Certified Financial Planning Program Description

The University of Central Florida Division of Continuing Education and Zahn Associates Inc. are pleased to announce the CFP® Professional Education certificate program. This program provides the required education courses and prepares you to pass the certification exam in just 10 months. Students who successfully complete this program will fulfill the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNING ™ Board of Standards educational requirement for CFP® Certification Examination.

New Course Dates!  Starting January 11, 2013 - Finish the education requirement and become eligible for the CFP® Certification Examination in November 2013.

This certificate program has been established to meet the need for 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 financial services professionals who will provide the latest information available in a variety of financial planning areas, including general principles, insurance planning, investment planning, income tax planning, retirement planning, and estate planning.

Who Should Attend?

• Financial planners
• Insurance agents
• Retirement plan and employee benefits specialists
• Investment advisors and brokers
• Accountants
• Bankers
• Trust officers
• Anyone considering financial planning as a career

Objectives

• Deliver comprehensive financial planning instruction with an emphasis on quality client service
• Provide the educational requirements needed to sit for the CFP® certification examination
• Provide professional networking

Benefits of the UCF program

• Program is approved for Insurance Continuing Education for eligible students
• Payment plans and discounts available to UCF Alumni
• Courses offered in a convenient weekend format for the working professional

The program curriculum consists of seven required courses including Capstone review course that delivers information about areas in financial planning for both beginning and established practitioners.

Required courses in UCF's Certificate Program that satisfy CFP Board education requirement, qualifying individual to sit for the CFP® Certification Examination:

• General Principles
• Insurance Planning
• Income Tax Planning
• Investment Planning
• Retirement Planning
• Estate Planning
• Capstone

For information, please contact Kim Malac at financialplanning@ucf.edu or call 407.882.0260.

UCF does not certify individuals to use the CFP®, Certified Financial Planner™ and marks. CFP® certification is granted solely by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. to individuals who, in addition to completing an educational requirement such as this CFP Board-Registered Program, have met ethics, experience and examination requirements.

Admission Requirements and Certification Information

There are no formal admission requirements but students should have acquired knowledge in accounting, financial calculator protocol, finance, and economics, through extensive job experience. Please review the CFP Board requirements for Certification prior to registration.

Download our application packet. 

If you would like to speak to a program advisor, please contact Kim Malac 407.882.0251 or financialplanning@ucf.edu

For additional information regarding the CFP Certification requirements go to www.cfp.net/become-a-cfp-professional/cfp-certification-requirements

1 | Complete the Education Requirement
Before applying for the CFP® Certification Examination, you need to complete the education requirements set by CFP Board. You can fulfill the education requirement through one of three paths:

Complete a CFP Board-Registered Education Program
There are more than 300 academic programs at colleges and universities across the country from which to choose.
These programs include credit and non-credit certificate programs, undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
They use various delivery formats and schedules, including classroom instruction, self-study and online delivery.
Many of CFP Board's Registered Programs also offer in-house educational programs for individual companies.

Apply for Challenge Status
Certain degrees and professional credentials fulfill the educational requirement and allow you to sit for the
CFP® Certification Examination.

Academic degrees and credentials that fulfill the educational requirements include:

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) - inactive license acceptable
• Licensed attorney - inactive license acceptable
• Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®)
• Doctor of Business Administration
• Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC)
• Ph.D. in business or economics
• Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU)

Request a Transcript Review
Certain industry credentials recognized by CFP Board, or the successful completion of upper-division level college courses, may satisfy some or all of the education requirements set by CFP Board.

More information on the Education Requirement

Bachelor's Degree Requirement
A bachelor's degree (or higher), or its equivalent,¹ in any discipline, from an accredited college or university² is required to attain CFP® certification. The bachelor's degree requirement is a condition of initial certification; it is not a requirement to be eligible to take the CFP® Certification Examination. After you pass the CFP® Certification Examination, you will be required to provide evidence (official transcript from the degree-granting institution) that you hold a qualified bachelor's degree or higher degree.

