Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS)
Credential issued and maintained by
College for Financial Planning (Kaplan)
Continuing education requirements for CRPC:
16 CE credit hours every two years
Note: the terms CE (Continuing Education) and CPE (Continuing Professional Education) are used interchangeably here.
CPE Providers accepted
CPE courses can be taken from any provider.
Subject matter requirements
The AAMS designation does not have specific subject matter requirements.
CE courses are expected to generally help maintain knowledge of current industry trends in the financial market.
Students often select courses related to or updating topics originally discussed in the AAMS credential program materials:
- The Asset Management Process
- Risk, Return, and Investment Performance
- Asset Allocation and Security Selection
- Investment Strategies
- Taxation of Investments
- Investing for Retirement
- Deferred Compensation and Other Benefit Plans
- Insurance Products for Investment Clients
- Estate Planning for Investment Clients
- Fiduciary, Ethical, and Regulatory Issues for Advisors
FunCPE courses
FunCPE courses are acceptable for AAMS CE credit. AAMSs in every state can receive credit for our courses. All FunCPE courses meet standard CE program development criteria.
Which FunCPE courses are valid for AAMS CPE credit
All courses except ethics are acceptable for AAMS credit. The college for Financial Planning recommends that you select courses that are relevant for your situation specifically.
Our ethics courses are not appropriate because they cover IRS specific rules.
We welcome you to our site and would like to serve your needs better. Please contact us with any suggestions for new course topics for Accredited Asset Management Specialists specifically.
Accepted CPE subjects
CPE courses on the following subjects are examples of commonly accepted areas of study:
- 401(k) Plans
- Annuities
- Asset Allocation
- Financial Challenges Facing Retirees
- Financial Planning Process
- Financial Products
- Indexed Products
- Introduction to Life Insurance
- Introduction to Trusts
- Investing Retirement Assets
- Life Insurance Underwriting
- Long-Term Care
- Beneficiary Designation Planning
General subjects suggested
- Retirement Planning
- Estate Planning
- Financial Planning
- Life Insurance
- Health Insurance
Education program criteria
Continuing education (CE) can be taken from any provider for College for Financial Planning credentials.
While the College for Financial Planning does not have specific course requirements, all FunCPE courses meet standard CPE program criteria, such as those prescribed by the Internal Revenue Service and the State Boards of Accountancy, among others.
Courses must:
- contribute to the professional competence of participants;
- state program objectives which specify the level of knowledge the participants should have attained, or the level of competence to be demonstrated upon completing the program;
- state education or experience prerequisites, if appropriate for the program;
- be developed by individuals qualified in the subject matter and instructional design;
- provide program content which is current;
- be on a professional level.

Renewal process
Certificate renewal date is based on original date credential obtained.
The non-refundable renewal fee is $95 per designation* for a two-year period. A non-refundable late fee of $10 per designation is incurred if all renewal requirements are not completed, received, and accepted by the College for Financial Planning by the renewal due date.
* Designees holding two or more designations from the College for Financial Planning may elect to pay a Multiple Designation Renewal Fee of $95 and create a single renewal date for all their College designations. The $95 fee covers the renewal fee for all designations for a two-year period.
History of the Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS) credential
The issuing agency, the College for Financial Planning was established in 1972 to manage the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) credential. Since then, the College has created several additional credentials in the financial planning field including:
FPQP: Financial Paraplanner Qualified Professional
WMS: Wealth Management Specialist
AAMS: Accredited Asset Managemnt Specialist
APMA: Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor
AWMA: Accredited Wealth Management Advisor
CSRIC: Chartered SRI Counselor
In 1997 the College purchased the American Institute of Retirement Planners and created the course, exams and credentials for:
CRPC: Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor and
CRPS: Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist
Kaplan, Inc. is an American for-profit corporation that acquired the College for Financial Planning in 2018. Kaplan was established in 1938 as a tutoring and test prep business. They eventually expanded into providing both the test prep for credentials and the credentials themselves.