Become the Most Valued Advisor

The Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) credential is for professional advisors who want to effectively engage more business owners. Through the process of Exit Planning (the Value Acceleration Methodology), owners can build more valuable companies, have stronger personal financial plans, and align their personal goals. Earning CEPA doesn’t change your expertise, it enhances your ability to engage business owners and have value-added conversations around growth and exit.

Earning CEPA is for those that want to:

- Differentiate yourself from the competition
- Gain better access to business owners
- Become more engaged on a business owner’s advisory team
- Have deeper and more holistic conversations with business owners
- Grow your referral network of professional advisors
- Access hundreds of marketing and business development tools tailored for owners

Get Credentialed Download CEPA Brochure CEPA Program Pricing

More information on CEPA credential benefits for: Financial Advisors | CPAs | Consultants | Business Owners

“If you want to work with business owners, the CEPA designation is essential”

“The CEPA designation is one of the most valuable and useful designations I have in working with business owners. It gave me a knowledge base, vocabulary and process to speak with any Business Owner with confidence. If you want to work with business owners, the CEPA designation is essential.”

Charles M. Jarrett

CFP®, CPWATM, CEPA, CIMA®, ChFC, CLU, CRPC® | Private Wealth Advisor at Merrill Lynch Private Bank & Investment Group Senior Vice President

“An instrumental tool I use when working with business owners”

“The CEPA program continues to be an instrumental tool I use when working with business owners. It has been an honor to educate as a faculty member and meet the new CEPA graduates. Our advisors continue to integrate the foundation of the Exit Planning Institute into our conversations with clients.”

Justin Goodbread

CFP®, CEPA®, CVGA® | CEO of Heritage Investors, Author, and Founder of FinanciallySimple.com

“As a CPA, nothing is more important than exit planning.”

“For any CPA considering this, my comment to them would be that above all of the things that CPA’s do for their clients, nothing is more important than exit planning. A successful exit is the ultimate service a CPA can help provide to their clients..”

Bill Kenedy

CPA/ABV, CFF, CEPA® | Partner at Lutz & Company PC

“The best exit planning designation out there”

This is the best exit planning designation out there. You get a great education through the class and you get continued support from the staff and the network that you get to know through the program.

Brett Spencer

MS, CFP, CEPA | Financial Advisor - Impact Financial

“CEPA gave me a better vocabulary to use with business owners”

“I have been doing exit planning since 2006 but did not call it Exit Planning at the time. CEPA gave me a better vocabulary to use with Business Owners to have more in-depth conversations. It also gave me a framework and process to talk through with Owners. My conversations went from messy to more succinct by going through the CEPA program.”

Andrew "Drew" McLaughlin

Financial Advisor at UBS Private Wealth Management

Approved for up to 21.5 CPE Hours & 14.5 CFP® Hours

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Bundle With CEPA: Marketing For the Professional Advisor

Interested in learning long-term owner engagement strategies, proven marketing approaches for brand differentiation, intergenerational messaging tactics, and implementation planning models? Are you a professional advisor who works with business owners or a marketing and/or business development person responsible for winning new professional services clients? You’ve come to the right place.

Marketing for the Professional Advisor Masterclass Curriculum: The course addresses your specific needs and areas of interest, broken down into five major modules: Check out the module breakdown for this course.

No marketing experience is required. In fact, this course is designed for professional advisors looking to elevate their marketing and growth strategy. It’s the perfect support piece to help you immediately utilize the knowledge learned when earning the CEPA credential.

Bundle This Course With CEPA

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The Perfect Exit

The Value Acceleration Methodology was introduced by EPI CEO, Christopher Snider and is the process taught in the CEPA credentialing program. Chris, a CEPA himself, created the methodology to integrate a business owner’s business, personal, and financial goals into one strategy that is executed by a team of advisors. Advisors like the financial advisor, CPA, consultant, and others. This process allows advisors to be more valuable to the owner, stay engaged, and become indispensable.

The Perfect Exit case study describes a real-life example of this process in action. Showcasing how a business owner was able to grow and exit their company within three years at $250 million in value. Not only did this owner maximize value and minimize taxes, but it allowed them to have an inspiring personal vision, purpose, and a strong personal financial plan. Surrounded with a stellar team, internally and externally, that provided insight each step of the way to becoming The Perfect Exit.

Want to get ahead on your pre-reading? Download the Perfect Exit chapter and case study below.

Download the Perfect Exit Case Study Get Credentialed