CFP Board Registered Program

Our EssentialPlus Package features the strongest, most streamlined curriculum and an award winning learning platform with the latest advances to support efficient and effective learning. 

Our EssentialPlus Package gives you the freedom to complete your education within your own timeframe.

• Pay-up-front or course-by-course based on your budget or company's reimbursement plan.
• Your online access begins as soon as you make your purchase.
  • Take up to 90 days to complete each course. 
  • You can extend a course for an additional 30 days for a fee.
  • If you pay-up-front for our 7-course curriculum, you must complete the program within three years of making your purchase.
• Take advantage of online testing; no need to go to an outside testing facility.
• Most coursework can transfer towards a Master of Science Degree in Personal Financial Planning.

At the end of our 7-course curriculum you'll earn a Certificate in Personal Financial Planning. Most coursework you complete as part of the CFP® certification education program provides stackable credit towards a Masters in Personal Financial Planning in your future.

Start OnDemand Classes anytime and sit for the CFP® exam when you prefer.  

Education Program

Study on your own time with our OnDemand Class! Stop, start, and rewind as often as you need through over 22 hours of instruction per course, effectively preparing you for every possible CFP® exam topic. Expert instructors help you master difficult concepts, theories, and techniques necessary for success on exam day.

As you progress through the 7-course curriculum, each subsequent course will immediately show in your learning platform once you complete the course before it.

Education Course Materials and Study Tools

Education Books (eBooks)

Each financial planning course comes with a corresponding education program textbook. Complete your required education with these concise, clear, and comprehensive study notes and supplemental readings.

Your Premium Package will contain all eBook textbooks. You will receive an email with instructions on how to access materials through the VitalSource® platform. 

You will not receive a textbook or eBook for FP517 course because all materials are provided to you via your online classroom.

Financial Calculator Videos and Digital Workbook

Through the combination of videos and digital workbook, students willl gain a thorough understanding of how to use the HP 10BII+ and Texas Instruments BAiiPlus financial calculators as part of their studies.

Topical Videos

To facilitate student learning with content in our curriculum, our video library contains topical videos that target topics that are commonly tested on the exam, topics many candidates find challenging and topics often asked about by students.

Module Quizzes & Practice Exam

As you progress through each of the modules in your courses, your Activity Feed will prompt you to take Module Quizzes. These quizzes act as checkpoints in your education and mimic the difficulty and format of the actual CFP® exam. At the end of each course, a Practice Exam lets you apply your exam-taking techniques. 

A Performance Tracker in our learning platform will identify how well you understand the topics that have been covered and highlight weak areas where more review is needed. 

Practice QBank

Practice what you have learned by taking focused QBank quizzes to master module concepts. You can customize your quizzes by topic, number of questions, and types of questions to include (e.g., ones you previously had incorrect), and also add a timer. You’ll be able to view answer explanations for every question.

Learning Platform

Activity Feed

The Activity Feed truly takes the guesswork out of creating a study plan! Depend on the Activity Feed to efficiently guide you through the content and study tools, giving you an effective, integrated study experience. You can even schedule days off, and your activities will adjust accordingly.

Performance Tracker

In addition to giving you a snapshot of how you're progressing against all study plan activities, Performance Tracker helps you understand which topic areas you're doing well in and which areas need some work so you can master all knowledge topics.

Instructor Email Access via InstructorLink™

As you prepare for the exam, connect with a credentialed instructor to get your exam- and content-related questions answered.

This package includes the following courses:

• FP511—General Financial Planning Principles, Professional Conduct, and Client Psychology

  • Graduate-level (0 academic credits); Prerequisite(s): none
  • This course examines basic financial planning concepts for developing client relationships; gathering, analyzing and evaluating financial documents, statements and other information; developing and communicating relevant recommendations to clients; implementing recommendations through the use of a financial planning team; and monitoring the financial plan on a periodic basis, all within CFP Board professional and regulatory standards. Students will develop a pragmatic perspective of the field of financial planning as they learn to analyze personal financial statements, understand time value of money concepts, explore education funding techniques, advise clients regarding the management of debt, apply behavioral finance concepts, gain an understanding of federal and state regulatory requirements, learn the ethical environment of financial planning and integrate the legal and economic aspects of financial planning within a practice.

• FP512—Risk Management, Insurance, and Employee Benefits Planning

  • Graduate-level (3 academic credits); Prerequisite(s): none
  • This course explores fundamental insurance, annuity, and employee benefit concepts and products. Students will gain knowledge of the principles of risk and insurance; learn how to analyze and evaluate risk exposures; and understand the concepts of personal and business insurance for life, health, disability, long-term care and property insurance. Students will also develop perspectives regarding the integration of social insurance (e.g. Medicare, workers compensation)within the framework of financial planning. Equity-based compensation, nonqualified deferred compensation and other employee benefits will also be presented and discussed.

• FP513—Investment Planning

  • Graduate-level (3 academic credits); Prerequisite(s): none
  • This course examines the characteristics, uses and taxation of investment vehicles: stocks, bonds, cash and cash equivalents, promissory notes, guaranteed investment contracts, real estate, and alternative investments. Students will also develop an understanding of the various types of risk: systematic and unsystematic, purchasing power, interest rate, business, and financial risk. Students are introduced to quantitative investment concepts, measures of investment returns, bond and stock valuation concepts, investment theory, portfolio development and analysis, investment strategies, asset allocation, and asset pricing models.

• FP514—Tax Planning

  • Graduate-level (3 academic credits); Prerequisite(s): none
  • This course focuses on income tax fundamentals and calculations, tax accounting, characteristics and income taxation of business entities, basis, depreciation and cost recovery concepts. The impact of the alternative minimum tax (AMT), passive activity, at-risk rules, charitable contributions and charitable deductions on a client’s financial plan is also studied. Students will gain an understanding of the tax consequences of like-kind exchanges and the disposition of property, and will learn how the loss of a spouse through death or divorce affects a client’s tax status.

• FP515—Retirement Savings and Income Planning

  • Graduate-level (3 academic credits); Prerequisite(s): none
  • Students will be exposed to retirement needs analyses, types and characteristics of retirement plans, qualified plan rules and options, and provisions of tax-advantaged plans. The effects of ERISA on retirement plans is examined and the impact of Social Security on a client’s retirement plan is also discussed. Students will gain an understanding of plan distribution options, rules, alternatives and taxation, and will also explore key factors affecting plan selection for businesses and investment considerations for retirement plans.

• FP516—Estate Planning

  • Graduate-level (3 academic credits); Prerequisite(s): none
  • This course analyzes the various techniques and strategies used in developing estate plans based on client criteria and needs. Property titling, property transfer at death, gifting strategies, and sources of estate liquidity are discussed. Students will also gain insight on wills, probate, and the types, uses and taxation of trusts during estate planning.

• FP517—Financial Plan Development

  • Graduate-level (0 academic credits); Prerequisite(s): none
  • Students participate in a case analysis and evaluation in which the following major areas of financial planning are integrated:
    • General Financial Planning Principles, Professional Conduct, and Regulation
    • Risk Management, Insurance, and Employee Benefits Planning
    • Investment Planning
    • Income Tax Planning
    • Retirement Savings and Income Planning
    • Estate Planning