Specialist in Personal Financial Planning (SPFP)
Gain the skills you need to jump-start your financial planning career path with our self-study certificate program.
Your first step into financial planning
Interested in a career in financial planning? Earn a credential that gives you a strong foundation in the field’s core concepts — and puts you on track to becoming a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™.
Boost your Technical Knowledge
Get an overview of the most useful technical concepts of financial planning.
Hone your Communication Skills
Learn how to communicate successfully with clients in common real-life situations.
Go further with CFP® certification
Begin gaining knowledge that will benefit your CFP® certification journey.
SPFP
About the Program
Who this program is for
Whether you’re thinking of beginning your career in financial services or want to add value to your customer meetings, you can benefit from this program! SPFP is for:
Recent college graduates
Entry-level financial advisors
Support staff at financial services firms
Career changers
People who are thinking about earning CFP® certification
What’s included
Self-study materials delivered online
10 learning modules totaling 40 study hours
Multiple-choice assessment at the end of each module — score 70% or higher to pass
Certificate of program completion
What to expect
Learn technical and communication skills through a combination of short readings, videos, and activities. Numerous case studies model the skills that will empower you to have successful client interactions, and the accompanying exercises provide opportunities to practice the concepts you’re learning.
The program is designed to give people new to financial planning a strong foundation in core knowledge and skills and covers these topics:
Introduction to Financial Planning
Psychology of Financial Planning
Time Value of Money
Financial Statement Analysis
Risk Management
Education Planning
Investment Planning
Retirement Planning
Tax Planning
Estate Planning
With this foundation, you’ll have a head-start on content covered in our CFP® education program if you go on to pursue CFP® certification.
Talk to an advisor today.
Our advisors are your go-to for everything. Need course recommendations? Extend a course? We’ve got you covered.
Office hours: M-F, 8am-5pm EST