Information for Estate Planning Professionals

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Accredited Estate Planner® Designation Information

How can you gain a "leg-up" on your competition in your estate planning practice? Obtain the Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®) designation. Professional estate planners can achieve a nationally-recognized graduate level accreditation that acknowledges their experience and specialization in estate planning. The AEP® designation is available to attorneys, Chartered Life Underwriters, Certified Public Accountants, Certified Trust and Financial Advisors, Chartered Financial Consultants, and Certified Financial Planners® and is awarded to professionals who meet stringent experience and education qualifications. The educational requirements can be met through graduate level coursework offered by The American College and other accredited colleges, universities and schools of law. To see a complete list of qualifications and to download an application, visit our website at www.naepc.org/estate_planners.web.

Your affiliated local estate planning council is able to honor its most highly respected and distinguished members by nominating them as a Council Nominated Candidate for the AEP® designation. Your estate planning council has been authorized by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils to recommend individuals from each of the following five disciplines for this designation: accountants, attorneys, insurance and financial planners, and trust officers. Contact Susan Austin Carney at (866) 226-2224 or [email protected] if to find out more about this program.

Why should you become an AEP®? Three quick answers:

1. Access to resources like the AEP® Alert, free monthly Technical Newsletter provided by Leimberg Information Services, and the AEP® Group discussion board on LinkedIn.
    
2. Discounts on education at the NAEPC annual conference and other online learning opportunities.
    
3. Exclusive referrals for your service from the NAEPC (www.naepc.org) and the NAEPC Education Foundation websites (www.estateplanninganswers.org).
    

Join the growing group of professionals who recognize the value of holding the premier estate planning professional designation.

Estate Planning Law Specialist Designation Information

The Estate Planning Law Specialist (EPLS) designation is available to attorneys and is administered by the Estate Law Specialist Board, Inc., an attorney-run subsidiary of the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils. Attorneys who become board-certified under this program demonstrate a high level of professionalism and commitment to the concept of specialization. This program is currently the only program, other than certain state bar association programs which are only for residents of their particular states, accredited by the American Bar Association to Board-certify attorneys as Estate Planning Law Specialists. Many states permit lawyers to hold themselves out as specialists if their certification is awarded by an ABA-accredited program. Each lawyer, however, must consult the rules in his or her own state to determine how such a designation can be presented to the public. To see a complete list of qualifications and to download an application, visit our website at www.naepc.org/estate_law.web.