Exit Planning Institute

MEMBER FAQs

What does it cost to retake CEPA once your membership has lapsed?

It is half the price of the program. To register for the program, reach out to your Member Experience representative.

Is there a continuing education requirement?
Yes, CE renewing CEPA holders must have completed a minimum of 40 hours of exit planning related professional development, or 30 hours of exit planning related professional development plus 10 hours of qualifying leadership, authorship, and teaching activities contributing to the exit planning profession. Qualifying leadership activities include volunteering as a chairman, Chair-Elect, or officer for committee service to a qualifying organization other than the applicant’s employer.
What options are available to meet the continuing education requirement?

The Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) credential must be renewed every three (3) years via continuing education. To maintain your earned credential, you must complete (1) ongoing adherence to professional conduct requirements and (2) continual professional development activities or a combination of professional development activities and contributions to the profession; as outlined below:

  • Meet Minimum Continuing Education Requirements: Renewing certification holders must have completed a minimum of 40 hours of exit planning related professional development. EPI accepts reciprocal CE hours from CPE, CFP, etc. EPI, however, does not accept ethics as CE.
    • 20 hours must be Value Acceleration Methodology-based education called VAK-Hours. These come from EPI or its endorsed partners and are Value Acceleration Methodology-based. Examples of qualifying activities include programs, courses, and meetings offered by the Exit Planning Institute, such as the Exit Planning Summit, EPI Academy Courses, Chapter Events, CEPA Think Tanks, Webinars, and more.

  • Maintain Professional/Ethics Standards: Renewing certification holders must agree in writing that they will adhere to the EPI Professional Standards and Code of Ethics, and they must re-attest that they have not been convicted of a felony related to the practice of exit planning.

In addition to the requirements stated above, in order to maintain the CEPA credential, an Annual Membership fee must be maintained. In the case the Annual Membership fee is not maintained, the CEPA credential will be de-activated and membership terminated. An applicant will be ineligible for renewal if their Annual Membership fee is past due.

Where do I submit my continuing education for approval?
You can submit your continuing education for approval through your EPI Member Center. Once you log in, navigate to the CE Tracker within your Member Dashboard.
Where can I see how many continuing education hours I have submitted?
You can see the hours you have submitted and how many you have remaining in your EPI Member Center through the CE tracker.
In addition to the continuing education requirement, what else must I do to maintain my credential?
Renewing CEPA credential holders must agree in writing that they will adhere to the EPI Professional Standards and Code of Ethics, and they must re-attest that they have not been convicted of a felony related to the practice of exit planning.
What are the ongoing membership fees to be an active CEPA credential holder?

Exit Planning Institute offers two membership options. The first option is Credentialed Plus. Credentialed Plus  is $995 and includes not only the CEPA credential, but access to CEPA ThinkTanks, the Monthly Member Round Up, and the full EPI Member Center with exclusive content and tools. The second option is Credentialed. Credentialed is $395 and includes only the CEPA credential. The first year at the Credentialed Plus level is included in your program fees.

View Member Benefits → 

Does EPI have a software product/program?

No, EPI does not have a proprietary software program. To better serve our CEPAs, EPI endorses several software providers through the Alliance Partner Program.

View EPI Partner Network →

Can you tell me more about the software tools that help you during triggering event?

The best way to learn about the tools is to have a meeting with your Member Experience Representative to discuss which option best fits your needs. In brief, there are four endorsed tools for the triggering event. The Value Opportunity Profile, the Value Builder System, MAUS Business Systems, and Capitaliz. Navigate to our Partner Network to learn more about each system.

View EPI Partner Network →

What are the long-term benefits of CEPA?
Becoming a Certified Exit Planning Advisor allows you to differentiate yourself from your competitors, gain better access to business owners, and grow your referral network of professional advisors. You will become more engaged on a business owner’s advisor team, have deeper and more holistic conversations with business owners, and received hundreds of marketing and business development tools tailored for owners.
How do I market exit planning? What is your simple first strategy?
The first step is to check out the CEPA Toolkit in the Member Center resources. Beyond the CEPA Toolkit, the best way to learn more about marketing exit planning is to attend one of the EPI Academy courses. For first steps and practice launch implementation, we recommend Implementing the 120-day Playbook and Practice Launch Lite. For strictly marketing, we recommend Marketing for the Professional Advisor masterclass and Empowering Conversations with Business Owners (coming 2023). There are also several workshops offered at the Summit each year on this topic. Generally speaking, education is key. We believe the best thing you can do in your marketing strategy is to be someone who shares knowledge with the owner to begin to intrigue them, then empower them to take action. 
How do I present exit planning to clients? What do I do during the initial meeting?
Typically in the first meeting the main goal is to educate the owner on what exit planning is and what it can do for the owner and their business. We suggest utilizing some of the introductory content in the member center as a guide and would recommend leaving a couple of pieces of information with the owner so they can read it after your meeting. Utilize a tool, like the Are You Ready survey, to begin to intrigue the business owner. The first step in the education process is to begin to intrigue the owner, once intrigued we can then empower, once empowered they typically take action.
How can I connect with other advisors?

There are a few ways to connect with other advisors within the EPI community. Through our webinar series, CEPA Think Tanks, EPI Chapter events, and the annual Exit Planning Summit, CEPAs have a variety of avenues to connect and network with other advisors across the globe.

The most immediate way to connect with other advisors is to utilize the Find A CEPA directory where you can search by region, name, company, and more. 

Can I use the content inside of the EPI Member Center as I please?

Yes! All content in the Member Center can be utilized by CEPA's. You may use the content downloadables on your website, blog posts, educational pieces for your owners, presentations for speaking engagements, and for email campaigns. However, it is critical that you keep the appropriate copyrights when using.

How do I start a chapter?

EPI Chapter Presidents are industry thought leaders. Running a thriving EPI Chapter is a group effort and takes a dedicated leadership team to ensure the new chapter succeeds. If you have a passion for changing the outcome for business owners and building significant companies, establishing an EPI presence in your community gives you the chance to make your mark. To learn more about launch a chapter, download the Chapter Launch process. If you are ready to apply, visit www.EPIChapterPresident.com to submit your application.

What does it cost to retake CEPA once your membership has lapsed?

It is half the price of the program. To register for the program, reach out to your Member Experience representative.

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