This week, Financial Planning Standards Board Ltd. (FPSB), owner of the international CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER certification program outside the United States, entered into an associate membership agreement with FİNANSAL PLANLAMA DERNEĞİ (FPSB Turkey), a nonprofit organization. As an associate member, FPSB Turkey has 24 months to develop the CFP certification program for the Turkish market.
“FPSB is pleased to welcome FİNANSAL PLANLAMA DERNEĞİ (FPSB Turkey) to our global membership,” said Steve Helmich, 2014 FPSB Board Chairperson. “FPSB Turkey is the first professional body in that territory focused on establishing financial planning as a profession, and it has assembled an impressive group of individuals and organizations to support development of the CFP certification program,” he said. “FPSB looks forward to supporting FPSB Turkey in its efforts to establish a CFP certification program to benefit the citizens of Turkey looking to take control of their financial futures.”
“We believe the time is right to introduce financial planning in Turkey,” said Alparslan Budak, Vice Chairman of FPSB Turkey. “People in Turkey are living longer and need the services of highly qualified financial planning professionals to help them prepare for retirement. In addition, in 2013, Turkey’s Capital Markets Board named financial planning as an ancillary service that could be provided by investment companies. FPSB Turkey will work to lead the profession by establishing and localizing FPSB’s high standards for financial planning through Turkey’s CFP certification program,” he said.
At present, financial planning does not exist as a professional practice in Turkey. FPSB Turkey’s mission is to introduce and develop the financial planning profession in Turkey, while ensuring the highest level of professional integrity among its members. Membership categories include financial services firms, individuals who have achieved or aspire to achieve CFP certification, and individuals that provide exceptional contributions to the purpose and goals of FPSB Turkey.
FPSB is a nonprofit association that establishes, upholds and promotes worldwide professional standards in financial planning. Governed by an international board of directors, FPSB is supported by the FPSB Council, an advisory and consulting body to FPSB’s governing body that is comprised of representatives from the 26 organizational members of FPSB. As an FPSB Associate Member, FPSB Turkey does not have voting rights within the FPSB Council, nor is it authorized to grant individuals the right to use the CFP Marks.
