CFP Board was founded in July 1985 as the International Board of Standards and Practices for Certified Financial Planners, Inc, (IBCFP) by the College for Financial Planning (College) and the Institute of Certified Financial Planners (ICFP). The IBCFP became Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. (CFP Board) on February 1, 1994. As a professional regulatory organization acting in the public interest by fostering professional standards in personal financial planning, CFP Board establishes and enforces education, examination, experience and ethics requirements for CFP® certificants. The CFP Board regulates financial planners through trademark law by licensing individuals who meet its certification requirements to use the CFP marks.
, 
, AFP®, ASSOCIATE FINANCIAL PLANNER®, 
and 
are trademarks owned outside the U.S. by Financial Planning Standards Board Ltd. The Institute of Financial Planners of Hong Kong is the marks licensing authority for the CFP marks and AFP marks in Hong Kong and Macau, through agreement with FPSB.