Exam). 
    • Students who enroll in Live Online classes will receive online access 20 days prior to the first class date.
    • Students who enroll in OnDemand classes will receive online access immediately after they enroll.

    If you need to extend your program, extensions of up to 60 days are available at a fee.  Extensions requests must be received on or before the fourteenth day following the course end date. Fees are non-refundable.

    Sports & Entertainment (SE) Supplemental Education for the AWMA® program

    Students have 30 days from the date they are provided online access to complete the program (including testing and passing the Final Exam). 

    If you need to extend your program, extensions of up to 60 days are available at a fee.  Extensions requests must be received on or before the fourteenth day following the course end date. Fees are non-refundable.

     

     

     

    The Final Exam for the APDA® program contains 50 questions. 

    Students have an allotted time of 3 hours to take the Final Exam and a maximum of two attempts to pass the Final Exam. 

    A passing score on the Final Exam is a score of 70% or higher. The grade earned on the Final Exam reflects your overall grade for the designation program.

    A score of 70% or better is required to pass all professional designation final exams. Students who do not earn a minimum of 70% after the allotted number of final exam attempts will be required to re-enroll in the professional designation course, pursuant to the Professional Designation Re-Enrollment Policy.


    After a student successfully completes the academic requirements of the professional designation program, students are notified via email (typically within 48 hours of course completion) to apply for authorization to use the applicable certification marks in accordance with the designation requirements. You can also apply for authorization through home.kaplanlearn.com. Continued use of certification marks is subject to compliance with ongoing renewal requirements.










    Individuals who hold a professional designation authorized by the College are responsible for completing 16 hours of continuing education (CE) credits every two years. A $100 renewal fee is also required every two years. Learn more about your renewal options at this link: Renew Your Professional Designation

    For LUTCF® designation holders, please visit the National Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors (NAIFA) website for renewal requirements and to renew your LUTCF® designation.

     

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