Continuing Education Executive Circle Certified Financial Behavior Specialist® Find a FBS®
Continuing Education Executive Circle Certified Financial Behavior Specialist® Find a FBS®

| CERTIFIED FINANCIAL BEHAVIOR SPECIALIST® (FBS®)

The Certified Financial Behavior Specialist® (FBS®) designation is a professional certification mark for financial professionals providing financial consulting services conferred by the Financial Psychology Institute®.  To receive authorization to use the marks, the candidate must meet specific educational and continuing education requirements in the areas of behavioral finance and financial behavior.

Certification Requirements

  1. Bachelor’s Degree or higher from a Regionally Accredited Institute of higher learning.
  2. Completion of a Certificate in Financial Psychology & Behavioral Finance or related field, providing syllabi from graduate level courses demonstrating education in specific content areas of Financial Psychology and Behavioral Finance.  Please note that traditional degrees in mental health and financial planning fields are not a substitute for training in these specific content areas.
  3. Agreement to adhere to the Financial Psychology Institute's® Code of Ethics.
  4. Once certified, a commitment to receive 20 hours of CEUs in approved courses related to financial planning, financial behavior, or a related field every 2 years, either through the Financial Psychology Institute® or other approved providers.
  5. Two letters of recommendation from professionals familiar with your work and ideally who are familiar with financial psychology or financial therapy.

In terms of the second requirement, here is the list of graduate level courses that need to be completed to fulfill that item:

  • Intro to Financial Psychology
  • Behavioral Finance
  • Theories of Financial Psychology
  • Family Systems – working with families and couples
  • Client communication / interviewing skills/ working with clients

Certificate holders include practicing financial planners, financial coaches, financial counselors, and mental health practitioners who use the theories and tools of financial behavior to provide more holistic services to clients, better understand financial beliefs and behaviors, and work more effectively with individuals, couples, families, and organizations around money.

Financial Psychology Institute's® Code of Ethics

By using the marks, the FBS® Certificant promises to adhere to the ethical standards guide as defined in the Financial Psychology Institute's® Code of Ethics.

For more information and/or to request an application, please contact Brenda at [email protected]

FPI Code of Ethics

If you would like to enter a complaint, the FPI allows all complaints to be submitted in any of the following forms.

(1) Written form via email, to the Executive Director of the FPI, Brenda Anderson:
[email protected]

(2) Written form addressed to:

Financial Psychology Institute®
c/o Brenda Anderson
PO Box 1072
La Grange Park, IL 60526

Trademark Usage Guidelines for FBS® Certificate Holders

FBS® Certificants in good standing with the Financial Psychology Institute® (FPI) have the right to use the following marks:

  • FBS®
  • Certified Financial Behavior Specialist®

These marks are commonly referred to as the “FPI Marks” and show that the Certificant has met the initial and ongoing requirements of the designation and have agreed to adhere to the Financial Psychology Institute's® Code of Ethics in all interactions with their clients.

To assist in the use of these marks, FPI has developed the trademark usage guide below.  This guide apples to use in both print and electronic communications.  These examples are not an exhaustive list.  Please contact the FPI with any questions and/or if you become aware of improper usage or infringement of the FPI Marks.

  • Always use the ® symbol
  • The certification mark may not be altered or modified in any way.
  • The FBS® mark must appear in all capital letters.
  • When using the term Certified Financial Behavior Specialist®, at a minimum, the first letter of each word must be capitalized.
  • The certification mark should be placed near the certificate holder’s name.
  • The certification mark should have clear enough space so as not to be related to the certificate holder’s degree, nor be confused with the company to give the reader the idea that the mark certifies the entire company.
  • The marks may not be used in a certificate holder’s email address or domain name.

Monitoring

The FPI conducts annual reviews of all Certificants. This includes, but is not limited to, a review of FINRA, SEC, and/or State Licensing Boards websites to make sure the Certificant is in good standing. If they are not (e.g. they have lost their license to practice), their FPI Certification will be subject to revocation.

For further information, please contact: [email protected]. 

FBS® Certificant Holders Currently Under Suspension

None