Program Overview

Personal Financial Planning

The Personal Financial Planning program is designed to fully prepare students for CFPｮ Certification (Certified Financial Planner) and to learn relevant trends and practices in the financial planning field.

Program Overview

This program is perfect for current financial professionals who wish to expand their knowledge and career prospects, recent college graduates or business professionals who want to augment their skills, individuals considering a career transition into the financial planning profession, and those planning to take the CFPｮ certification examination.

What You Can Learn

Students can explore fundamentals and financial analysis in personal financial planning, study investments, insurance, and retirement planning, examine ethics in personal financial planning, and discuss estate planning and risk management.

Program Format and Duration

The program is offered in an online and in-person format and can be completed 100% online. The duration of the program is 1 year (full-time) or 1.5-2 years (part-time). An accelerated program is also available for financial professionals with at least 2-3 years of experience.

International Students

This certificate is approved for international students to study full-time in the U.S. on an F-1 visa. International students must meet English language proficiency requirements for admission into the program.

CFPｮ Board-Registered Education Program

UCLA Extension's Personal Financial Planning certificate program is a CFPｮ Board-Registered Education Program. In order to have transcripts transferred to the CFPｮ Board for review, which is a required step to sit for the CFPｮ certification exam, payment of the certificate candidacy fee is required.

MCLE/CPE Credit

Courses in this program have been approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) credit by the State Bar of California and may also be applied toward the State of California's continuing professional education (CPE) requirement for the licensure of Certified Public Accountants.

Program Structure

• The program consists of 9 required courses.
• The format is online, and it is F-1 visa eligible.

Courses

Required Courses

The required courses are:

• MGMT X 430.31: Survey of Personal Financial Planning
• MGMT X 430.391: Financial Analysis in Personal Financial Planning
• MGMT X 430.32: Investments in Personal Financial Planning
• MGMT X 430.35: Insurance in Personal Financial Planning
• MGMT X 430.33: Income Taxation in Personal Financial Planning
• MGMT X 427.904: Retirement Plans and Other Employee Benefits
• MGMT X 439.3: Estate Planning
• MGMT X 430.38: Personal Financial Planning Capstone
• MGMT X 440: Ethics in Personal Financial Planning

Optional Electives

The optional electives are:

• MGMT X 430.383: Internship in Personal Financial Planning
• MGMT X 430.137: Behavioral Finance
• MGMT X 109: Business Communications
• MGMT X 160: Marketing Principles and Practices

Cost and Fees

• Application and Candidacy Fee: $200
• Estimated Textbooks and Materials: $1,880
• Estimated Program Tuition: $7,600
• International Student Fees: Not included in the estimated program tuition.

Scholarships

• The Jeff DeLarme Personal Financial Planning Scholarship Fund was established in 2024 to provide financial assistance and greater access to education for students entering the industry while pursuing their careers in personal financial planning.
• The Joseph G. Devanney Scholarship Fund was established by the Devanney Estate to support students enrolling in the capstone course in the Personal Financial Planning Certificate at UCLA Extension.

Related Programs

• Accounting certificate
• Accounting Fundamentals certificate
• Accounting: Business Analysis and Reporting specialization
• Advanced Accounting specialization
• Bookkeeping specialization
• Corporate Finance and Financial Strategies certificate
• Enrolled Agent Program specialization
• Finance certificate
• Focuses in Accounting specialization
• Intermediate Accounting specialization
• Internal Audit certificate
• Investment Management and Analysis certificate
• Personal Financial Planning: Accelerated Online certificate
• Pre-MBA Studies certificate
• Quantitative Financial Analytics certificate
• Taxation certificate

Transfer Credits

Graduates of the UCLA Extension Personal Financial Planning (PFP) Certificate program are eligible to transfer up to five courses toward the online Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in Financial Planning at California Lutheran University (CLU).