You have five years from the date you pass the CFP® certification examination to satisfy the bachelor's degree and work experience requirements. If you have not reported to CFP Board your attainment of an acceptable bachelor's degree or higher within this time frame, your candidacy for CFP® certification may be terminated.

2 | Pass the CFP® Certification Examination

The CFP® Certification Examination tests your ability to apply your financial planning knowledge to client situations. The 10-hour exam is divided into three separate sessions. Because of the integrated nature of financial planning, however, each session may cover all topic areas. All questions are multiple choice, including those questions related to case problems.

The exam is administered three times a year - generally on the third Friday and Saturday of March, July and November - at about 50 domestic locations. The application deadline is approximately seven weeks prior to each exam date (e.g., February 1, June 1 and October 1). To apply to take the exam, complete the online application, or call 800-487-1497 to have one mailed to you. Completed applications, including payment of the $595 fee, must be received by the deadlines printed on the applications - there are no exceptions.

Review Courses
CFP Board maintains a list of review courses, offered by independent firms, designed to assist individuals in preparing for the CFP® Certification Examination. Access a current list of review course providers. CFP Board neither evaluates the quality of the review courses nor endorses any program.

> More information on the Exam Requirement

3 | Meet the Experience Requirement

At least three years of qualifying full-time work experience, or the equivalent 6,000 hours, is required to satisfy the Experience Requirement.

Qualifying experience for CFP® Certification must satisfy a two-part requirement. 

Part 1: Experience must fall within one or more of the six primary elements of the personal financial planning process:

• Establishing and defining the relationship with the client
  
• Gathering client data
• Analyzing and evaluating the client's financial status
  
• Developing and presenting the financial planning recommendations
  
• Monitoring the financial planning recommendations

Part 2: Experience can be satisfied in any combination of five ways:

• Personal Delivery to individual client 
• Supervision of personal delivery to individual client
  
• Direct Support of personal delivery to individual client
• Teaching - Courses at a CFP Board-Registered Program or Finance-related courses at a University, offered for college credit (a maximum of two years of Experience credit may be credited for this teaching option)
  
• Internship and/or Residency Programs
  

The Experience requirement must be fulfilled within five years of passing the CFP exam. If the requirement is not completed within this time frame, your candidacy for CFP Certification may be terminated.        

> More information on the Experience Requirement

4 | Pass Candidate Fitness Standards and Background Check

Applicants for CFP® certification must pass CFP Board’s Candidate Fitness Standards, which describe conduct that will or may bar an individual from being certified. After you have met the education, examination and work experience requirements, you must disclose past or pending litigation or agency proceedings and agree to abide by CFP Board's Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility and Financial Planning Practice Standards. A background check will also be conducted.

> More information on the Ethics Requirement

5 | Pay Certification Fees
Upon successfully completing the first three steps, fees will apply as follows:

• A one-time, non-refundable initial certification application fee of $100 for the background checks as noted above.
• A biennial certification fee of $360.

6 | Receive Authorization to Use the CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™; and marks.

UCF does not certify individuals to use the CFP® or Certified Financial Planner™ marks. CFP® certification is granted solely by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. to individuals who, in addition to completing an educational requirement such as this CFP Board-Registered Program, have met ethics, experience and examination requirements.

Information on Course Descriptions, Instructors, and Materials

Course Descriptions

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF FINANCIAL PLANNING
FP 100

This course is designed to introduce students to the financial planning process. The course focuses on the general principles required to become a successful financial planner which include the ethics of the profession as well as the knowledge and skills required to prepare a financial plan.

INSURANCE PLANNING
FP 200

This course is designed to acquaint students with the principles of risk management and various types of insurance including casualty, fire, health, life, auto, home, disability. The principles taught prepare students to identify a client's risk exposure and select appropriate risk management techniques.

INVESTMENT PLANNING
FP 300

This course introduces the wide variety of investment vehicles that may be included in a client's portfolio. Topics include client assessment, tax considerations, economic factors, valuation methods, asset allocation techniques, portfolio performance evaluation, and more.

