Purdue offering new financial planning certificate program online

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. —Purdue University will begin offering a program of highly rated Certified Financial Planner Board-registered courses online, allowing learners to satisfy the educational requirements for taking the CFP® exam in less than a year on the path to what could be a big career boost.

Demand for personal financial advisors is expected to grow at a higher than average rate over the next decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Meanwhile, of the 270,000 financial advisors in the U.S. today, only about 83,000 hold the CFP® certification, the industry standard of excellence. Advisors who are certified tend to earn 30% more than their peers.

Offered through Purdue Online in partnership with Dalton Education, the online courses are taught virtual classroom-style, live online including interaction with instructors who are certified and fellow students. All classes are recorded for playback at any time as well. Learners have access to Dalton’s TestBank, an extensive library of practice exam questions and exams.

“The practice questions they have and the practice exams are harder than the CFP exam,” said David Evans, director of Purdue’s registered financial planning bachelor’s program. “Working with them moves the needle for passing the actual exam from around 50% to 90%.”

Purdue Online will begin offering the program in January with cohorts starting every other month. Learners can expect to spend 8-12 hours a week on the series of courses for nine months. The cost is $5,650.

A self-paced, online option should be available by summer for those who prefer a more flexible experience.

Those who complete the program successfully will receive a Purdue certificate of completion signifying that they have met the educational requirements to sit for the CFP® exam.

The program includes six courses that cover the knowledge and skills needed to complete the exam successfully. The courses include:

• Fundamentals of Financial Planning and Insurance, the basics that form the foundation of knowledge students need as working financial services professionals.
• Investment Planning, an introduction to modern portfolio theory, measuring risk and return, portfolio development and analysis, asset allocation and portfolio diversification, among other things.
• Income Tax Planning, an introduction to individual income tax fundamentals and the calculation of income tax, as well as tax issues surrounding business entities.
• Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits, an introduction to retirement planning and employee benefits, including public and private retirement plans, as well as group and fringe benefits.
• Estate Planning, the basics that form the foundation of knowledge students need in the estate planning process including wills, the probate process, gift and estate taxes, planning techniques to reduce an individual’s tax liability and more.
• Capstone course, a project where students synthesize and apply elements of comprehensive financial planning and the functions of the financial planning process, applying the Certified Financial Planner Board’s practice standards.

Purdue has offered its registered financial planning bachelor’s degree since 2004 and regularly receives requests for a certified financial planning program from Purdue students and graduates, Evans said. Making the program available through Purdue Online opens it up for anyone who qualifies, with a top-rated university and Dalton, a leader in the field, behind it.

“This is the top certification for an in-demand field that promises to continue to be in demand going forward,” said Gerry McCartney, executive vice president for Purdue Online. “The opportunity for Purdue Online to partner with Dalton Education to offer this qualification program was an easy decision to make.”

For more information on taking the course series through Purdue see the program website. Registration is open now. 

Writer: Greg Kline, 765-494-8167, gkline@purdue.edu 

Sources: David Evans, daevans@purdue.edu

Gerry McCartney, mccart@purdue.edu