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Division of Continuing Education
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Certified Financial Plannerâ„¢ Certificate Program

The demand for CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals is expected to grow by 32% in the next decade.* A 273-hour certificate program has been established by Zahn Associates to meet the need of professionals who are able to plan, assess and evaluate a client’s financial future through the development of a comprehensive financial plan. Their programs are registered with Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. Successful completion of their program meets the education requirement, making you eligible to sit for the CFP® Certification Examination.

Learn More About the CFP Programs

About

The demand for CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals is expected to grow by 32% in the next decade.* A 273-hour certificate program has been established by Zahn Associates to meet the need of professionals who are able to plan, assess and evaluate a client’s financial future through the development of a comprehensive financial plan. Their programs are registered with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. Successful completion of their program meets the education requirement, making you eligible to sit for the CFP® Certification Examination.


Content Structure

  • Workbook assignments
  • Client information assignment
  • Case studies
  • Lesson quizzes
  • Final exam

Who Should Attend

  • Financial planners
  • Insurance agents
  • Bankers
  • Accountants
  • Retirement specialists
  • Investment advisors
  • Trust officers
  • Anyone in the finance industry

Program Benefits

  • Completes the education requirements in just 10 months’ time
  • Friday and Saturday class format to help meet the needs of working professionals

Program Modules

Certified Financial Planner™ Certificate Program

The demand for CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals is expected to grow by 32% in the next decade.* A 273-hour certificate program has been established by Zahn Associates to meet the need of professionals who are able to plan, assess and evaluate a client’s financial future through the development of a comprehensive financial plan. Their programs are registered with Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. Successful completion of their program meets the education requirement, making you eligible to sit for the CFP® Certification Examination.

  • Module 1

    General Principles

    Designed to introduce students to the financial planning process. The course focuses on the general principles required to become a successful financial planner which include the ethics of the profession as well as the knowledge and skills required to prepare a financial plan.

  • Module 2

    Insurance

    Designed to acquaint students with the principles of risk management and various types of insurance including casualty, fire, health, life, auto, home, disability. The principles taught prepare students to identify a client’s risk exposure and select appropriate risk management techniques.

  • Module 3

    Investment

    Introduces the wide variety of investment vehicles that may be included in a client’s portfolio. Topics include client assessment, tax considerations, economic factors, valuation methods, asset allocation techniques, portfolio performance evaluation, and more.

  • Module 4

    Income Tax

    Emphasizes the fundamentals of individual income taxation, the tax implications of various types of businesses, tax-advantaged investments, employee compensation issues and planning, alternative minimum tax, tax traps, and more.

  • Module 5

    Retirement

    Provides a complete overview of retirement planning including retirement savings need analysis, qualified retirement plan design, Social Security, Medicare, and more. In addition, group life, health, and disability insurance; non-qualified deferred compensation; and other commonly provided employee benefits are examined.

  • Module 6

    Estate

    Covers planning and managing federal estate and gift tax planning & opportunities. The perspectives of heirs, fiduciaries, estates, trusts, beneficiaries, donors, and donees are considered. Topics include asset valuation, estate tax deductions, exemptions & credits. Significant time is given to the transfer of amount at death and the dispositive tools available to clients.

  • Module 7

    Capstone

    The Financial Plan Development Capstone course will integrate the material from program individual courses. Students will take this course only when they have finished all previous program courses successfully or meet CFP Board criteria for challenge status. This course will be structured as a casework course with cases that will closely reflect the types of cases students may encounter as financial planner. Each student case will integrate discussed components to reflect the complexities of working with real life clients in both written and oral format.