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Designation Requirements
Application
and Enrollment Fee | Point
Accrual System
Completion of Course Curriculum
| Purchase of Self-Study Courses
| Ethics
Before becoming eligible for a National Institute
designation, applicants must complete a series of steps, as enumerated
below:
- Completion
of initial application and payment of enrollment fee.
- Achievement
of 40 points under the National Institute's guidelines, accrued
through education, experience, licensing and/or professional designations.
- Completion
of the National Institute course curriculum, comprised of core
and elective requirements, and receipt of satisfactory grades
on all related examinations.
- Endorsement
of the National Institute ethics standards.
The enrollment fee and initial application must
be submitted before proceeding with any other portion of a designation
program. However, points may be accrued before beginning the National
Institute curriculum, after completing the curriculum, or concurrent
with the curriculum. All points must, however, be attained before
a designation is awarded.
A
person wishing to gain membership in one of the National Institute
designation programs is first required to complete an application
form and submit a $350 enrollment fee. This non-refundable enrollment
fee covers application review and exam processing. No application
form will be accepted without completion of all appropriate items
and inclusion of the enrollment fee. Click
here to download an application form or contact the National
Institute:
Upon
receipt of the initial application and associated fee, the National
Institute will send to the applicant a welcome packet confirming
enrollment.
Top
Point
Accrual System
To qualify
for a National Institute designation, all candidates must earn
a minimum of 40 points, which may be met through a combination
of education, experience, licensing and professional designations,
as described below:
5 points are
awarded for each year (30 credit hours) of formal undergraduate
education (limit 20 points)
20 points
are awarded for each of the following graduate/post-graduate degrees:
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Master's degree in any business-related field
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Ph.D. in any business-related field
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Master of Taxation (M.T.)
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LL.M. in Taxation
20 points
are awarded for holding each of the following licenses in good
standing:
20 points
are awarded for holding each of the following professional designations
in good standing:
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Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®)
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Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU)
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Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC)
- Enrolled Agent (EA)
Any degree,
license or professional designation may be earned at any time
prior to designation by the National Institute.
10 points
are awarded for each 250 hours of related experience
Please note
that 250 hours may span a portion of one year or carry through
several calendar years; however, more than 250 hours earned
during one calendar year cannot count for more than 10 points
under the National Institute guidelines.
All experience
must be earned within five years prior to application in a designation
program, or may be earned during the time the National Institute
curriculum is being completed. Experience must be directly related
to the chosen designation program.
Experience
must be verified by a signed statement from the designation candidate.
The candidate should also provide the names, addresses and phone
numbers of two references. References must be from a supervisor,
client, or other professional who has direct knowledge of the
candidate's related experience.
All National
Institute designation programs require the completion of a curriculum
of courses, composed of core courses and electives. The Certified
Specialist in Estate Planning® (CSEP) program requires that each
candidate take 6 core courses and 2 electives; the Certified Specialist
in Retirement Planning® (CSRP) program requires 5 core courses
and 2 electives. Candidates must pass an online timed
exam for each course. Some courses in each program are available in a live seminar format, but a self-study format is recommended.
The courses
available in each National Institute designation program are as
follows:
Click on
a course title for more information
Certified Specialist in Estate Planning® (CSEP) |
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Certified Specialist in Retirement Planning® (CSRP)
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Electives:
- What Every Professional Should Know About Elder Care Planning (CECP)
- Within the Red Zone of Your Retirement: Tax Planning Strategies for Getting to the Goal Line Without Fumbling
(REDZ)
- Surgent McCoy's Guide to Designing and Administering the New Roth 401(k), Traditional 401(k), SIMPLE, and Cafeteria Plans (RTSC)
- Complete Strategies for Maximizing Contributions, Rollovers, Distributions, and Estate Planning of IRAs, Roth IRAs, SIMPLEs, and SEPs (CIRA)
- Social Security, Medicare, and Prescription Drug Retirement Benefits: What Every Baby Boomer Needs to Know Now (SSRB)
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The National
Institute believes that candidates gain the maximum benefit by first
completing the core curriculum in the suggested sequence. Electives
are more specialized or advanced and are written with the understanding
that candidates have a core body of knowledge. However, candidates
may choose any order for their curriculum.
