CFP® Board's John Loper joins the podcast this month! The education, examination and experience requirements all fall under John's purview as CFP® Board’s Managing Director of Professional Practice.

Over the years we've received many, many questions from students. We can answer almost everything, but we do admit that there have been a few stumpers. Well, there's truly no one better suited to answer the tough questions than John. Listen in as Jerry, Mike and Brendan get all of your questions answered. This is one episode you really don't want to miss.

The BIF Bites podcast covers topics that are important to those seeking CFP® certification and really anyone that wants to better understand the financial services industry in general.

Jerry Mee is the Director of Student Support at the Boston Institute of Finance (BIF) and has nearly a decade’s worth of experience in the financial services industry.

Mike Long, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU® is the Director of Curriculum for the Boston Institute of Finance (BIF). He has made his career in financial services and financial services education over the past 38 years.

Brendan Flaherty, CFP®, CIMA®, is currently a Senior Vice President with Janney Montgomery Scott where he focuses on investment management and financial planning for his clients. He is also the CFP® Program Director for the Boston Institute of Finance (BIF).

Visit BIFBites.com to view the question of the month and other helpful resources discussed during this episode.

The gang tackles several timely topics in this month's episode. Brendan is running his practice from home and shares the challenges and benefits that he's run into so far. Jerry leads a discussion on the new CARES Act and also quickly revisits the SECURE Act. Finally, Mike tackles refundable vs. nonrefundable tax credits and how you can ace some common test questions.

The BIF Bites podcast covers topics that are important to those seeking CFP® certification and really anyone that wants to better understand the financial services industry in general.

Jerry Mee is the Director of Student Support at the Boston Institute of Finance (BIF) and has nearly a decade’s worth of experience in the financial services industry.

Mike Long, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU® is the Director of Curriculum for the Boston Institute of Finance (BIF). He has made his career in financial services and financial services education over the past 38 years.

Brendan Flaherty, CFP®, CIMA®, is currently a Senior Vice President with Janney Montgomery Scott where he focuses on investment management and financial planning for his clients. He is also the CFP® Program Director for the Boston Institute of Finance.

The BIF Bites team walks down market memory lane and examines bear markets from the past 100 years. Jerry, Mike and Brendan discuss the causes and timelines of each market crash before also exploring the lessons learned from each.

Yes, these are scary times and we must acknowledge that. But we must also look to the past and realize that we have been here before. And in the past we have persevered and rebound each time.

Let's do it again. Together.

The BIF Bites podcast covers topics that are important to those seeking CFP® certification and really anyone that wants to better understand the financial services industry in general.

Jerry Mee is the Director of Student Support at the Boston Institute of Finance (BIF) and has nearly a decade’s worth of experience in the financial services industry.

Mike Long, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU® is the Director of Curriculum for the Boston Institute of Finance (BIF). He has made his career in financial services and financial services education over the past 38 years.

Brendan Flaherty, CFP®, CIMA®, is currently a Senior Vice President with Janney Montgomery Scott where he focuses on investment management and financial planning for his clients. He is also the CFP® Program Director for the Boston Institute of Finance.

With the March Exam window just around the corner, Jerry, Mike, and Brendan sit down to cover their favorite test taking tips in this "bonus" episode of BIF Bites. We cover health and wellness, what to expect on Exam Day, how to maintain focus and much, much more. Click play to hear what you should be doing the week before, the day before, and the hour before you walk into your testing center.

The BIF Bites podcast covers topics that are important to those seeking CFP® certification and really anyone that wants to better understand the financial services industry in general.

Jerry Mee is the Director of Student Support at the Boston Institute of Finance (BIF) and has nearly a decade’s worth of experience in the financial services industry.

Mike Long, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU® is the Director of Curriculum for the Boston Institute of Finance (BIF). He has made his career in financial services and financial services education over the past 38 years.

Brendan Flaherty, CFP®, CIMA®, is currently a Senior Vice President with Janney Montgomery Scott where he focuses on investment management and financial planning for his clients. He is also the CFP® Program Director for the Boston Institute of Finance.

Visit BIFBites.com to view the 6 practice questions discussed in this episode along with other helpful resources that should be reviewed by anyone currently studying for the Exam.

Jerry, Mike, and Brendan tackle six Exam-type questions (one from each core subject area) in this special “pre-Exam” episode. Our hosts describe the process they use to arrive at each correct answer. They also discuss other testable aspects in each question and how how changing only a few words in any given question can drastically change what's being asked.

Timestamps: General Principles at 3:00, Insurance at 13:00, Investments at 22:00, Income Tax at 32:45, Retirement at 42:30, and Estate at 49:45.

The BIF Bites podcast covers topics that are important to those seeking CFP® certification and really anyone that wants to better understand the financial services industry in general.

Jerry Mee is the Director of Student Support at the Boston Institute of Finance (BIF) and has nearly a decade’s worth of experience in the financial services industry.

