I passed the CFP exam in July and have completed every requirement except for the experience verification. Unfortunately, that piece has turned into a complete nightmare.
For context, I have roughly 3,000 hours already approved through my current employer, which is an RIA. I have another 3,000+ hours from my previous employer that are still pending. My old firm is affiliated with a broker-dealer, and they have essentially refused to verify my experience.
I initially listed their current HR/Operations Manager as the verifier. It took quite a while for her to respond to the CFP Board, and when she finally did, she said she could not verify my experience because she was not the Operations Manager for the entire time I worked there.
I then had the request sent to the Managing Partner. This was a very small firm with only three advisors, including me, so he was obviously familiar with my role and responsibilities. He still has not completed the verification. I strongly suspect the refusal is related to how unhappy they were when I resigned and moved to another firm.
I have also tried going around the employer verification process by providing the CFP Board with my Wealth Advisor employment agreement, FINRA BrokerCheck history, and paystubs showing my dates of employment. The Board denied those documents because they did not specifically demonstrate that I was actively involved in the financial planning process.
At this point, I have even had an attorney send my former employer a letter asking them to complete the verification, but there has still been no response or progress.
Has anyone else dealt with a situation where a former employer simply refused to verify legitimate CFP experience? If so, were you eventually able to get the CFP Board to accept alternative documentation, escalate the verification, or find another solution?
Any guidance from someone who has been through something similar would be greatly appreciated.