AEP Qualifications

An ACCREDITED ESTATE PLANNER applicant must meet ALL of the following requirements as established by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils:

1. Credential requirement. To be eligible to be considered for the AEP designation, the applicant must provide documentation of being licensed to practice law as an Attorney (Atty) or to practice as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), or of being currently designated as a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), or Certified Trust & Financial Advisor (CTFA), in any jurisdiction of the United States of America.
   
2. Professional discipline engaged in estate planning requirement. The applicant must be presently and significantly engaged in "estate planning activities" as either an attorney, an accountant, a life insurance professional, a financial planner, or a trust officer.
   
   Estate planning encompasses the accumulation, conservation, preservation, and transfer of an estate through planning and implementation of an estate plan. The overall purpose of the estate planning process is to develop a plan that will maintain the financial security of individuals and their families. Estate planning has come to include lifetime planning that leads to conservation and transfer of assets. Estate planning should also facilitate the intended and orderly transfer of property at death, taking into consideration the family unit and the potential costs of different methods.
   
   Estate planning activities could include the following functions appropriate to the applicant's respective discipline(s):
   
   Administering estates and trusts
   Analyzing existing life insurance coverage for continuing relevance
   Analyzing proposed transactions for estate and gift tax implications
   Attending Estate Planning Council Meetings and Other Estate Planning Educational Events
   Business Succession Planning
   Charitable/gifting planning
   Designing estate plans
   Designing Qualified and Non-Qualified Retirement Plans
   Developing strategies to minimize potential estate and gift taxes
   Developing programs to conserve assets during lifetime and at death
   Drafting estate planning documents
   Life Settlements of Life Insurance Policies
   Preparing estate and gift tax returns
   Preparing fiduciary accountings
   Preparing fiduciary income tax returns
   Probating wills & administering estates
   Proposing life insurance solutions consistent with estate plans
   Retirement distribution planning
   Succession planning
   
   Note: A full time professor at a college, university, or school of law who teaches courses in estate planning, estate tax, or business continuation planning will be considered engaged in estate planning activities.
   
   
3. Experience requirement. A minimum of five (5) years of experience engaged in estate planning and estate planning activities is required in one or more of the professional disciplines described above. To be exempt from the education requirements described below, an applicant must have a minimum of fifteen (15) years of experience engaged in estate planning and estate planning activities in one or more of the professional disciplines described above.
   
4. Education requirement. The National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC) has designated The American College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, as the provider of the education courses required to earn the AEP designation. Applicants for the AEP designation must successfully complete two graduate courses through the Richard D. Irwin Graduate School of The American College as follows:
   
   Required course:
   GS 815 - Advanced Estate Planning I
   
   One elective course selected from:
   GS 812 - Business Valuation
   GS 816 - Advanced Estate Planning II
   GS 836 - Business Succession Planning I
   GS 839 - Charitable Giving
   GS 842 - Executive Compensation
   
   If the applicant has completed any one (1) of the following listed courses prior to March 31, 2004, it will be accepted as an approved course. These courses are:
   
   GS 814 - Advanced Pension Planning and Retirement Planning I
   GS 817 - Personal Tax Planning
   GS 838 - Business Succession Planning II
   
   Except as stated in the prior paragraph, there is no requirement that courses must be taken within any prescribed time period. As long as the applicant has kept current through continuing education, it does not matter when the courses were originally completed.
   
   The applicant must provide either a copy of a grade report from The American College or a transcript from The American College.
   
   "Challenge Exam" Alternative. As an alternative to taking the above mentioned courses, an applicant may elect to sit for the two "challenge exams". Each exam has a two-hour time limit, and the exams may be taken at different times. The first exam is comprised of the course material for GS 815, Advanced Estate Planning I, and the second exam is comprised of the course material for GS 816, Advanced Estate Planning II. This alternative option is recommended only for those applicants who have previously taken advanced, graduate level courses elsewhere and have advanced knowledge in the field of estate planning. An applicant who fails an examination is then required to take the underlying course upon which that examination was based.
   
   The applicant must provide either a copy of a grade report from The American College or a transcript from The American College.
   
   For Challenge Exam information, please contact Joanne Patterson at The American College.
   
   Joanne Patterson
   The American College
   270 S. Bryn Mawr Ave.
   Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
   (610)526-1366
   
   Transfer of Credit for Graduate College Courses. If the applicant has completed comparable graduate-level courses at an accredited college or university, the applicant may apply to the Richard D. Irwin Graduate School of The American College for transfer of credit for these courses. The course or courses must be graduate-level and must be comparable to the current courses comprising the educational requirements of the AEP Designation program. Applicants must provide a copy of the official transcript and a detailed description/syllabus of the course(s). The course(s) must have been completed within seven (7) years of the request for transfer of credit, and the applicant must have earned a grade of "B" or better for the course(s). Courses being transferred must not have been used to earn another graduate degree; i.e., courses taken to earn an MBA or other masters degree are not acceptable. The applicant must pay the appropriate transfer fees to The American College. The decision to accept or reject graduate courses for transfer of credit rests solely with The American College, and the decisions of The American College shall be final.
   
   Applicants must provide a copy of a transcript from The American College reflecting credit for approved transfer of course credits for AEP course requirements.
   
   15 Years Experience Exemption. AEP applicants who have at least fifteen (15) years of experience engaged in estate planning and estate planning activities in one or more of the professional disciplines described above are not required to take the educational course work and are exempt from the education requirements described in this section.
   
5. Membership requirement. AEP applicants are required to be members of, and continuously maintain membership in, an affiliated local or regional estate planning council where such membership is available. Where no affiliated local council membership is available, the applicant is required to continuously maintain individual membership in the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils.
   
