Financial Planning Certificate Program

The ever-increasing complexity of today's financial world renders yesterday's answers obsolete. This certificate program has been established to meet the need for trained professionals who are able to plan, assess and evaluate a client's financial future through the development of a comprehensive financial plan. The program's courses are taught by topflight financial services professionals who will provide the latest information available in a variety of financial planning areas, including fundamentals of financial planning, insurance planning, investment planning, income tax planning, retirement planning, employee benefits and estate planning.

Attend an information session on the Financial Planning Certificate program. The date of our summer session will be announced soon. Information regarding these sessions can be found on this page.

Why pursue the CFP® certification? The public's growing need for objective financial planning advice, combined with the rigorous standards demanded of CFP® certificants, have placed professionals with CFP® marks at the forefront of the financial planning profession. Introduced in 1972, the CFP® certification marks have become the most widely recognized financial planning credential among consumers.

CFP Board research shows that clients of CFP® practitioners are more satisfied. In this financial climate, professionals can increase client satisfaction and client retention by earning and maintaining the CFP® certification. Having the CFP® certification sets financial planning professionals apart from the crowd and assures that their clients know that they are trained professionals.

Depth of information: Students will receive at least 30 hours of instruction for each of the five required courses; this provides participants with in-depth information on each topic. Student interaction with instructors and ongoing class participation are encouraged strongly. Every effort is made to select the highest quality of instructional materials available.

Experienced instructors: All courses are taught by instructors with hands-on professional experience. Instructors have either the CFP® certification or other appropriate professional license or designation. DePaul University's instructors use the financial planning topics as outlined by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board), as a framework for all courses. They then add their own exercises, case studies and handouts. The result is a series of courses that combine sound financial planning theory with practical skills development.

Convenient campus locations and scheduling: Courses are offered at DePaul's Loop, O'Hare, Naperville and Rolling Meadows campuses approximately following the university's quarterly schedule. Classes are offered on weeknights and Saturdays. The program makes every effort to accommodate working students and their business and personal commitments.

Corporate training: All courses can be offered on-site at a company location if as few as 15 employees are interested in enrolling. On-site courses are scheduled at the convenience of each company. Call Dorothy Jagonase for further details at (312) 362-5321.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., owns the marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and CFP (with flame logo)®, which it awards to individuals who successfully complete initial and ongoing certification requirements.

DePaul University does not certify individuals to use the CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and CFP (with flame 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.

Just as the DePaul University Law School meets the educational requirements to ultimately become a practicing attorney, so does this program meet the educational requirements to ultimately earn the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Certification. And, just as significant preparation is required to pass the bar exam, there will be significant outside preparation to pass the CFP® Certification Examination. This program is registered with Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., to provide you with an overview of what might be ultimately tested in the examination, but this is an educational program, not an examination-prep program.

Students who are eligible for CE credit from the Illinois Department of Insurance or the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation (CPE) should indicate this on the attached registration form under the section titled Continuing Education Credit. DePaul University will submit the CE/CPE information for only those students who have indicated this on the registration form. Submission will occur upon successful completion of a course. Only the five required courses are approved for CE/CPE credit. DePaul offers continuing education units (CEUs) to each student upon successful completion of their course. Each 10 hours of in-class participation = 1 CEU

Professionals from the investment brokerage, insurance, banking, accounting and legal arenas should find this comprehensive program in financial planning important for their professional advancement. The importance of the eventual attainment of the CFP® certification is gaining momentum across several industries that recognize the need for comprehensive financial advice for their clients. In addition, professionals from other industries who want to make a career change and are committed to the rigorous nature of this program are invited to enroll.

What are the student policies?
Please follow this link for DePaul University Continuing and Professional Education student policies.

Should I take the optional courses?
In addition to the five required courses, students may choose from a list of optional courses. Two of these courses (Calculator Training and Comprehensive Review) are established to help maximize students' program performance and preparation for the CFP® Certification Examination. DePaul University strongly recommends that students consider taking these courses as they map their timeline for program completion.

