Level up your Career

Certified Financial Planners® know the ins and outs of investing, saving, and money management. 83% of CFP® professionals say they have a competitive edge over other financial advisors and 90% of CFP® professionals believe certification gives them more credibility in the eyes of their clients.

Key Contributors

To create this program, we brought together top professors of finance and experts in portfolio management.

Dr. Ned Gandevani Harvard University, Lesley University Ned Gandevani is a professor of Finance at Harvard University and Lesley University. He is also a practicing Portfolio Manager, and has published multiple successful books on a variety of financial topics.

Dr. Christopher Kubik Regis College Chris Kubik is the Director of the LCMC’s CFP Registered program and Professor of Accounting and Finance at Regis College. He holds a DBA from Anderson University and an MBA from University of Detroit. Dr. Kubik was the 2010 recipient of the Jack Jensen Teaching Excellence Award.

Dr. Helen Xu Holy Names University Helen Xu is a Professor of Finance at Holy Names University. She holds a PhD in Finance from University of North Texas and an MA in Economics from Jinan University.

Dr. Erik Dellith Mount Saint Vincent Erik Dellith is an Adjunct Instructor at College of Mount Saint Vincent. He holds a PhD in Economics from Fordham University and an MA in Economics from SUNY Binghamton.

Certified Financial Planning® is a certificate program developed and offered by Centenary in partnership with the Lower Cost Models Consortium (LCMC). The LCMC is a coalition of private colleges and universities committed to making higher education more accessible and sustainable for the long-term.

Requirements

In order to become a Certified Financial Planner, students must complete four key requirements:

• Education
  • Complete a bachelor’s degree
  • Complete a 7-course sequence from a CFP® Board Registered Program
• Exam
  • Complete a 170-question, 6-hour multiple-choice exam offered in March, July and November
• Experience
  • Complete 6,000 hours of professional experience relating to financial planning, or complete 4,000 hours of an apprenticeship. This experience must be completed within five years of sitting for the exam
• Ethics
  • Complete the ethics declaration forms and pass a background check

CFP Board Certified: The seven course sequence is registered under the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) Board of Standards and taught by credentialed faculty. The CFP Board Certification is considered the gold standard in the financial planning field

Convenient: All 7 courses are offered 100% online in 8-week sessions, creating a flexible and accelerated pathway to completing the education requirement to sit for the CFP exam.

List of Courses

Facts Breakdown

Quick facts on the industry.

$90k	40%	31%
Median annual salary for Personal Financial Advisors	Job growth above the national average for Personal Financial Advisors	of Americans ages 65 and over consult financial planners when planning for retirement