TAX PLANNING
FP 400

This course emphasizes the fundamentals of individual income taxation, the tax implications of various types of businesses, tax-advantaged investments, employee compensation issues and planning, alternative minimum tax, tax traps, and more.

RETIREMENT PLANNING
FP 500

This course provides a complete overview of retirement planning including retirement savings need analysis, qualified retirement plan design, Social Security, Medicare, and more. In addition, group life, health, and disability insurance; non-qualified deferred compensation; and other commonly provided employee benefits are examined.  

This course covers planning and managing federal estate and gift tax planning and opportunities. The perspectives of a variety of parties are considered including heirs, fiduciaries, estates, trusts, beneficiaries, donors, and donees. Topics include asset valuation, estate tax deductions, exemptions and credits. Significant time is given to the transfer of amount at death and the dispositive tools available to clients.

Enrollment, Payment Plans, and Discounts

• All seven CFP® education required courses
• All textbooks and workbooks
• Pay on a scheduled basis a week before each class starts
• Receive discount on Capstone course 

This package saves you $300 in registration fees when you enroll for all seven courses with the Course Registration Package.

Payments are made 1 week prior to the start of each class.

• General Principles - January 7, 2013-$850
• Insurance Planning - February 11, 2013-$850
• Investment Planning - March 18, 2013-$850
• Income Tax Planning - April 29, 2013-$850
• Retirement Planning - June 10, 2013-$850
• Estate Planning - July 22, 2013-$850
• Capstone - September 2, 2013-$550
  

To take advantage of this payment plan, please download the forms for registration and payment plan and send both forms to our office for processing. Please send the forms to us by fax to 407.882.0244 or by mail to:
UCF Division of Continuing Education
Attn: Center for Financial Planning
12565 Research Parkway, Suite 390
Orlando, FL 32826

If you would like more information on our Course Registration Package, please contact our office at 407.882.0260 or financialplanning@ucf.edu.

Discounts for UCF Alumni and Financial Planning Association (FPA) Members
UCF Alumni and FPA members receive $50 off each course when paying with the course by course registration option.

UCF Alumni and FPA members interested in our Course Registration Package will receive a total savings of $300.

Payments are made 1 week prior to the start of each class.

• General Principles - January 7, 2013-$800
• Insurance Planning - February 11, 2013-$800
• Investment Planning - March 18, 2013-$800
• Income Tax Planning - April 29, 2013-$800
• Retirement Planning - June 10, 2013-$800
• Estate Planning - July 22, 2013-$800
• Capstone - September 2, 2013-$500
  

To take advantage of this payment plan, please download the forms for registration and payment plan and send both forms to our office for processing. Please send the forms to us by fax to 407.882.0244 or by mail to:

UCF Division of Continuing Education
3280 Progress Drive Suite 700
Orlando, FL 32826

For more information on joining FPA please visit www.fpanet.org.
*UCF Alumni and FPA membership discounts cannot be combined

Dates, Times, and Locations

Download full schedule

Each Friday/Saturday session is as follows:
Friday 5:30pm-9:30pm
Saturday 8:00am-5pm (1 hour lunch)

Location:
3280 Progress Drive, Suite 700
Orlando, FL 32826

Discounts and Payment Plans
There is a discount offered to UCF Alumni and Financial Planning Association (FPA) Members. We also offer payment plans that offer participants $300 off the entire program. Click on the "Enrollment" to view discounts and payment plan packages.

Attendance Policy
Regular and punctual attendance is an important aspect for success in the UCF Financial Planning certificate program.  This is an accelerated program that requires full attendance for every class.  In the event there is a pre-arranged absence from class, you must notify UCF and the instructor with as much prior notice as possible in order to arrange make up assignments.  In the event you are sick and cannot attend, notify UCF and the instructor prior to class.  A signed attendance agreement will be required upon the first day of class and is kept in the student file.