Mike Long, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU® is the Director of Curriculum for the Boston Institute of Finance (BIF). He has made his career in financial services and financial services education over the past 38 years.

Brendan Flaherty, CFP®, CIMA®, is currently a Senior Vice President with Janney Montgomery Scott where he focuses on investment management and financial planning for his clients. He is also the CFP® Program Director for the Boston Institute of Finance.

Visit BIFBites.com to view the question of the month and CFP® Board's "Key Elements of SECURE Act" resource.

In this month’s episode of BIF Bites Jerry, Mike, and Brendan discuss how the new SECURE Act will impact both clients and financial advisors. The SECURE (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement) Act is the biggest regulation update since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Listen in as our hosts discuss the changes SECURE will have on retirement plans, 529s and more.

The BIF Bites podcast covers topics that are important to those seeking CFP® certification and really anyone that wants to better understand the financial services industry in general.

Jerry Mee is the Director of Student Support at the Boston Institute of Finance (BIF) and has nearly a decade’s worth of experience in the financial services industry.

Mike Long, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU® is the Director of Curriculum for the Boston Institute of Finance (BIF). He has made his career in financial services and financial services education over the past 38 years.

Brendan Flaherty, CFP®, CIMA®, is currently a Senior Vice President with Janney Montgomery Scott where he focuses on investment management and financial planning for his clients. He is also the CFP® Program Director for the Boston Institute of Finance.

Visit BIFBites.com to view the question of the month.

In this episode Mike and Jerry welcome back Brendan Flaherty to cover end of year financial planning topics such as tax loss harvesting, wash sales and the gift tax. They also cover good financial planning practices to avoid mistakes that can arise from rushing decisions at year end.

The BIF Bites podcast covers topics that are important to those seeking CFP® certification and really anyone that wants to better understand the financial services industry in general.

Jerry Mee is the Director of Student Support at the Boston Institute of Finance (BIF) and has nearly a decade’s worth of experience in the financial services industry.

Mike Long, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU® is the Director of Curriculum for the Boston Institute of Finance (BIF). He has made his career in financial services and financial services education over the past 38 years.

Brendan Flaherty, CFP®, CIMA®, is currently a Senior Vice President with Janney Montgomery Scott where he focuses on investment management and financial planning for his clients. He is also the CFP® Program Director for the Boston Institute of Finance.

Visit BIFBites.com to view the question of the month.

Jerry and Mike invite Brendan Flaherty, CFP®, CIMA®, on to discuss behavioral finance and the curriculum covered by CFP® Education providers.

The BIF Bites podcast covers topics that are important to those seeking CFP® certification and really anyone that wants to better understand the financial services industry in general.

Jerry Mee is the Director of Student Support at the Boston Institute of Finance (BIF) and has nearly a decade’s worth of experience in the financial services industry.

Mike Long, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU® is the Director of Curriculum for the Boston Institute of Finance (BIF). He has made his career in financial services and financial services education over the past 38 years.

Brendan is a practicing CFP professional based out of Providence RI and is also the Program Director for the Boston Institute of Finance.

Brendan Flaherty, CFP®, CIMA®, is currently a Senior Vice President with Janney Montgomery Scott where he focuses on investment management and financial planning for his clients. He is also the CFP® Program Director for the Boston Institute of Finance.

Visit BIFBites.com to view the question of the month and a reflective article that Jerry wrote on the lessons he learned while working with Gary.

Jerry and Mike invite Gary Wedge on to discuss the challenges faced by today's CFP® candidates. Gary just passed the July 2019 CFP® Exam after 2 previous unsuccessful attempts. This episode is a true must listen for anyone considering CFP® certification.

The BIF Bites podcast covers topics that are important to those seeking CFP® certification and really anyone that wants to better understand the financial services industry in general.

Jerry Mee is the Director of Student Support at the Boston Institute of Finance (BIF) and has nearly a decade’s worth of experience in the financial services industry.

Mike Long, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU® is the Director of Curriculum for the Boston Institute of Finance (BIF). He has made his career in financial services and financial services education over the past 38 years.

Gary Wedge, CFP® runs a successful Registered Investment Advisor, NewAge Advisors, LLC, where he manages and advises his own clients.

Visit BIFBites.com to view the question of the month.

In this episode Mike and Jerry tackle the kiddie tax and how to calculate it, explain why the fiduciary rule changes are not so scary and make sense of today's retirement plan type "alphabet soup" (ingredients include 401ks, IRAs, SEPs, 457s, 403bs and more).

Jerry Mee is Director of Student Support at the Boston Institute of Finance and has nearly a decade’s worth of experience in the financial services industry.

Mike Long, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU® is the Director of Curriculum for the Boston Institute of Finance. He has made his career in financial services and financial services education over the past 38 years.

The BIF Bites podcast covers topics that are important to those seeking CFP certification and really anyone that wants to better understand the financial services industry in general.