You may choose to complete a portion of your designation curriculum by attending live seminars, which are typically sponsored by state
societies of CPAs.
When purchasing any course in live seminar format, registration
must be made through a participating state society. Click
here to search our seminar schedule, or call your state
society. (For Maryland seminars, click here.)
Seminar verification
forms for designation candidates are included in students' seminar manuals. These forms must
be signed and dated by the discussion leader on the day of the
seminar and submitted by the attendee to the National Institute.
In the absence of this form, the National Institute will accept
proof of attendance issued to a candidate by a state society.
Online testing information will not be issued unless seminar verification
is provided. It is the responsibility of the candidate to submit
the appropriate paperwork to the National Institute by fax or
mail to obtain testing information.
All core and
elective courses are available in online download, textbook, and CD-ROM self-study
formats and may be purchased through the National Institute, by
calling Surgent McCoy Self-Study CPE at (800) 778-7436 or through
the Surgent McCoy website, www.cpenow.com.
Two methods of purchase are available:
- Designation Package: all core courses plus choice of electives in CD-ROM or online download format.
Accompanying textbooks may be purchased at additional cost.
Deadline to complete all designation exams is 18 months from purchase.
Testing codes are provided by the National Institute after purchase.
Exams for CPE credit must be completed separately. Price: $499
per package for CD-ROM, $479 per package for online download.
Click here to order the CSEP package.
Click here to order the CSRP package.
- Individual
courses: available in textbook, CD-ROM, and online download formats.
Designation exams must be completed within one year of purchase date.
Candidates should call the National Institute to obtain testing
codes. Exams for CPE credit are completed separately. Pricing
varies by course. Click here for CSEP courses; click here for CSRP courses.
Obtaining CPE Credit Through Self-Study Courses
Although all
Surgent McCoy self-study courses are approved for CPE credit for
CPAs, completion of a CSEP or CSRP course in self-study
format does not automatically qualify for CPE credit. The National
Institute's timed designation exams are not designed to provide
CPE credit. If a candidate completing a CSEP or CSRP
course also desires CPE credit for the course, additional measures
must be taken.
If a self-study
course is taken as a core or elective in the National
Institute's curriculum, CPE credit is only granted by Surgent
McCoy if an individual passes the self-study exam, which is taken at www.cpenow.com but is not timed. A score of 70 percent or better is
necessary to earn CPE credit. This test is in addition to the timed exam that is required to earn credit
toward a designation.
Therefore,
in order to obtain CPE credit and designation program credit for
a self-study course, two exams must be completed. The self-study
exam provides CPE credit. The
National Institute's 60-question timed exam for the course provides
designation program credit.
For a CSEP or CSRP continuing education course completed in self-study format,
the designation holder must complete the CPE exam. In this case, that exam
will qualify for both CPE credit and designation program continuing education
credit. No additional or online exams must be taken when a self-study
course is taken to fulfill the National Institute's continuing education
requirement.
Please retain
copies of all self-study completion certificates. Reporting forms
provided to the National Institute by designation holders will
be randomly audited, and proof of completion may be required.
Ethics
Each candidate
must sign the National Institute ethics statement before a designation
is awarded. This statement requires not only the endorsement of
the candidate, but must also be signed by a licensed CPA or attorney
(licenses must be in good standing), or a holder of a CFP®, CLU, EA,
or ChFC designation in good standing. Agreement must be given
to all items on the ethics form, including the following:
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The candidate
will carry on all client business without bias or prejudice
and will attempt to remain impartial at all times;
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The candidate
will always act in a professional manner and will serve clients
to the best of the candidate's ability;
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The candidate
will act with integrity in all matters and will not take on
a professional obligation without having a reasonable expectation
of fulfilling that task in a competent manner;
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The candidate
will always strive for personal and professional improvement;
and
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The candidate
will not engage in unlawful or unethical conduct and will
discontinue representation in or work on any matter in which
a conflict of interest exists.
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