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WMCP®

Why you should consider the WMCP®

The American College of Financial Services' WMCP® credential uses contemporary investment management, portfolio management, and financial planning strategies to bring a new level of value to the relationship between financial advisors and investors in a program with the highest degree of accreditation.

You'll learn the fundamentals of goal-based wealth management, which begins with your client’s goals—whether they're saving for college tuition, planning for retirement, or passing wealth on to others through estate planning. Through a focus on tax-efficient portfolio management strategies that integrate the newest research on client behavior and financial planning, the WMCP® will develop your expertise as an analyst in goal identification, risk management, and investment management plans tailored to the needs of investors. Developed by more than 25 expert financial advisors, the WMCP®provides a unique education in applied investment management that won the program the 2018 Brandon Hall Group Bronze Award for Excellence in Learning.

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What you will learn

What You’ll Learn

The WMCP® program includes dozens of topics not available in conventional investment management education, as well as interviews with over 100 expert academics and financial advisors. WMCP® credential holders have the expertise to:

  • Implement investment management plans for a range of client goals, including retirement planning, estate planning, small business planning, education, housing, and legacy
  • Develop a deep understanding of investment management and financial planning and how they can be used to meet investors' goals
  • Identify client tax characteristics and evaluate investment management strategies that can provide the highest after-tax performance using traditional, Roth, and taxable accounts
  • Address the importance of human capital, including risk management of factors like premature death, disability, and the integration of earnings into portfolio management
  • Strategically use life insurance products in financial planning
  • Help clients effectively manage risk
  • Account for client emotions and behavior to help investors reach long-term goals

Continuing Education (CE) credit is available; see the CE page for more information.

Who Should Take the WMCP®

  • Experienced financial professionals looking for a modern, applied wealth management education
  • Financial professionals focused on risk management and looking to develop a comprehensive wealth management practice
  • Advisors looking to hone their investment management knowledge beyond the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) or Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) credential
  • Analysts looking for a new approach to wealth management with superior accreditation and unique, in-depth content in the areas where they can provide the greatest value
  • Insurance advisors who want to develop their expertise in wealth management and help their clients with both protection and growth
  • Associate wealth management professionals looking for an introduction to goal-based planning

You don't need any specific product or theoretical expertise to enroll in the program, although a fundamental knowledge of tax concepts is helpful.

One year of relevant experience is required to complete the designation.

Program Delivery

WMCP® is an online, self-paced education program that includes:

The WMCP® is an online, self-paced education program that includes:

  • An initial assessment to create a learning path customized to your needs
  • Video lectures, interactive texts and exercises
  • Knowledge checks, behavioral self-checks, practice exams, and advanced portfolio management simulations
  • Constant feedback on your application of concepts

You have a 12-month window to complete the coursework and prepare for the four-hour, 150-question final exam.

If you spend eight to 10 hours a week on the WMCP®, you can earn the credential in six to eight months.

Review system requirements for viewing WMCP® program content.

Read our FAQs about WMCP here

Tuition and Fees

  • Program: $2,900
    • Includes payment plan paid over six monthly credit card payments
    • First payment of $495 upon enrollment
    • Five additional monthly payments of $481
REDUCED TUITION OPTIONS
  • Save $150 by paying $2,750 in full upon enrollment
  • All savings applied to $2,900 when paid-in-full upon enrollment only

Tuition includes all required study materials, access to on-demand online learning tools, and your exams. WMCP® does not include or require any physical textbooks.

Sample the WMCP®

How You Will Learn

What You Will Learn

WMCP® Unit Lesson Preview
Details

The WMCP® is not a series of courses, but rather a singular learning experience customized to meet each financial professional's individual needs. Upon completion of the program, a student with the WMCP® credential should be able to:​

  1. Employ a goal-based financial services process for financial planning and investment management
  2. Create an efficient investment portfolio and show exceptional portfolio management skills
  3. Evaluate financial instruments as an analyst
  4. Assemble a wealth management strategy using portfolio management, investment management, estate planning, and more
  5. Provide solutions for complex wealth management needs

The curriculum is addressed in four main categories:

  1. Investment Management Theory
  2. Investment Management Tools
  3. Investment Accounts
  4. Application and Portfolio Management Strategies

 

Continuing education (CE) credit is now available for the WMCP® program. Complete The American College of Financial Services' WMCP® program to receive 15 hours of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP@) CE credit and 30 hours of Professional Recertification Program (PRP) credit. State CE is approved or pending for WMCP®. Check the CE page for more information.