For more information about our program, please contact Kim Malac at financialplanning@ucf.edu

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is there an option to enroll in the complete seven course program as well as individual courses?
  Yes, both options are available. Please see the Enrollment tab.
  
  
• How do I learn about what courses are available to enroll now?
  A schedule of courses open now for enrollment can be reviewed on the "schedule" tab.
  
  
• How does the CFP relate to the UCF MBA?
  Currently the CFP and MBA programs at UCF are now totally exclusive. If in the future the programs become related, the information will be posted on our website and all those who have contacted us by phone or email will receive the updated information.
  
  
• Where are CFP courses offered?
  At the present time, the courses are offered at the UCF Continuing Education office located at Innovative Center 3280 Progress Drive Suite 700 Orlando, FL 32826 near the UCF main campus. For directions to our office and classrooms please call 407.882.0260.
  
  
• What is the price for the CFP courses and textbooks?
  Each CFP course fee is $850 and includes textbooks. Students will need to purchase a calculator for the first class session. Our recommended calculators for the program are either the HP10BII, HP12C, HP17BII. Click here for examples.
   
• Is there financial aid available?
  Yes. See the "Enrollment" Tab.
  
  
• What is the refund policy?
  Students will not be registered in a course until full payment is received, unless stated otherwise.
  
  Refund and Cancellation Fee: When dropping a course, cancellation/refund requests must be made in writing to the Continuing Education business office no later than five business days prior to beginning of the course. An administrative fee of 25% of total registration fees may be deducted, with a minimum administrative fee of $25 (whichever is greater). The effective drop/transfer date is the business day CE receives your request by mail, fax, email, or in-person. No drops/transfers may be completed via telephone. Nonattendance does not constitute a drop. A substitute may attend the program in your place. If you do not attend the program and do not submit a refund request, the University will retain all fees.
  
  Please send cancellation requests to:
  By email: financialplanning@ucf.edu
  By mail: UCF Continuing Education Innovative Center 3280 Progress Drive Suite 700 Orlando, FL 32826 Attn: Registration
  By fax: 407.882.0244
  
  UCF Continuing Education reserves the right to cancel any class if it does not meet minimum enrollment 3 business days prior to beginning of class. If a class needs to be cancelled, we will make every attempt to notify the student by email or phone call based on information provided to our office. If you want to check on a course you can call 407-882-0260 between 8:00 am - 5:00 pm for confirmation.
  
  
• How do I receive my textbook?
  After you have registered and paid for a course, your textbook will be delivered to you at the first class session.
  
  
• Are online courses available?
  Currently all courses are instructed in our classrooms and not available online.
  
  
• Are the courses eligible for UCF credit (degrees)?
  All courses are offered as non-credit and not transferable to UCF credit degree/certificate programs.
  
  
• What if I miss a class session?
  It is required that students attend ALL class sessions in order to receive a grade for the course. You will need to contact your instructor if you will miss a class.
  
  
• What courses do I need to complete to be eligible to take the CFP® Certification Exam?
  CFP Board requires successful completion of the 7 classes including Capstone. To earn the UCF Certificate of Completion in Financial Planning you must successfully complete all seven courses including Capstone with UCF.
  
  
• What do I need from UCF to sign up for the CFP Board Exam?
  UCF is responsible for submitting completed information to the CFP Board, if the student has completed all program modules at UCF. Otherwise, if students have completed some of their modules with another provider, UCF will provide only certificates for those modules completed at UCF. Upon registration of the CFP Board, students not completing their entire program at UCF will be required to submit all their certificates directly to the CFP Board.
  
  
• What is the Capstone course?
  This seventh course is designed to provide a review of the previous six courses in the UCF Certificate and additionally prepare students to the CFP® Certification Exam.
  
  
• How do I register to take the CFP® Certification Exam?
  Please go to www.cfp.net/become

For information, please contact Kim Malac at financialplanning@ucf.edu or call 407.882.0251.