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CFP® Certification Education Courses

Hundreds of the top universities and corporations in the country have selected Dalton to deliver their CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ education. Our programs were developed by educators that served on the CFP® Board of Examiners, providing a foundation for best-in-class content and resources. Below is a summary of the CFP Board Coursework, which applies to both our CFP® CERTIFICATION EDUCATION and THE DALTON REVIEW™ programs.

FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCIAL PLANNING AND INSURANCE

The program’s first course provides the foundation of knowledge students need as working financial services professionals. It covers the financial planning process, best practices in communication, time value of money concepts, as well as the legal, ethical, and regulatory issues affecting financial planners. The course continues with a discussion of the principles of risk management and insurance, allowing the student to identify a client’s risk exposure and select appropriate risk management techniques.

INVESTMENT PLANNING

This course provides students with an introduction to investment planning and portfolio management. It covers the theoretical and statistical rationale building a diversified portfolio, the measurement and calculation of risk and return metrics, as well as the features of stock, bonds, cash-equivalents, and alternative investments such as real estate and derivatives. Additionally, the course covers the application of these concepts when working with clients, including best practices from studies of behavioral finance.

INCOME TAX PLANNING

This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to individual income tax fundamentals and the calculation of income tax. Closely following the 1040 tax return, students will learn what’s included and excluded from gross income as well as all deductions before adjusted gross income such as IRA contributions, business expenses, and HSA contributions. In addition, the course covers the tax issues and strategies surrounding business entities, disposition of property, adjusting tax basis, AMT, passive activity rules, charitable contributions, and tax minimization.

RETIREMENT PLANNING AND EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

This course provides an overview of retirement planning and employee benefits, including public and private retirement plans. Students are introduced to the administration, taxation and distribution rules of retirement plans as well as the characteristics of various plans including qualified, non-qualified, and other tax advantaged plans. The course also details employee group and fringe benefits and the taxation of these benefit plans. And, students learn about the unique issues individuals face in retirement and how to determine which retirement plan to recommend to a client based on the client’s goals.

ESTATE PLANNING

This course provides an overview of estate planning laws and strategies. Issues discussed include the various types of property interest and the probate process. In addition, students learn about gift tax and how to align a client’s gifting strategy with their goals. The course also covers the estate tax system including what’s included and excluded from the gross estate, various deductions to determine the taxable estate, and calculating the potential estate tax. In addition, students learn various strategies to minimize estate tax consequences through the use of power of appointment trusts, by-pass trusts, and QTIP trusts.

CAPSTONE

In the final course of the program, students learn and apply various approaches to analyzing, developing, and presenting financial plan recommendations for clients. Course information is presented through a series of videos, including software tutorial, and live virtual classroom sessions with the course instructor. Students use software to help prepare financial statements, conduct ratio analysis, and identify financial strengths and weaknesses. Through the use of representative case studies, students apply the knowledge and strategies they learned in earlier courses. The capstone course culminates with students preparing and presenting a comprehensive financial plan.

What Professionals Say About Dalton

"I recommend Dalton's CFP study program to anyone who is planning to sit for the test.  It is thorough, well guided, and offers many resources for individual support.  I can honestly say that I went into the exam KNOWING that I was going to pass."

Amanda B.

"It came down to the enrollment advisor's responsiveness in addressing my questions/concerns as primary and then the ability to be flexible with online courses and working through the coursework. Absolutely would recommend Dalton! After having taken the exam (and passed!) last week, I appreciate Dalton's questions even more as they were more realistic to what I saw on the exam. Thank you! Keep up the good work!"

Morgan B.

"Combined with hard work and dedication, Dalton Education made sure I had what was needed in order to succeed. Without their experience, diligence, and structure, I would have spent more time worrying about what to study and when rather than putting in the hours needed to pass. Dalton knows how to get it done the first time around!"

Monica Y.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed the Dalton Education CFP study program. I completed the 10 week review for the exam, including a 4 day live review. I successfully passed the CFP exam and I owe my success to Dalton and their incredible team of instructors. The Dalton materials, coursework, virtual classroom and schedule are not only intuitive and user friendly for a working mother, but they are top notch. I felt prepared for the exam, and after passing the exam I realized how Dalton had not only prepared me for everything but they over prepared me. I have a deep understanding for financial planning, and I look forward to taking my career to the next level. Thank you Dalton! A huge shout out to a team of highly intelligent and helpful instructors!"

Lindsay W.

"Dalton provided me the materials, resources, and structure that I needed to complete my certification. From the beginning, I greatly appreciated a detailed schedule for staying on track with the material while allowing you the flexibility between deadlines to manage your work and personal life alongside my certification work. It helped me plan study time accordingly and gave me a practical benchmark for preparation time. That said, each professor teaching the material stood out to me whether it was because of their experience with the CFP exam, pedigree, and/or knowledge and presentation of the material."

Forrest P.

"What I love about the CFP course through Dalton is the flexibility.  I have co-workers who are taking the program through other providers and they are stuck all day on a Saturday reviewing and taking tests – not for me.  Also, the exam prep materials are amazing!  I love the flash cards and the Quick Sheets. The instructors are amazing and I have felt very supported along the way.  I would definitely recommend Dalton to others."

Jayln P.

 

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CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™?