The Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) certification is the most highly respected designation for financial planners. Recognized as the standard of excellence for the financial planning profession, the CFP® certification is valuable for finance students interested in careers as financial advisors, financial planners, and private wealth advisors.
Students in BYU Marriott’s finance program can elect the Private Wealth and Financial Planning track, which provides the minimum course requirements to register for the CFP® exam. This BYU finance track CFP® exam program is only available to BYU finance majors.
Certified Financial Planner Careers
Earning the CFP® designation can further career opportunities in personal finance and planning. Top careers include financial planners, financial advisors, financial consultants, investment advisors, and wealth managers. Learn about a variety of career options discussed by CFP professionals.
CFP® at BYU Marriott
The Private Wealth and Financial Planning track within the finance major is an official CFP Board Registered Program. The courses in the track provide students the required curriculum to register for the CFP® exam. Students can expect to spend 250 to 400 hours to prepare for the exam.
In addition to passing the CFP® exam, the CFP® designation requires 4,000-6,000 hours of professional experience; however, the CFP® exam can be completed before completing the work-hour requirement.
Required Courses
In order to register for the CFP® exam, the following BYU courses must be taken:
- ACC 200
- FIN 200 (finance elective 1)
- FIN 201
- ACC 310
- FIN 410
- FIN 418 (finance elective 2)
- FIN 453
Note: Classes from other universities that transfer into BYU do not meet the CFP Board required coursework to register for the CFP® exam.
Book Orders
Wiley has given BYU a discounted rate on CFP prep materials. Students can pay $50 for one semester of material access, or pay $290 for access until the official CFP® exam is passed.
Exam Costs and Deadlines
For all exam registration costs and deadlines, visit the CFP website. BYU does not offer scholarships for the CFA or CFP exams; however, scholarships may be available through the CFP Board.
Private Wealth and Financial Planning Learning Objectives
Upon completion of the Private Wealth and Financial Planning track, finance students will be able to:
- Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the content found within the financial planning curriculum and effectively apply and integrate this information in the formulation of a financial plan.
- Effectively communicate the financial plan, both orally and in writing, including information based on research, peer, colleague or simulated client interaction and/or results emanating from synthesis of material.
- Collect all necessary and relevant qualitative and quantitative information required to develop a financial plan.
- Analyze personal financial situations, evaluating clients’ objectives, needs, and values to develop an appropriate strategy within the financial plan.
- Demonstrate logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to a specific problem.
- Evaluate the impact of economic, political, and regulatory issues with regard to the financial plan.
- Apply the CFP Board Financial Planning Practice Standards to the financial planning process. A complete list of detailed learning objectives is outlined by the CFB Certification Learning Objectives.
Should you take the CFA or the CFP® Exam?
The finance program offers preparation courses for the CFP® and the CFA exams. The CFA designation aligns with careers in investment banking, hedge/mutual fund managing, or financial engineering aspects of private equity. The CFP® designation aligns with careers focused on assisting families, individuals, and small businesses in designing their financial and estate plans.