The demand for personal financial advisors is expected to grow faster than average, at a rate of 5% through 2030, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification has been the standard of excellence for financial planners for more than 30 years and can accelerate your career. Here's how:
Boost Your Value in the Industry
- Gain additional education and knowledge of all aspects of your customers' financial planning needs.
- 83% of CFP® professionals say they have a competitive edge over other financial advisors.1
Attract More Clients
- 4 out of 5 consumers prefer an advisor who takes all areas of their financial life into account.2
- 72% of College for Financial Planning® graduates surveyed reported an increase in their client base after earning their most recent financial credential.
Enhance Your Earning Potential
- CFP® professionals working in a financial planning role both the year before and the year after receiving their CFP® designation reported an average 16% earnings increase in the year after earning that designation.
- CFP® professionals continue to generate more revenue annually per practice and revenue per client overall than non-CFP® financial advisors.3
CFP® Certification Programs for Your Career Path
Prepare with the Industry Leader
Discover a Day in the Life of a Student
Not Sure if You’re Ready for CFP® Certification?
We offer a variety of professional designations that will help you set yourself apart as a financial advisor while preparing you for the rigors of the CFP® exam program. Our professional designations allow you to focus on a subject area to specialize or build a foundation across all the principles of financial planning.
1 CFP Board website, www.cfp.net/why-cfp-certification/why-get-certified
2 CFP Board website, www.cfp.net/why-cfp-certification/the-standard-of-excellence
3 Transitioning to Financial Planning: The Benefits of CFP Certification, Aite Group LLC, Dennis Gallant, October 2019.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and CFP®(with plaque design) in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.
The College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan Company does not certify individuals to use the CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and CFP (with plaque logo) certification marks. CFP® certification is granted only by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. to those persons who, in addition to completing an educational requirement such as this CFP Board-Registered Program, have met its ethics, experience, and examination requirements. The College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan Company is an education and exam prep review provider for the CFP® Certification Examination administered by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. CFP Board does not endorse any education or review course or receive financial remuneration from education or review course providers.
72% Increase in Client Base: Increase in client base is dependent on numerous factors other than, or in addition to, completion of the specialized financial designation including specific employment conditions and individual experience. The College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan Company does not guarantee any increase in clients resulting directly from such designation. Results are the findings of a quantitative survey conducted by the College for Financial Planning® between June 27 and August 7, 2023. For this survey, a sample of 951 2022 and 2023 graduates of the College for Financial Planning was interviewed online in English. The sample includes 541 graduates who earned a professional designation, license, or certification; worked in a financial planning role both the year before and year after receiving their last professional designation, license, or certification, and answered this question.
16% Earnings Increase: Earnings increases are dependent on numerous factors other than, or in addition to, completion of the specialized financial designation including specific employment conditions and individual experience. The College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan Company does not guarantee any earnings increase resulting directly from such designation. Results are the findings of a quantitative survey conducted by the College for Financial Planning between June 27 and August 7, 2023. For this survey, a sample of 951 2022 and 2023 graduates of the College for Financial Planning was interviewed online in English. This earnings increase was based on 155 graduates whose most recent designation was the CFP® designation and who were employed in a financial planning role both the year before and year after receiving the CFP® designation.