The Council on Financial Education Accreditation (“CFEA”) Accreditation Standards are designed to help a wide range of organizations offering financial education and counseling services. The standards are holistic, touching on all aspects of an organization that affect the experience of the client.

Primary Standard I: Organizational Management and Structure, establishes the minimum requirements necessary to document the Organization has a legal structure and sufficient governance and management to support its stability and longevity and provide meaningful oversight of its activities.

Primary Standard II: Operational Environment, establishes the minimum requirements necessary to document the Organization operates effectively, ethically and with proper attention to business practices, liability management, legal compliance, financial controls and record keeping. The Organization must also demonstrate it has and is able to maintain an infrastructure sufficient to meet its operational needs and provide for the reasonable continuation of critical activities in the event of business interruptions.

Primary Standard III: Customer Service Environment, establishes the minimum requirements necessary to document the Organization’s commitment to customer service across its entire range of services. In light of the relationship between the customer service environment and the work environment, the Organization is required to document certain employment, training and retention practices.

Primary Standard IV: Financial Education Services, requires the Organization to demonstrate its commitment to providing effective, robust financial literacy education to its constituents through a comprehensive and detailed approach to the management of the Organization’s Financial Literacy Education Activities and content.

Primary Standard V: Financial Counseling Services, requires the Organization to demonstrate its commitment to providing effective financial counseling services to its constituents through a comprehensive, client centered approach and the management of the Organization’s Financial Counseling Services.