WMSSM Designation
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Wealth Management SpecialistSM - WMSSM

WMS

WMSSM Professional Designation

The Wealth Management SpecialistSM, or WMSSM program equips students with a substantial overview of the most critical concepts in financial planning and wealth management — without the rigors of the CFP® certification or a more comprehensive professional designation. It’s ideal for those who are involved with customer transactions and recommendations of all financial services products, such as: new hires not yet ready for a more rigorous designation program, experienced producers who are transitioning from product sales into offering a broader range of products and services, high-level platform personnel, sales assistants and support staff.

When you enroll in the WMSSM designation program, you’ll also have the option to enroll in the College’s Financial Advising Accelerator certificate program at a reduced price. Before beginning your WMSSM program, the Financial Advising Accelerator certificate program is designed to help you learn the practical skills needed to plan for, develop, and manage your practice, and confidently engage with clients.

Begin a self-study program and complete your WMSSM designation.  
You’ll be able to pursue our self-study program as it fits into your schedule. 

The WMSSM designation streamlines the cost and time toward your next credential.
As you advance your career, the College recognizes the time and investment it takes to earn industry-recognized credentials. Upon completion of the WMSSM program, graduates receive exemption from course FP511 in the College's CFP® certification education program. 

Plus, completion of professional designations programs can also help you fulfill continuing education (CE) requirements: 

If you currently hold a professional designation from the College, completion of a new professional designation fulfills CE hours as part of the renewal of your current designation.

The WMSSM designation package includes:

  • Fundamental Considerations in the Wealth Management Process
  • Time Value of Money Principles
  • Credit and Lending
  • Education Funding
  • Measurement of Risk and Return
  • The Asset Allocation Process
  • Investment Strategies
  • Tax Implications and Strategies in the Wealth Management Process
  • Insurance Products in Wealth Management
  • Retirement Planning Considerations
  • Equity Compensation and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plans
  • Business Ownership and Planning
  • Estate Planning

 



 











Topic Quizzes, located at the end of each unit in your program, are designed to gauge your comprehension of the material. Students must complete topic quizzes  before moving forward in their course content. For questions answered incorrectly, correct answers with detailed rationale are provided to help improve your comprehension.

The Practice Exam is designed to closely replicate the Final Exam experience in terms of the degree of difficulty, timing, format, and topical coverage. This exam can be taken twice and provides unique practice questions that you haven’t seen at this point in your studies. The Practice Exam is a sound indicator of how you will perform on your Final Exam. It allows you to see areas of strength and weakness on your Performance Tracker. 

For the AAMS®, APMA®, AWMA® ,CRPC® , CSRIC®, FPQP®  and SE-AWMA® designations:
To pass the designation program, you must achieve a score of 70% or higher on the Final Exam. Students have an allotted time of 3 hours to take the Final Exam and a maximum of two attempts to pass the Final Exam. 

If you are pursuing the Sports & Entertainment (SE) Supplemental Education for AWMA® Program to earn your SE-AWMA® designation, you must achieve a score of 70% or higher on the Final Exam. These students have an allotted time of 1 hour to take the Final Exam and a maximum of two attempts to pass the Final Exam. 

The grade earned on the Final Exam reflects your overall grade for the designation program.


For the ABFP®, ADPA® and WMSSM  designations:
To pass the designation program, you must achieve a score of 70% or higher on the Final Exam. Students have an allotted time of 2 hours to take the Final Exam and a maximum of two attempts to pass the Final Exam. 

The grade earned on the Final Exam reflects your overall grade for the designation program.
The Financial Advising Accelerator is an online self-study program for financial advisors who are new to the industry or in the early stages of their career. The course focuses on key advising and business-building skills necessary to launch a successful career in financial planning.

At the time you enroll in one of the following designation programs, you also have the option to enroll in the College’s Financial Advising Accelerator certificate program at a reduced tuition:
  • Accredited Asset Management Specialist℠
  • Financial Paraplanner Qualified Professional℠
  • Wealth Management Specialist℠ 
Before starting your designation program, the Financial Advising Accelerator certificate program is designed to help you learn the practical skills needed to plan for, develop, and manage your practice, and confidently engage with clients. The 6-module online self-study program covers these topics:
  • Developing a Business Plan for Your Practice
  • Marketing Your Practice
  • Managing Your Practice
  • Growing Your Practice
  • Communicating with Clients During the Financial Planning Process
  • Understanding Client Psychology
If you enroll in a designation program (AAMS®, FPQP®, or WMSSM) and Financial Advising Accelerator as a package, you will have 120 days to complete the Financial Advising Accelerator certificate program first. After 120 days of access or at the conclusion of Financial Advising Accelerator if you complete it prior to your 120 days of access, you will continue your professional development through the designation program you enrolled in and have 120 days to complete that program.

Have Questions? Make an Appointment

Our enrollment team is here to help you choose the program that's right for you. We'll explain your options and support you through the enrollment process.

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Frequently Asked Questions about the WMSSM Designation

The WMSSM designation program is ideal for those who are involved with customer transactions and recommendations of all financial services products. 
 
  • New hires who desire financial planning credentials
  • Experienced producers who are transitioning from product sales into offering a broader range of services
  • High-level platform personnel
  • Sales assistants and support staff

For all designation programs except the Sports & Entertainment (SE) Supplemental Education for the AWMA® program
Students in all professional designation programs except the Sports & Entertainment (SE) Supplemental Education for the AWMA® Program have 120 days from the date they are provided online access to complete a designation program (including testing and passing the Final Exam). 
  • Students who enroll in Live Online classes will receive online access 20 days prior to the first class date.
  • Students who enroll in OnDemand classes will receive online access immediately after they enroll.

If you need to extend your program, extensions of up to 60 days are available at a fee.  Extensions requests must be received on or before the fourteenth day following the course end date. Fees are non-refundable.

Sports & Entertainment (SE) Supplemental Education for the AWMA® program

Students have 30 days from the date they are provided online access to complete the program (including testing and passing the Final Exam). 

If you need to extend your program, extensions of up to 60 days are available at a fee.  Extensions requests must be received on or before the fourteenth day following the course end date. Fees are non-refundable.

 

 

 

The Final Exam for the WMSSM program contains 60 questions. 

Students have an allotted time of 2 hours to take the Final Exam and a maximum of two attempts to pass the Final Exam.

A passing score on the Final Exam is a score of 70% or higher. The grade earned on the Final Exam reflects your overall grade for the designation program.

A score of 70% or better is required to pass all professional designation final exams. Students who do not earn a minimum of 70% after the allotted number of final exam attempts will be required to re-enroll in the professional designation course, pursuant to the Professional Designation Re-Enrollment Policy.


After a student successfully completes the academic requirements of the professional designation program, students are notified via email (typically within 48 hours of course completion) to apply for authorization to use the applicable certification marks in accordance with the designation requirements. You can also apply for authorization through home.kaplanlearn.com. Continued use of certification marks is subject to compliance with ongoing renewal requirements.










Individuals who hold a professional designation authorized by the College are responsible for completing 16 hours of continuing education (CE) credits every two years. A $100 renewal fee is also required every two years. Learn more about your renewal options at this link: Renew Your Professional Designation

For LUTCF® designation holders, please visit the National Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors (NAIFA) website for renewal requirements and to renew your LUTCF® designation.

 

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