CFP - Certified Financial Planner - For Exams in 2025

CFP - Certified Financial Planner - For Exams in 2025 udemy course free download

CFP, Certified Financial Planner, updated 2025, financial planning, financial analysis, Retirement Saving, Investment

Certified Financial Planner

CFP is a formal recognition of expertise in the areas of financial planning, taxes, insurance, estate planning, and retirement saving.

Owned and awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., the designation is awarded to individuals who successfully complete the CFP Board's initial exams, then continue ongoing annual education programs to sustain their skills and certification.

CFPs are there to help individuals manage their finances. This can include a variety of needs, such as investment planning, retirement planning, insurance, and education planning. The most important aspect of a CFP® is to be a fiduciary of your assets, meaning that they will make decisions with your best interests in mind.

CFPs are all-encompassing, particularly when compared to investment advisors. CFPs will usually start the process by evaluating your current finances, including any cash, assets, investments, or properties, to come up with an estimate of your income and net worth. They also take a look at your liabilities, such as mortgages and student debt.

CFP Exam Outline

The CFP exam contains 170 multiple-choice questions and has a time limit of 6 hours (split into two 3-hour sections).

The exam is split into eight content domains, and each question will either be a standalone question or a scenario-based question.

1. Professional Conduct and Regulation (8%)

The questions in this domain cover the following topics:

• The function, general structure, and purpose of financial institutions

• Fiduciary standard and application

• CFP Board’s Procedural Rules

• Consumer protection laws

• CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and standards of Conduct

• Financial services requirements and regulations

2. General Principles of Financial Planning (15%)

The questions in this domain cover the following topics:

• Economic concepts

• Cash flow management

• Income tax strategies

• Financial planning process

• Time value of money concepts and calculations

• Education funding

• Financial statements

• Education needs analysis

• Financing strategies

• Debt management

3. Risk Management and Insurance Planning (11%)

The questions in this domain cover the following topics:

• Disability income insurance

• Analysis and evaluation of risk exposures

• Insurance needs analysis

• Long-term care insurance

• Principles of risk and insurance

• Qualified and non-qualified annuities

• Insurance policy and company selection

• Heatlh care cost management

• Long-term case planning

• Business owner insurance solutions

• Life insurance

• Insurance needs analysis

4. Investment Planning (17%)

The questions in this domain cover the following topics:

• Market cycles

• Alternative investments and liquidity risk

• Asset allocation and portfolio diversification

• Types of investment risk

• Investment strategies

• Characteristics, taxation, and uses of investment vehicles

• Quantitative investment concepts and measures of investment returns

• Bond and stock valuation concepts

5. Tax Planning (14%)

The questions in this domain cover the following topics:

• Current and fundamental tax law

• Income taxation of estates and trusts

• Charitable contributions and deductions

• Tax reduction techniques

• Tax implications of special circumstances

• Characteristics and income taxation of business entities

• Tax consequences of property transactions

• Tax management techniques

• Income tax fundamentals and calculations

6. Retirement Savings and Income Planning (18%)

The questions in this domain cover the following topics:

• Business succession planning

• Eldercare and special needs planning

• Key factors affecting plan selection for businesses

• Distribution rules and taxation

• Social Security and Medicare planning

• Qualified and non-qualified plan rules and options

• Retirement needs analysis

• Retirement income and distribution strategies

• Types of retirement plans

7. Estate Planning (10%)

The questions in this domain cover the following topics:

• Marital deduction

• Strategies to transfer property

• Sources for estate liquidity

• Property titling and beneficiary designations

• Planning for special needs and circumstances

• Intra-family and other business transfer techniques

• Estate and incapacity planning documents

• Planning for divorce, unmarried couples, and other special circumstances

• Postmortem estate planning techniques

• Estate, gift, and GST tax compliance and calculation

8. Psychology of Financial Planning (7%)

The questions in this domain cover the following topics:

• Principles of counseling

• Crisis events with severe consequences

• Client and planner biases, attitudes, and values

• Sources of money conflict

• General principles of effective communication

• Principles of counseling

• Behavioral finance