Where can I buy the textbooks?
Textbooks are required for each course and will be available for purchase at the Chicago Loop Campus Bookstore, (312) 362-8792, and online at www.depaul.edu/bookstore/. The bookstore arranges the books under the headings FIPL 100-200, online the books are found under the FIPL department.

Textbooks are also available for purchase online at www.mbsdirect.net.

Do I have to take the courses in order?
Although we recommend that you take the courses in order, it is not required. You may take the courses in whichever sequence best fits your schedule and current needs. Students in the program are expected to spend at least 10 hours a week outside of class time on each required course.

May I transfer courses into the DePaul program?
We will accept courses from any CFP Board certified program, you must, however, take three or more of the classes from DePaul in order to qualify for the DePaul University Financial Planning Certificate. Requests must be made in writing to the Program Manager, and an official transcript of record from the school must be sent, along with course descriptions from the school's catalog. The Director will give final approval.

I frequently travel for business and might have to miss a class. Will this be a problem?
The majority of our students are working full time and also have personal obligations. If you are forced to miss a class you are encouraged to make it up at one of the other campuses - the curriculum is uniform and the same lessons are taught in same week at each campus. If you are not able to attend another class, you will still receive the class notes and have the opportunity to make up any quizzes you miss.

What other qualifications are required to use the CFP® marks or to obtain CFP® certification?
The DePaul University Financial Planning Certificate only fulfills the educational requirement of CFP Board. Questions regarding the Exam, the Experience or any other requirements should be directed to CFP Board at www.cfp.net

What are the educational requirements to obtain the CFP® Certification?
CFP Board outlines the educational requirements here.

What is the challenge process?
Certain degrees and professional credentials will automatically allow students to sit for the CFP® Certification Examination without having to verify educational topic coverage. The following degrees and credentials have been approved by CFP Board as meeting the educational requirements: CPA, ChFC, CLU, CFA, licensed attorney, Ph.D. in business or economics or Doctor of Business Administration. For details on the challenge process, please refer to CFP Board's Guide to CFP® Certification. For a booklet, call CFP Board at (303) 830-7500.

Is there a minimum grade point average to take the CFP® Certification Exam?
No. At this time the requirement is that you pass each of the courses.

How many credit hours does each course qualify for?
The Financial Planning Certificate program is a non-credit program. We do, however, provide Continuing Education Units in accordance with the International Association for Continuing Education and Training. In addition, some courses have been approved for Continuing Education for Insurance and Continuing Professional Education through the State of Illinois.

Do you offer a follow-up review in preparation for the exam?
DePaul University currently offers a Comprehensive Review for the CFP® Certification Exam. We strongly recommend that students who have completed the program and are preparing to sit for the CFP® Certification Exam consider enrolling in our comprehensive exam review.

Does the DePaul program offer the CFP® certification in Financial Planning upon completion?
No, successful completion signifies that you have successfully completed the educational component of the CFP® certification as set forth by the CFP Board of Standards.

Could I be reimbursed by my company or the military?
Yes. Some students receive at least partial reimbursement from their employers. In addition, your company may be able to take advantage of the Employee Education Assistance Act (IRS Code, Section 127), which may allow for partial of full reimbursement of your tuition. Check with your supervisor or human resources department.

Why choose DePaul's Financial Planning certification program?
DePaul is proud to offer the largest, most successful, and longest running CFP® Certification program in the Chicago area. Since 1999, DePaul University Continuing and Professional Education has offered the Certificate Program in Financial Planning, and alumni of DePaul program frequently exceed the national average pass rate on the CFP® certification exam. DePaul's courses are taught by top-flight financial services professionals who will provide the latest information available on the topic areas.

Online registration is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - just add the course you are interested in to your shopping cart.

Alternatively you can register by phone, fax or mail. An Adobe Acrobat PDF is provided for your convenience.

To register for a course within this course group of offerings, please click on one of the curriculum listings in the box below. Each of the curriculum listings below directly links to an individual course page where you can click on the "Register" option. Registration details are located at the bottom of individual course pages for each individual course.