International Association of Qualified Financial Planners

What International Association of Qualified Financial Planners does

IAQFP (International Association of Qualified Financial Planners) is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit professional business league association headquartered in Palm Desert, California. Founded in June 2001 by Paul M. League and Gib Kerr as the Concerned Planners Group, the organization was restructured and renamed IAQFP in March 2003, at which point it introduced the QFP—Qualified Financial Planner designation to consolidate five pre-existing financial planning credentials (ChFC, PFS, CFP, MSFS, MS) under a single unifying identifier. IAQFP operates the QFP Verification Registry, a free 24/7 publicly searchable online directory that lets consumers verify and locate IAQFP Certified—Financial Planners across all U.S. states, and publishes the IAQFP Standards, a Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct, and a Disciplinary & Complaint process.

The association monetizes primarily through individual professional membership dues — annual Member ($199) and Associate ($125) tiers, multi-year and lifetime options ($3,500 lifetime Member; $2,800 lifetime Associate), and a Supporter Program (Sponsors, Vendors, Contributors) that gives B2B partners access to a claimed constituency of over 100,000 financial planning professionals. Distribution is entirely digital, with member enrollment and registry access delivered through a self-service website (iaqfp.org) supplemented by social media and email newsletters; no mobile app, API, or SDK is offered. The organization is volunteer-administered with 11-50 employees and serves two end-customers: credentialed financial planning professionals seeking unified identification and referrals, and consumers searching for qualified planners.

In February 2026, IAQFP announced a merger with Finseca under which Finseca assumes responsibility for running IAQFP and operating the QFP Verification Registry, consolidating advocacy and credentialing infrastructure behind the QFP designation. There are no disclosed revenue figures, funding rounds, or AI/ML capabilities; the technology surface is a conventional web directory plus membership management rather than a data- or model-driven platform.

Name

International Association of Qualified Financial Planners

Legal name

International Association of Qualified Financial Planners

Website

https://www.iaqfp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IAQFP is a 501(c)(6) non-profit professional association that issues the QFP—Qualified Financial Planner designation unifying five financial planning credentials and operates a free public QFP Verification Registry for consumers and credentialed professionals across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association & Certification Services

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSAEAAAA

Comprehensive Financial Planning

Financial & Insurance/Financial Advisory, Brokerage & Intermediation/Investment Advisory & Financial Planning

SECONDARYFSAGADAH

Financial Education & Coaching (Digital Programs, Tools)

Financial & Insurance/Financial Technology (Fintech)/Personal Finance & Financial Wellness (PFM)

SECONDARYEDADAFAB

Qualifications Framework Authorities (NQF/Skills Framework)

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Assessment, Examinations & Qualifications Authorities

Keywords

• Professional certification services
• Financial planner designation
• Professional membership association
• Credential verification registry
• Financial planning standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Palm Desert

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues - Member Tier: Annual membership dues for full Members who receive VERIFY & FIND listing with picture, bio/services description, areas of specialization, and direct contact info in the QFP Registry. Multi-year discounts available.
2. Membership Dues - Associate Tier: Annual membership dues for Associates who receive VERIFY listing but without direct consumer contact information.
3. Lifetime Memberships: One-time lifetime membership fees for both Member and Associate tiers, offering permanent affiliation with IAQFP without recurring dues.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IAQFP issues the QFP—Qualified Financial Planner credential, a unifying professional designation that consolidates five existing financial planning credentials (ChFC, PFS, CFP, MSFS, MS) into a single identifier. It operates a free 24/7 online QFP Verification Registry and Planner Locator that allows the public to verify and search for IAQFP Certified—Financial Planners by state and planning type, and it governs the IAQFP Standards, Code of Ethics, and Disciplinary & Complaint Process for members and Associates.

