Through a first-of-its-kind curriculum designed from an advisor-centric perspective, you’ll gain the specialized expertise needed to help clients navigate wealth transfer in ways that reflect their values and support lasting legacies.
The program helps you master the interdisciplinary skills needed to uncover “money scripts,” manage the psychology of sudden wealth, and facilitate productive family conversations that engage spouses and next-generation beneficiaries. You will also build advanced technical expertise in tax-efficient wealth transfer strategies, specialized trusts, and business succession planning—equipping you to guide continuity across generations while helping preserve both financial and human capital.
Best Suited for:
Experienced mid- and advanced-career advisors who want to master navigating family dynamics and sophisticated wealth transfer planning to retain and grow assets across generations, solidifying their role as an indispensable steward for high-net-worth clients.
Course Topics:
- The Landscape of Transfer
- Family Dynamics and Governance
- Technical Wealth Transfer Strategies
- Holistic Legacy and Succession
- Application (Case Study)
What You Earn:
Professional Generational Wealth Transfer Advisor™ (PGWTA™) designation
Stackable Credit:
Program graduates earn credit for:
- Course FP516 Estate Planning in the College's CFP® certification education program OR
- One elective course in the College’s Master of Science Degree Program in Personal Financial Planning
Continuing Education Credit:
Program graduates earn:
- CFP® Certification CE: 6 Hours
- College for Financial Planning Designation CE: 16 hours
Time to Complete:
120 days
The PGWTA℠ Designation Package Includes:
- OnDemand Professional Designation Classes: You receive full access to OnDemand classes, allowing you the flexibility to complete your professional designation program at your own pace and on your schedule. Your online learning platform will guide you through all your course-related activities, from reading assignments and recorded video lectures to module quizzes and your final exam. Because this option is self-paced, you can begin the program at your convenience.
- eBook: Electronic textbooks are your primary resource for course content. You will receive an electronic VitalSource eBook as part of the package price. eBooks in the ePub format that are compatible with Apple iPad and MOBI/Kindle will also be available on your student dashboard. Print textbooks are available as an add-on to your package for $159 plus tax and shipping.
- Module Quizzes: Located at the end of each unit in your program, these quizzes are designed to gauge your comprehension of the material. You must complete the 20-question quiz for each module before moving to the next module. For questions answered incorrectly, correct answers with detailed rationales are provided to help improve your comprehension.
- Practice Exam: The practice exam is designed to closely replicate the final exam experience in terms of the degree of difficulty, timing, format, and topical coverage. This exam can be taken twice and provides unique practice questions that you haven’t seen at this point in your studies. The practice exam is a sound indicator of how you will perform on your final exam, and it allows you to see areas of strength and weakness on your Performance Tracker.
- Final Exam: To pass the designation program, you must achieve a score of 70% or higher on the final exam. You have an allotted time of 3 hours to take the exam and a maximum of two attempts to pass. The grade earned on the final exam reflects your overall grade for the designation program.
- Community Forum: You’ll have access to a private community forum, providing an online space to collaborate and engage with your instructor and fellow students. After you complete your program, you’ll gain access to our alumni and financial planners professional communities.
Top 5 Benefits of Earning the PGWTA℠ Designation
- Reinforce Credibility: 81% of heirs don’t plan to use their parents’ financial advisor.** The PGWTA℠ designation signals to clients that you are uniquely qualified to steward their most complex generational wealth transfers. It serves as a verified mark of your ability to architect holistic plans that integrate business succession and strategic philanthropy, utilizing advanced tax and trust structures to prevent asset attrition and safeguard family legacies.
- Skills to Navigate Family Dynamics & Values: Learn to uncover "money scripts" and facilitate productive estate planning conversations to engage spouses and next-generation beneficiaries.
- Advisor-Centric Expertise: This first-of-its-kind curriculum helps you master multigenerational wealth transfer from an advisor-centric perspective, including how to share legal information without crossing into legal advice.
- Stackable Credits: PGWTA℠ designees receive course credit toward our CFP® certification education program or our MS Degree in Personal Financial Planning. This saves you both time and money to earn your next credential or degree.
- Fulfill Continuing Education Requirements: PGWTA℠ designees earn CE hours toward renewing their CFP® certification and/or a professional designation they currently hold with the College.