   It is the policy of NAEPC to encourage membership in the affiliated local or regional affiliated estate planning council where such membership is available. NAEPC, therefore, generally requires such membership. However, it is recognized that this membership may not always be available for all AEP applicants due to geographical location, local affiliated estate planning council limits on the number of members from each discipline, unaffiliated local estate planning councils, or other local estate planning council membership criteria that prevent the AEP applicant from belonging to the affiliated local estate planning council. If affiliated local estate planning council membership is not available for any of the foregoing reasons, then NAEPC requires that AEP applicants obtain, and maintain, individual membership in NAEPC until such time as they can become a member of an affiliated local or regional estate planning council. The current dues for individual membership in the NAEPC are $80.00 a year. The individual NAEPC membership dues are in addition to the annual dues for AEP membership that is required to maintain, and use, the AEP designation.
   
6. Professional reputation and character requirement. First, an applicant must continuously be in good standing with the applicant's respective professional organization and/or license authority (e.g., State Bar Association for attorneys, etc.).
   
   Second, an applicant must provide the names and addresses of three professional individuals as references. The applicant must also provide each individual referrer a copy of the Reference Form to be returned to the NAEPC. Each reference form must be completed in its entirety in the referrer's own handwriting or by using his or her own typewriter or word processor. Forms completed by the applicant will not be accepted. At least two of the professional references must be from individuals who primarily practice in two different professional disciplines from the applicant, and one of the professional references must be from an individual who primarily practices in the same professional discipline as the applicant. No references may be from either (1) persons who work for the same company or firm as the applicant, or (2) who are related within the fourth degree of consanguinity to the applicant. Professional references should be from individuals with whom the applicant has worked on estate planning cases and assignments, individuals who are familiar with the applicant's professional capabilities and experience and who are currently actively engaged in estate planning. Professional disciplines are limited to attorneys, accountants (CPAs), life insurance professionals (CLUs), financial planners (CFP®s or ChFCs), and trust officers (CTFAs).
   
   Finally, in addition to the three (3) professional references, if the applicant is a member of an affiliated local or regional estate planning council, as part of the council membership verification, the president of the council and one other council officer will be asked to provide information on the applicant's professional capabilities, reputation and experience on the Membership Verification Form. As with the reference forms above, this form should also be completed in its entirety in the handwriting of the officers of the Council or by using their typewriters or word processors.
   
7. Commitment to NAEPC Code of Ethics requirement. The applicant must sign a declaration statement to continuously abide by the NAEPC Code of Ethics.
   
8. Dedicated to team concept requirement. The applicant must acknowledge a commitment to the team concept of estate planning by signing a declaration statement.
   
9. Continuing education requirement. The applicant must satisfy a minimum of thirty (30) hours of continuing education during the previous twenty-four (24) months, of which at least fifteen (15) hours MUST have been in estate planning. Applicants may be requested to produce documentation to substantiate any activity claimed.
   
10. Annual dues and re-certification requirement. AEPs are required to continuously maintain annual membership as an AEP in order to use the AEP designation. (Annual AEP membership dues are currently $100.00.) Failure to maintain annual membership or failure to meet or comply with the re-certification requirements described below will result in the revocation, until such time as the requirements are met, of the AEP designation.
    
    On an annual basis, AEPs must certify or re-certify that:
    
    (1) They are continuously engaged in estate planning activities in their professional discipline;
    (2) They are in good standing with their respective professional organizations and/or license authorities and are not subject to any disciplinary misconduct or investigation;
    (3) They maintain membership in an affiliated local or regional estate planning council where such membership is available, otherwise they must be an individual member of the NAEPC and maintain that membership;
    (4) They have abided by and will continue to abide by the NAEPC Code of Ethics;
    (5) They are dedicated to the team concept of estate planning; and
    (6) They have currently satisfied the continuing education requirements of their designated professional discipline and have maintained a minimum of thirty (30) hours of continuing education during the previous two calendar years, of which at least fifteen (15) hours were in estate planning.
    
    The above annual certifications and re-certifications will be subject to random audits.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

EPLS Designation Holders. Since the EPLS designation is a more difficult designation to obtain, EPLS designation holders in good standing will be automatically granted the AEP designation with no annual AEP membership dues for the first year. They will be subject to AEP annual membership requirements, including certification and re-certification, thereafter.

AEP Emeritus. AEP Emeritus Status is defined as: substantially retired or disabled; age 65 or older; 15-years of continuous and significant involvement in estate planning; and previous 5-years of continuous AEP in good standing. A form can be found on this website. Click for the AEP Emeritus Status Form.

Council AEP Candidate Nominees. Each year, an affiliated local or regional estate planning council in good standing may nominate AEP candidates in each of the five (5) professional disciplines of attorney, accountant, life insurance professional, financial planner, and trust officer. The maximum number of nominees for affiliated local or regional estate planning councils in good standing with 100 members or less will be one AEP candidate in each of the five (5) professional disciplines specified above. The maximum number of nominees for affiliated local or regional estate planning councils in good standing with more than 100 members will be two (2) AEP candidates in each of such five (5) professional disciplines.

These AEP candidates must have fifteen (15) or more years of experience engaged in estate planning and estate planning activities and will be subject to the current AEP qualifications and requirements, except that the requirements for professional references and affiliated local or regional estate planning council membership verification will be waived, while an Affiliated Council AEP Nomination Resolution is completed by the President of the Council as well as an additional officer.

Nominations for these AEP Candidates must be in the form of a board of directors resolution signed by the president and one other officer of the affiliated local or regional estate planning council. An application, including the resolution form, for Council AEP Candidate Nominees is posted on this website. Click for the Council AEP Candidate Nominees Application.

Information current as of January 1, 2007

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