To earn your CFP® mark, you must fulfill the following certification requirements:
Education Requirement
The educational requirement has two parts: first, complete the required coursework in personal financial planning, estate planning, risk management, professional conduct, and other subjects covered on the CFP® exam through a CFP Board registered program before taking the exam; and second, receive a bachelors degree or higher from an accredited college or university up to five years after the date you pass the exam (degree may be in any discipline, not just financial services).
Exam Requirement
In addition to the education requirement, financial professionals looking to earn their certification must first take the CFP® exam: a 170-question, multiple-choice test consisting of two three-hour sessions over the course of one day. The exam includes stand-alone and scenario-based questions, as well as more detailed case studies. For more details on preparing for the exam, check out our blog post.
Experience Requirement
To qualify for CFP® certification, you must also complete either 6,000 hours of professional experience as a financial advisor or related to the financial planning process, or 4,000 hours of apprenticeship experience. You can fulfill the experience requirements either before or after you take the exam.
Continuing Education Requirement
Once a financial professional has been approved for the CFP® mark, they will need to recertify with 30 hours of continuing education (CE) credit every two years, including three hours of ethics CE credit. The American College of Financial Services offers many programs with opportunities to earn CE credit.
Ethics Requirement
As part of earning your CFP® certification or any other financial planning credentials, you must agree to adhere to high ethical and professional standards as a financial advisor and to act in the client's best interest during the financial planning process.