Biography
Marco Scalco is a financial advisor who believes in helping clients with comprehensive financial services with an emphasis on tax planning, investment strategies, individual retirement, and insurance.
He combines personal attention with a focus on strategic, tax-efficient financial planning and over 15 years of experience in the tax and financial services industry to help his clients achieve financial prosperity. The ability to be a full service provider of financial needs allows Marco to create seamless and convenient experiences for his clients.
Marco has been engaged in a continuous quest for knowledge and professional development. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 2003 and since then has furthered his education by obtaining the following certifications:
- Enrolled Agent – U.S. Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- Registered Financial Consultant
- Certified Financial Fiduciary®
- CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional
- Passed the FINRA Series 7/ General Securities Examination
- Passed the FINRA Series 66/ Uniform Combined State Law Examination
- Life, Accident and Health Agent – California Insurance License # 0E5149
- Fire & Casualty Broker-Agent – California Insurance License # 0E5149
Marco is an active member of the National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP) and the Financial Planning Association (FPA). In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, traveling and outdoor activities. Marco and his wife reside in Huntington Beach, California. They have two children.
What is an EA?
An Enrolled Agent (EA) is a highly trained, tested, and continually educated tax professional. An EA has technical expertise in the field of taxation and is empowered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to represent taxpayers before all administrative levels of the Internal Revenue Service for audits, collections, and appeals. Only Enrolled Agents, attorneys, and CPAs may represent taxpayers before the IRS.
The Enrolled Agent credential is an elite credential issued by the IRS to tax professionals who demonstrate special competence in federal tax planning, individual and business tax return preparation and representation matters.
“Enrolled” means to be licensed to practice by the federal government, and “Agent” means authorized to appear in the place of the taxpayer at the IRS. The EA license is earned in one of two ways, by passing a comprehensive examination which covers all aspects of the tax code, or having worked at the IRS for five years in a position which regularly interpreted and applied the tax code and its regulations. All candidates are subjected to a rigorous background check conducted by the IRS.
In addition to the stringent testing and application process, the IRS requires Enrolled Agents to complete continuing professional education on an ongoing basis to maintain their Enrolled Agent status. Enrolled Agents are required to abide by the provisions of the Department of Treasury’s Circular 230, which provides the regulations governing the practice of Enrolled Agents before the IRS.
What is a CFP®?
The CFP® (CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™) is the recognized standard of excellence for personal financial planning. It is the financial planning certification most sought after by consumers and financial planners alike.
The CFP® certification process, administered by CFP Board of Standards, identifies to the public that those individuals who have been authorized to use the CFP® certification marks in the U.S. have met rigorous professional standards and have agreed to adhere to the principles of integrity, objectivity, competence, fairness, confidentiality, professionalism and diligence when dealing with clients.
CFP® certificants must pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification Examination, pass CFP Board’s Candidate Fitness Standards, agree to abide by CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility which puts clients’ interests first and comply with the Financial Planning Practice Standards which spell out what clients should be able to reasonably expect from the financial planning engagement. To maintain certification, license holders are also required to complete continuing education requirements on an on-going basis.
What is a RFC®?
The Registered Financial Consultant (RFC ®) is a professional designation awarded by the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants (IARFC), a non-profit educational and professional organization established in 1984.
The coveted RFC® designation is presented to financial advisors who meet seven criteria: Education, Examination, Experience, Ethics, Financial Licensure, Conduct and Continuing Professional Education with a minimum of 40-hours per year in the field of financial planning. The mission of the international organization is: “Financial professionals dedicated to helping people do a better job of spending, saving, investing, insuring and planning.”
What is a CFF?
CFF is a professional designation for financial professionals, namely, those who have successfully completed a rigorous certification and training process established by NACFF and The American Financial Education Alliance (AFEA), and who agree to uphold the highest moral, ethical and fiduciary standards of service when providing advice to potential or existing clients.
The National Association of Certified Financial Fiduciaries (NACFF) was created to provide all the information, tools, and resources needed for financial professionals to ensure they are compliant with fiduciary standards. They have taken it a step further by providing a comprehensive fiduciary training program and certification process that will further establish qualified financial professionals as a Certified Financial Fiduciary® (CFF).