---
title: "How This Group Leveraged the CEPA Credential for Success: A Case Study"
description: When this practice lost out on a major deal, they realized that the CEPA designation could have given them the edge they needed. 
image: https://blog.exit-planning-institute.org/hubfs/CaseStudy-01.png
---

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Keep up-to-date with exit planning, succession planning, industry trends, unique specialty insights, and useful content for professional advisors and business owners.

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# How This Group Leveraged the CEPA Credential for Success: A Case Study

 by [**Kellie Nock**](https://blog.exit-planning-institute.org/author/kellie-nock) on March 20, 2025

![](https://blog.exit-planning-institute.org/hubfs/CaseStudy-01.png)

Exit Planning Institute® (EPI) is dedicated to educating and empowering advisors on the Value Acceleration Methodology™ so that they may better serve their clients, grow their professional expertise, and create significant companies. With more than 7,000 Certified Exit Planning Advisors (CEPA®) in the community, EPI aims to equip its wide array of advisors with the skillset to help business owners.  

### What is a CEPA? 

[The CEPA designation](https://blog.exit-planning-institute.org/what-is-cepa) is for professional advisors who want to effectively engage more business owners to build value within their business and exit on their own terms. With the Value Acceleration Methodology, owners can build more valuable companies, have stronger personal financial plans, and align their personal goals through the Three Legs of the Stool™ approach. Earning the CEPA credential expands your expertise and enhances your ability to engage business owners and conduct value-added conversations around growth and exit. 

### CEPA Case Study 

With the expanding community of CEPAs, it is essential to actively demonstrate the value and utility of the designation. Through a growing collection of EPI case studies, CEPAs share their professional experiences, both good and bad, to shed light on and provide real-life examples that fellow advisors and professionals can learn from.  

In the following EPI case study, Financial Advisor, Managing Partner Neil McPeak Jr., CFP®, CEPA® of McPeak Wealth Management Group, shares his experience with the loss of a multimillion dollar to a client who chose to go with a CEPA instead.  

“We thought it was a slam dunk,” Neil shares in the case study. “But we lost it.”  

Pivoting from this loss, Neil and his team knew that they couldn’t lose out on such a deal again. So, they decided to earn their CEPA credentials to bolster their business, brand themselves as “exit planning” specialists, and find success.  

### Request the Case Study Here

Learn more about Neil’s story here and how he and his group believe they have leveraged the CEPA credential for success in our case study here. Request your copy here:  

 

Topics: [Blog](https://blog.exit-planning-institute.org/tag/blog) [Business Owner](https://blog.exit-planning-institute.org/tag/business-owner) [CEPA](https://blog.exit-planning-institute.org/tag/cepa)

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