Product overview

IAQFP operates as a professional membership and certification organization offering the QFP—Qualified Financial Planner credential as a unifying designation for the financial planning profession. The core offering is the QFP Verification Registry, a free 24/7 public resource for consumers to verify and locate qualified financial planners. Supporting products include IAQFP Standards (ethics and disciplinary framework), Supporter Programs for sponsors and vendors, and PROs Invite membership for professionals seeking affiliation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• QFP Verification Registry of Qualified Financial Planners A free 24/7 online searchable public resource that allows consumers to verify and locate IAQFP Certified—Financial Planners who are in good standing with IAQFP Standards. Users can search by U.S. state and by type of financial planning (Comprehensive or Modular), and filter by areas of specialization such as budgeting/cash flow, charitable, education, elder, and estate-gifting-wealth transfer.
• QFP—Qualified Financial Planner Credential A unifying professional designation issued by IAQFP that consolidates five equivalent financial planning credentials (ChFC, PFS, CFP, MSFS, MS) under a single identifier, awarded to qualified financial planning professionals who meet IAQFP Standards.
• IAQFP Standards The highest professional standards of the Financial Planning profession, comprising the IAQFP Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct and the IAQFP Disciplinary & Complaint Process, governing members and certified planners to protect the public interest.
• IAQFP Supporter Programs Sponsorship, vendor, and contributor programs offering paid opportunities for partners (Sponsors, Vendors, Contributors) to reach IAQFP Certified—Financial Planners across a stated constituency of over 100,000 financial planning professionals.
• PROs Invite (Professional Membership) Affiliate membership and associate community program for qualified financial planning professionals to join IAQFP, available as Member ($199/year with multi-year and lifetime options) or Associate ($125/year with lifetime option) tiers, each with corresponding QFP Verification Registry listing benefits.

Quantifiable outcome

• Unified 5 competing financial planning designations (ChFC, PFS, CFP, MSFS, MS) under single QFP identifier
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FinsecacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2026Finseca and IAQFP announced their merger to unify the financial planning profession under the QFP (Qualified Financial Planner) designation. Finseca is assuming responsibility for running IAQFP and its public QFP Verification Registry, which allows consumers to find and verify qualified financial planners. The unification aims to expand access to financial guidance for Americans by consolidating multiple professional designations under a single standard.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• CFP Board of Standards: Issues the CFP (Certified Financial Planner) credential—one of the five designations IAQFP's QFP unifies. Operates the primary competing standards body for financial planning professionals in the US, with substantially greater consumer brand recognition.
• Financial Planning Association (FPA): A large US professional association serving financial planners, with a member community, advocacy function, and CE programming—directly comparable to IAQFP's role as a financial planning member organization.
• The American College of Financial Services: Issues the ChFC (Chartered Financial Consultant) credential—one of the five designations unified under IAQFP's QFP—and provides financial planning education, training, and designations to financial professionals.
• AICPA (Personal Financial Services): Issues the PFS (Personal Financial Specialist) credential—one of the five designations unified under IAQFP's QFP—and serves as a major credentialing and standards body for CPAs practicing personal financial planning.
• NAPFA (National Association of Personal Financial Advisors): A fee-only financial advisor association with consumer-facing advisor search functionality—analogous to IAQFP's QFP Verification Registry but focused on the fee-only advisor niche.
• XY Planning Network: A fee-only financial planning membership organization serving next-generation advisors, with an online advisor directory and community platform—directly comparable to IAQFP's directory-plus-association model.
• Finseca: Recently merged with IAQFP (Feb 2026); a professional association for financial security professionals offering advocacy, education, and community—comparable in association function, with overlapping professional membership base.

Broad incumbents

• Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB): Owns and administers the international CFP designation outside the US. Operates globally as the broader standards umbrella for the financial planning profession that IAQFP positions itself within or alongside.

Emerging players

• Garrett Planning Network: A fee-only hourly financial planning network with an advisor directory—smaller scale than IAQFP but conceptually similar in providing a credentialed-planner locator resource to consumers.

Others

• Investopedia / Kitces (Michael Kitces): A leading financial planning industry publication and education platform serving the same financial planner professional audience as IAQFP—adjacent rather than competing, but sharing the practitioner education and credentialing content niche.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Association of Qualified Financial Planners