About Colleen Soares
Experience & Qualifications
- President of Soares Financial, Inc
- Over 30 years broad-based financial experience in private industry, public accounting and her own firm.
- M. S. Personal Financial Planning, The College for Financial Planning, October 2013
- Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) certification issued January 2001
- College for Financial Planning 2-year program completed July 2000
- California Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license December 1986
- Recipient of the Elijah Watt Sells Award: awarded to the 129 people who scored above 90% in the May 1986 CPA Exam (of the approximately 60,000 who took the exam)
- B. A. Accounting, Cum Laude, Golden Gate University, San Francisco, December 1985
Professional Affiliations:
Financial Planning Association (FPA)
National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA)
California Society of Certified Public Accountants.
CPAs or Certified Public Accountants are licensed by the state(s) in which they provide services. Colleen is licensed by the California State Board of Accountancy. The California Society of Certified Public Accountants is the state membership organization for California-licensed CPAs. CPAs pass a rigorous test and experience requirements to become licensed and must conform to a code of ethics and complete 80 hours of continuing education every 2 years in order to maintain licensing. CPAs are widely recognized as being among the most trusted of financial advisors.
CFP® or Certified Financial Planner™ certificants are individuals who have met the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards education and experience requirements, have agreed to adhere to high standards of ethical conduct and who complete the Board’s biannual certification requirements, including 30 hours of continuing education, to use the certification marks CFP®. The Financial Planning Association (FPA) is the national membership organization for CFP® professionals.
NAPFA refers to the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, which is the nation’s leading organization of fee-only financial planning professionals. NAPFA’s 1,300-plus members and affiliates operate under a strict code of ethics and fiduciary oath, and must complete 60 hours of continuing education every two years. The members provide consumers and institutions with objective advice on a Fee-Only basis. They believe that to keep the best interests of clients in mind, neither the adviser nor any related party should receive compensation contingent on the purchase or sale of a financial product.