How CEPA Plus Can Help Advisors Put Exit Planning into Practice

Earning your Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA^®) credential is an important milestone. The next step is to put that knowledge to work by building relationships with business owners and implementing exit planning and Value Acceleration into your practice.

CEPA Plus helps advisors take that next step with educational resources, practical tools, and opportunities to connect with other advisors.

Read on below to learn more about what the membership includes and how it can help you make the most of your credential.

What is CEPA Plus?

All first-time CEPAs will enter the EPI Community with a CEPA Plus membership, providing access to several benefits to help them get a head start in making the most of their credential. Active CEPAs can also upgrade to CEPA Plus and gain access to all of the benefits, including:

• Access to CEPA Mastermind Groups
• Three continuing education (CE) - approved EPI Academy courses every year to help complete your required CE hours
• Access to the new Methods to Mastery podcast featuring Senior Member Experience Representative Ryan Beltz
• The Business Owner Prospecting Toolkit
• 60-Minute Business Owner Meeting

All CEPA Plus members will also receive a profile on EPI’s brand-new CEPA Connect platform, designed to help advisors build meaningful connections and referral relationships, share insights, and find new career opportunities.

Advisors who renew at CEPA Plus will receive a general admission ticket to next year’s Exit Planning Summit. The Exit Planning Summit is a three-day event that offers networking opportunities with other advisors and EPI’s partners, as well as a way to grow your Value Acceleration knowledge. This does not apply to first-year CEPAs, who will automatically receive CEPA Plus benefits after completing the CEPA exam.

For a closer look at what CEPA Plus has to offer, join Ryan for a webinar on how these resources can help you make the most of your credential.

Earn and Retain Clients with the 60-Minute Business Owner Meeting

The CEPA Plus membership is designed to provide advisors with the tools needed to build a strong framework for recruiting and retaining business-owner clients. This starts with the 60-Minute Business Owner Meeting benefit, which includes a ready-to-use presentation that advisors can use to introduce exit planning and the Value Acceleration Methodology™ (VAM) to their prospects.

Also included is a series of videos featuring Exit Planning Institute^® (EPI) President Scott Snider, walking advisors through how to use the 60-Minute Business Owner Meeting materials to provide a holistic view of the exit planning process using VAM. This includes a script for advisors to use alongside the presentation, along with additional insights for discussing Value Acceleration concepts, including the five stages of value maturity, the four intangible capitals, the Three Legs of the Stool, and more.

The 60-Minute Business Owner Meeting resource also includes additional conversational tools for advisors to use during meetings with prospects. This includes the 2023 National State of Owner Readiness™ Report and scorecards for personal and business readiness.

Learn More About CEPA Plus

To learn more about the CEPA Plus membership tier, visit the EPI Membership home page or read more on the exit planning blog using the related resources below.

Advisors can also join the upcoming webinar on October 19, 2026. To learn more and register for this webinar, visit the homepage.

About the Certified Exit Planning Advisor Credential

A Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®) is a professional credential for advisors who wish to engage with business owner clients through the exit planning process using the Value Acceleration Methodology™. Through the CEPA credential, advisors can provide new offerings for clients and stand out from their non-CEPA peers, all while gaining access to education, resources, and a vast network of like-minded professionals.

Related Resources

• Explore the Brand-New CEPA Membership Tiers
• Make the Most of Your Credential with this CEPA Resource Guide
• How Top Advisors Integrate Value Acceleration into their Practice