The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) has accredited the NAIFA Certification Commission’s Life and Annuity Certified Professional (LACP) certification for a five-year period, effective May 13, 2019. The LACP certification is now officially listed on the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) professional designations database, one of only ten accredited designations of the hundreds listed with FINRA.

Founded in 2017, the NAIFA LACP certification program is governed by the NAIFA Certification Commission, which functions as an independent certifying body acting in the public interest by establishing and enforcing education, examination, experience and ethics requirements for certification. To become an LACP, practitioners must meet the eligibility criteria and successfully complete the LACP examination.

The NAIFA Certification Commission received NCCA accreditation for its LACP program by submitting an application demonstrating the program’s compliance with the NCCA’s Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs.

NCCA is the accrediting body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (formerly the National Organization for Competency Assurance). Since 1977, the NCCA has been accrediting certifying programs based on the highest quality standards in professional certification to ensure the programs adhere to modern standards of practice in the certification industry. Click here to purchase a copy of the NCCA Standards.

“The NAIFA Certification Commission is pleased to join an elite group of organizations that have received and maintained NCCA accreditation,” said Chair, Brian Haney, CFS, CLTC, CFBS, LACP. “The NAIFA LACP certification serves consumers by recognizing financial professionals with a mark of distinction for their product knowledge, consultative sales process and compliance to ethical, legal, and regulatory requirements. LACP practitioners are held to a standard of excellence that defines and differentiates them from their peers and to the clients they serve.”

To begin the path to LACP certification, professionals must meet the exam eligibility criteria and exemplify excellence in the following three areas: product knowledge, consultative sales process, and commitment to ethical conduct.

Eligible professionals may register to take the exam during three month-long testing windows each year in July, October and January. The proctored exams are administered by Castle Worldwide through a network of nearly 1,000 testing centers in cities throughout the world.

 Registration for the month of October is Sept. 1, 2019, and registration for January is Dec. 1.) See Exam Schedule and Registration.

“The NCAA-accredited LACP certification will be key to helping consumers find an advisor they can trust with the in-depth knowledge and sound advice on securing financial futures,” said NAIFA CEO Kevin Mayeux, CAE. “NAIFA thanks the Certification Commission and Committee Members and the many other subject matter experts who volunteered their time and expertise to developing the LACP certification program.”