How to Become a Certified Financial Planner: Education, Experience, and Career Pathways

Becoming a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) is one of the best things you can do for your career if you want to assist others learn how to manage their money sensibly, plan for the future, and become financially independent. To get the formal title of Certified Financial Planner, though, you have to complete specific qualifications.

The Certified Financial Planner (CFP) accreditation is highly regarded in the financial services sector due to its emphasis on ethical, client-first advice and its stringent standards. It’s not easy to become a CPF; it takes a lot of hard work, practical experience, ethical integrity, and a desire to keep learning throughout your career.

Who is a Certified Financial Planner?

Contrary to popular misconceptions, a Certified Financial Planner is more than just a person who gives advice on how to invest. CFPs help people, institutions and businesses to organize their finances in a way that takes everything into account. These might include things like planning for retirement, coming up with an investment strategy, getting insurance, managing debt, and so on.

CFPs have a rigorous fiduciary obligation, which means they are legally required to put their customers’ best interests first. This is is one of the key aspects in which they are different from many other financial counselors. One of the key reasons the CFP accreditation is so important in the industry is because of this ethical obligation.

How to Become a CPF

Step 1: Get your Bachelor’s Degree- You must first obtain a Bachelor’s degree. One positive aspect is that you need not have studied a finance-related discipline. It doesn’t have to be finance, accounting, or economics, although those subjects can make the later classes easier.

Step 2: Gain Professional Experience- In addition to earning a degree, you must also finish an education program approved by the CFP Board. This training should include everything you need to know about financial planning.

Things like investment strategy, retirement planning, insurance coverage, risk management, financial plan development, and other topics are usually included in these programs.

You need to show that you can use what you’ve learned in real-life situations to get the CFP. You can get this experience before or after taking the CFP exam, but you have to do it within 10 years before and 5 years after passing the exam.
There are two primary types of experience pathways: You can either get 6,000 hours of regular job experience or 4,000 hours of apprenticeship experience.

1. The 6,000-Hour Path: If you choose this path, you will require 6,000 hours of professional experience in personal financial planning. That is equivalent to about three years of full-time work.
2. The 4,000-Hour Apprenticeship: You can also qualify with 4,000 hours of apprenticeship experience. However, this will require you to work directly under the supervision of a CFP professional. In addition, this option can be quite hands-on and typically involves going to client meetings and making detailed financial plans.

Step 3: Take the CPF Exams- You will need to pass the CFP Certification Exam once you have enough experience. This is a full test that covers every aspect of financial planning. It is a tough, six-hour, 170-question multiple-choice test. You will typically have to do it in two sessions, each lasting three hours. 

The exam will cover all the focal areas of the coursework and will assess your ability to use what you’ve learned about financial planning in real-life settings with clients. The CFP Board gives the test three times a year, for eight days each time, in March, July, and November. Just about 67% of those who take the exam for the first time pass it, which shows how tough it is.

Step 4: Follow the CPF Code of Ethics– The last stage in getting certified is to follow the rules of ethics. You are obligated to adhere to the CFP Board’s Standards of Conduct and Code of Ethics, which states that you must prioritize your clients’ interests and operate as a fiduciary.

The CFP Board also checks your background to make sure you match their criteria for a professional in that field. Once you’ve met all the standards, you will be given the CPF Certificate and you can officially use the CFP markings, which show that you are trustworthy and knowledgeable in the field of financial planning.

Career Pathways for CFPs

Your job prospects will open up a lot once you get the certificate. Below are popular career pathways for CPFs.

• Financial Advisor or Planner: A lot of CFPs work for themselves and serve a number of clients with all aspects of their financial planning. You can do this at a bank, a brokerage firm, a firm, or on your own.
• Wealth Manager: Working closely with other professionals such as accountants and attorneys, wealth managers manage complex investment portfolios, estate plans, and tax strategies for clients with high net worth.
• Corporate Financial Planning: Some CFPs work for companies and help individuals with their personal finances, retirement planning, and benefits through programs at work.
• Writing and Teaching About Money: Some CFPs move into education, where they teach college courses, make programs to help people understand money, or write about money for news sites.

This article was originally published on InvestingCube.com. Republishing without permission is prohibited.