To receive the WMCP® designation, a student must successfully complete all required program content within the WMCP® learning platform (including knowledge checks, simulations), pass the final exam, meet experience requirements, and agree to comply with The American College Code of Ethics and Procedures. Participation in the Professional Recertification Program is also required.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DESIGNATION REQUIREMENTS >

See the Student Resources and Policies page for comprehensive details on refund policies, learning policies, recertification information, and more.

Learn More >

WMCP® Program Contributors:

David Blanchett, PhD, CFA®, CLU®, ChFC®, CFP®
Adjunct Faculty
Morningstar Investment Management LLC

Chia-Li Chien, CFP®, PMP
Succession Strategist & Program Director
Value Growth Institute

C.W. Copeland, PhD

Benjamin F. Cummings, PhD, CFP®
Associate Professor of Behavioral Finance
The American College of Financial Services

Philip Cubeta, MSFS, CLU®, ChFC®, CAP®
Sallie B. and William B. Wallace Chair in Philanthropy
Assistant Professor of Philanthropy
The American College of Financial Services

Sophia Duffy, JD, CPA
Dean
Assistant Professor of Business Planning
The American College of Financial Services

Todd Erkis
Visiting Professor, Haub School of Business
St. Joseph's University

Michael Finke, PhD, CFP®
Chief Academic Officer
The American College of Financial Services

Todd Fithian
Managing Partner
The Legacy Companies, LLC

Gerald J. Herbison, DBA, ChFC®, CASL®, CFP®, CLF®
Assistant Professor of Management
Director of the CLF® Program
The American College of Financial Services

Jamie Hopkins, Esq., MBA, LLM, CLU®, RICP®
Instructor
The American College of Financial Services

John Howe, PhD, CFA®
Chair, Department of Finance
University of Missouri

Robert R. Johnson, PhD, CFA®, CAIA®

Michael Kitces, MSFS, MTAX, CASL®, CLU®, CFP®, ChFC®, REBC®, RHU®
Partner & Director of Wealth Management
Pinnacle Advisory Group
Publisher
Nerd’s Eye View at Kitces.com

Theodore T. Kurlowicz, JD, LLM, CAP®, ChFC®, CLU®
Charles E. Drimal Professorship in Estate Planning
Professor of Taxation
The American College of Financial Services

Craig Lemoine, PhD, CFP®
Director, Financial Planning Program
Assistant Professor 
The University of Illinois

Jeffrey Levine, CPA®, CFA®
Managing Director
Thomas Capital Group

David Littell, JD, ChFC®
Joseph Boettner Chair in Research
Professor of Taxation
The American College of Financial Services

Kevin M. Lynch, MBA, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, RHU®, REBC®, CASL®, CAP®, CLF®, LUTCF, FSS, RICP®
Faculty Instructor
The American College of Financial Services

Laraine McKinnon
Founder
LMC17

Kirk Okumura, MSFS, ChFC®
Academic Director, FSCP Program
The American College of Financial Services

Steve Parrish, JD, CLU®, ChFC®, RHU®
Adjunct Law Professor
Drake University

Wade Pfau, PhD, CFA®
Professor of Retirement Income
The American College of Financial Services

Julie A. Ragatz

Ross A. Riskin, CPA/PFS, CCFC
Founder
American Institute of Certified College Financial Consultants
CFP® Program Director
The American College of Financial Services

Aaron Shackelford, CFA®
Consultant
Shackelford Consulting Services

Adam Walk, PhD
Head of Investments
MFCo

Christopher P. Woehrle, JD, LLM (Tax)

Walt Woerheide, PhD, ChFC®, CFP®
 

 

 

 

Program Faculty

Michale Finke Chief Academic Officer
Michael Finke

Professor of Wealth Management

WMCP® Program Director

Director for the Granum Center for Financial Security

Frank M. Engle Distinguished Chair in Economic Security

READ BIO >
Professor Benjamin Cummings
Benjamin F. Cummings

Associate Professor of Behavioral Finance

READ BIO >
David Blanchett
David Blanchett

Adjunct Professor of Wealth Management

READ BIO >
Professor Wade Pfau
Wade D. Pfau

Professor of Retirement Income

RICP® Program Director

Co-Director of the New York Life Center for Retirement Income

READ BIO >

Financial Planning Resources

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Blog
The Philosophy of Goal-based Investment Planning
WMCP simulations
Blog
Simulations: The Future of Wealth Management Education
The Lifecycle Approach to Wealth Management: 5 Stages to Understand
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Everyday Investors Aren’t Institutions
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THE AMERICAN COLLEGE NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL GRANUM CENTER FOR FINANCIAL SECURITY

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