Program Overview

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Program Overview

The Northwestern University CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER Certification Education Program offers CFP-Board-approved courses to prepare students to pass the CFP Exam. We have designed each of our classes to meet your needs, whether you are a career changer or longtime planning professional. Students who pass all required courses and satisfy the CFP Board’s education requirement will have their successful program completion reported to the CFP Board. They will also receive a certificate of completion from Northwestern University, one of the world’s top universities, which they can proudly display on their wall and share with their clients.

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CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER Certification Education Program

The Northwestern University CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER Certification Education Program offers CFP-Board-approved courses to prepare students to pass the CFP Exam. We have designed each of our classes to meet your needs, whether you are a career changer or longtime planning professional. Students who pass all required courses and satisfy the CFP Board’s education requirement will have their successful program completion reported to the CFP Board. They will also receive a certificate of completion from Northwestern University, one of the world’s top universities, which they can proudly display on their wall and share with their clients.

About CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER Certification Education

• Is financial planning the right career for you?
• On-Campus Program: Weeknight
• Online Programs: Instructor Led and Self-Paced
• CFP Exam Review
• CFP Certification Education Program Courses
• CFP Certification Education Program Faculty
• CFP Certification Education Program Tuition and Financial Aid
• CFP Professional Career Options
• Find out more about Northwestern's CFP Certification Education Program
• Contact SPS Enrollment Advisers
• CFP Certification Education Program Core Courses

Is financial planning the right career for you?

Hear from CFP professionals about their career paths and the rewards of being a Certified Financial Planner practitioner.

Faculty Insights

The CFP certification will bring students recognition as a credible expert, but the most important lesson they need to learn is how to develop trust with their clients. Once trust has been established, a judgment-free, mutually beneficial long-term relationship can exist.

On-Campus Program: Weeknight

The weeknight program offers a skills-based approach, with assessments designed to simulate the daily life of a successful planner. Our instructors worked closely with the CFP Board to design this new curriculum.

Frequency and Location

Once a week on our Chicago campus (Wieboldt Hall, 339 E Chicago Avenue), plus some online assignments.

Time to Completion

As little as 14 months when students take concurrent classes. (Due to the course workload of this program, taking more than two courses per term is not recommended.)

Required Courses

• Introduction to Financial Planning
• Insurance Planning
• Investment Planning
• Income Tax Planning
• Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits
• Estate Planning
• Financial Plan Development and Presentation

Program Schedule

View Program Course Schedule

Best option for:

• Career changers
• Students who like meeting their instructor and peers in person
• Professionals of all levels who want a more traditional learning experience

Online Programs: Instructor Led and Self-Paced

Frequency and Location

"Live" courses meet twice weekly; self-paced are on your own time. All courses are online.

Time to Completion

Approximately nine months

Required Courses

• Introduction to Financial Planning and Insurance Planning
• Investment Planning
• Income Tax Planning
• Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits
• Estate Planning
• Financial Plan Development and Presentation

Best option for:

• Professionals who have worked as a financial advisor or planner
• Students who want the option to take classes from anywhere "on the go"
• People comfortable with technology and those that are highly self-motivated

CFP Exam Review

Northwestern University School of Professional Studies has selected The Dalton Review as the exclusive review for our CFP certification education programs. The Dalton Review provides students with a high-quality curriculum and is led by outstanding faculty.

CFP Certification Education Program Courses

Courses range from introductory to specific areas of focus. Explore all of them on the CFP Certification Education Program Courses page for detail on the program's offerings.

CFP Certification Education Program Faculty

Instructors for this program have a range of expertise, specializations, and work experience.

CFP Certification Education Program Tuition and Financial Aid

Complete details about tuition can be found on the CFP Certification Education Program Tuition and Financial Aid page.

CFP Professional Career Options

Read more on the CFP Professional Career Options page.

Find out more about Northwestern's CFP Certification Education Program

Contact SPS Enrollment Advisers

SPS Enrollment Advisers at Northwestern University School of Professional Studies can be a resource to you for inquiries regarding our certificate programs.

CFP Certification Education Program Core Courses

Core Courses:

• Introduction to Financial Planning
• Insurance Planning
• Investment Planning
• Income Tax Planning
• Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits
• Estate Planning
• Financial Plan Development and Presentation

Core Courses

Introduction to Financial Planning

This course will introduce you to the profession of Financial Planning and the personal Financial Planning Process. This is the first course in the series of classes which will qualify you to sit for the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER exam.

Insurance Planning

This course will help students to identify the types of risk clients face, and to evaluate various methods of mitigating that risk.

Investment Planning

This course surveys the wide variety of investment vehicles that can be included in a client's investment portfolio, introducing risk-return criteria as a means of evaluating alternatives.

Income Tax Planning

This course provides an overview of the federal income tax system, examining the income taxation of individuals, sole proprietorships, partnerships, LLCs, and corporations.

Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits

This course covers all aspects of retirement planning and employee benefits, beginning with the presentation of tax-deferred retirement program options and the framework used to conduct a needs analysis for achieving retirement income goals.

Estate Planning

Planning and managing federal estate and gift taxation is one of the most overlooked yet critical elements of a financial plan.

Financial Plan Development and Presentation

This course will lead you through the steps in developing a complete financial plan. You will learn what goes into a financial plan, participate in mock client interviews to learn proper interview techniques, read and analyze case studies of other plans, and develop and present your own financial plan to the class and a panel of experts.