The Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) designation is awarded by the National Association of Estate Planning Councils (NAEPC) to professionals who meet stringent experience and education qualifications, including two graduate level courses administered by The American College in Bryn Mawr, PA. NAEPC is dedicated to setting and promoting standards of excellence for professionals in estate planning.
This Association and local Estate Planning Councils assure us of access to highly qualified attorneys and others who excel in the practice of Estate Planning, including the drafting of documents, re-titling of assets, ownership and beneficiary designations for life insurance and retirement planning issues.
The NAEPC recognizes the importance of promoting a code of behavior that relies upon the proficiency, intelligence professionalism, integrity, objectivity, and responsibility of each person qualifying as a candidate for certification.
The NAEPC confers the Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®) designation to those individuals who meet its stringent admission standards, which include, among other things, significant prior experience in estate planning activities and material formal education in the subject matter.
To be considered eligible for the AEP® designation, the applicant must provide documentation of being currently licensed to practice law as an Attorney (JD) or to practice as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), or of being currently designated as a Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®), Chartered Financial Consultant®, (ChFC®), Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), or Certified Trust & Financial Advisor (CTFA), in any jurisdiction of the United States of America.
The applicant must be presently and significantly engaged in “estate-planning activities” as an attorney, an accountant, an insurance professional, financial planner, or a trust officer.
A minimum of five (5) years of experience engaged in estate planning and estate-planning activities is required in one or more of the professional disciplines described above to apply for the designation.
The National Association of Estate Planners & Councils has designated The American College of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania as the primary provider of the education courses required to earn the AEP® designation. Applicants for the AEP® designation must successfully complete two graduate courses through the Richard D. Irwin Graduate School of The American College.
Estate planning encompasses the accumulation, conversation, preservation, and transfer of an estate through planning and implementation of an estate plan. The overall purpose of the estate planning process is to develop a plan that will maintain the financial security of individuals and their families.
Estate planning has come to include and mean lifetime planning that leads to creation, conservation and transfer of assets. Estate planning should also facilitate the intended and orderly transfer of property at death, taking into consideration the family unit and the potential costs of different methods.
Some common estate planning tasks include:
Check out his listing as an Accredited Estate Planner on NAEPC’s Website. There you will also find more information on the AEP® designation.
It’s never too soon to begin planning for the efficient transfer and distribution of your assets. Estate-tax laws are complex, and how you manage your assets today will have a direct impact on your heirs. From our office in Holderness, NH, we serve pre-retiree, retiree, and business owner clients in New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts.
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