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Continuing professional development (CPD) CPD for financial advisers

You need to undertake 35 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) each year – with at least 21 hours of that being structured – if you:

  • hold a Statement of Professional Standing (SPS)

  • hold a Certificate of Professional Achievement (CPA)

  • have chartered status and wish to maintain it.


If you’re a pension transfer specialist, you need to complete an additional 15 hours.

Insurance products


If you deal with products that have an insurance element, eg income protection, buildings and contents insurance and even investment bonds, you'll also need to complete 15 hours of insurance-related CPD. This can be included as part of the 35 hours CPD you carry out as a financial adviser.


Our CPD offering will help you structure and record your ongoing learning. It also meets the CPD requirements for retail investment advisers set out by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).


All participants in our CPD scheme are also required to adhere to our Code of Ethics.

Online structured CPD

A woman explaining to a man.

We also offer a programme of online structured CPD, which you can complete at your own pace from anywhere with internet access.

The programme covers six standalone topics.

  • Pension transfer advice

  • Financial protection

  • Retirement and pensions

  • Taxation and trusts

  • Investment and risk

  • Investments.


Each topic includes:

  • 10–16 hours of structured learning activities including reading, video and audio content

  • reflective exercises and testing so you’ll have evidence that you’ve carried out the learning

  • at least six different activities (pdf).

Access to each topic costs £52 for non-members and £35 for members. Terms and conditions (pdf) apply.

Register for online structured CPD

CPD activities

CPD seminars and networking events

We run a varied programme of events to keep you up to speed with the issues shaping our industry and connect you with our global community. And if you miss one of our webinars, they’re available for you to catch up when you’re ready.

Financial World magazine

Financial World is our quarterly magazine – available in digital and audio formats. Available free to degree students, members, and subscribers, it brings together thought-provoking research and commentary on the UK and international financial services sector and the wider economy.

MyLIBF

If you’re one of our members, you’ll find plenty of material on our virtual learning environment, KnowledgeBank, including:

  • full text journals

  • reference sources

  • books, and

  • articles by research specialists and industry experts.

Professional qualifications

If you’re looking to refresh your knowledge, expand your skillset, or work towards chartered status, you can count our professional qualifications towards your CPD. Many of our programmes contain bite size units or modules that you can study on a stand-alone basis for CPD.

View all of our professional qualifications.

Keeping a record of your CPD

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You should always keep a record of all the CPD activities you carry out. We suggest you update this as you complete each activity whilst it’s fresh in your mind.


You may need to share your CPD record with your employer, network, the FCA or with us for audit assessment. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) require us to check a minimum of one in ten SPS CPD records every year.


You should also upload supporting documents onto your CPD record as evidence of activities you’ve carried out.


If you are a Member of LIBF (MLIBF) you have the option of logging your CPD hours using our online tool, MyCPD. Download the CPD log user guide (pdf) and log into your MyLIBF account to start using MyCPD.


Further information, policies and guidance

CPD and recertification for mortgage and trade finance professionals

If you work in trade finance, please see our page on CPD for trade finance professionals.


If you're a CeMAP holder who keeps up to date with the mortgage industry through CPD, you may be eligible for CeMAP Professional.


More about CeMAP Professional

Recognising external CPD

We offer a CPD accreditation service to CPD programmes run by firms, training providers or third parties.

If you'd like to find out more, then please email cpd@libf.ac.uk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact us about our professional qualifications

If you have any questions about our professional qualifications in finance and banking, please contact our customer services team.


Our office is open Monday to Friday from 8.00am to 6.00pm GMT.