CFP Exam Educational Requirements
The following list contains the required 72 topics for all CFP Board Registered Programs. If topics are covered in multiple courses, programs are encouraged to list each course.
EFFECTIVE 2015 (subject to revision in 2016)
UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS
FOGELMAN COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
DEPT. OF FINANCE INSURANCE AND REAL ESTATE
CFP BOARD'S FINANCIAL PLANNING TOPIC LIST (72-TOPICS)
AT A MINIMUM, THE CURRICULUM SHALL CONTAIN COURSES THAT ENABLE THE STUDENT TO ACQUIRE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE TOPICS FOUND IN CFP BOARD'S FINANCIAL PLANNING TOPIC LIST.
"The purpose of the topic list is to guide educational institutions to develop degree and certificate programs in financial planning that deal with the skills and knowledge deemed important to the tasks involved in comprehensive financial planning. The required topic coverage and the recommended optional courses described herein were formulated based on CFP Board's job analysis study of the practice of financial planning. The periodic updates of the job analysis study practice will result in modifications to the curriculum guidelines from time to time, approximately every five years. Topic coverage adequacy will be determined by CFP Board's review of detailed course syllabi, textbooks, student evaluation methods, faculty credentials, and other relevant materials. Throughout the registration period, course materials should be kept up-to-date and reflect current law and practice (Criteria for Registration of a Financial Planning Curriculum with CFP Board, January, 2012)."
| CFP Board Exam Topics | Course Number | |
|---|---|---|
| A. Professional Conduct and Regulation Take any one course from EACH ROW |
||
| A.1 | CFP Board's Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility and Rules of Conduct | FIR 4610 FIR 4620 FIR 4730 |
| A.2 | CFP Board's Financial Planning Practice Standards | FIR 4610 FIR 4620 FIR 4730 |
| A.3 | CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules and Procedures | FIR 4610 FIR 4620 FIR 4730 |
| A.4 | Function, purpose, and regulation of financial institutions | FIR 3410 FIR 3720 |
| A.5 | Financial services regulations and requirements | FIR 3410 FIR 3720 |
| A.6 | Consumer protection laws | FIR 4610 FIR 4620 FIR 3710 |
| A.7 | Fiduciary | FIR 4610 FIR 4620 FIR 3710 |
| B. General Principles and Regulation Take any one course from EACH ROW |
||
| B.1 | Financial planning process | FIR4610 FIR 4620 FIR 4730 |
| B.2 | Financial statements | FIR 3410 ACCT 2010 |
| B.3 | Cash flow management | FIR 3410 ACCT 2010 |
| B.4 | Financing strategies | FIR 3410 ACCT 2010 |
| B.5 | Economic concepts | FIR 3410 |
| B.6 | Time value of money concepts and calculations | FIR 3410 FIR 3710 |
| B.7 | Client and planner attitudes, values, biases and behavioral finance | FIR 3410 FIR 3710 |
| B.8 | Principles of communication and counseling | FIR 4610 FIR 4620 MGMT 3510 |
| B.9 | Debt management | FIR 3310 FIR 3410 |
| C. Education Planning Take any one course from EACH ROW |
||
| C.1 | Education needs analysis | FIR 3810 FIR 4870 |
| C.2 | Education savings vehicles | FIR 3810 FIR 4870 |
| C.3 | Financial aid | FIR 3810 FIR 4870 |
| C.4 | Gift/income tax strategies | FIR 4011 ACCT 3130 |
| C.5 | Education financing | FIR 3810 FIR 4870 |
| D. Risk Management and Insurance Planning Take any one course from EACH ROW |
||
| D.1 | Principles of risk and insurance | FIR 3810 FIR 4870 |
| D.2 | Analysis and evaluation of risk exposures | FIR 3810 FIR 4870 |
| D.3 | Health insurance and health care cost management (individual) | FIR 3810 FIR 4870 |
| D.4 | Disability income insurance (individual) | FIR 3810 FIR 4870 |
| D.5 | Long term care insurance (individual) | FIR 3810 FIR 4870 |
| D.6 | Annuities | FIR 3810 FIR 4870 |
| D.7 | Life insurance (individual) | FIR 3810 FIR 4870 |
| D.8 | Business uses of insurance | FIR 3810 FIR 4870 |
| D.9 | Insurance needs analysis | FIR 3810 FIR 4870 |
| D.10 | Insurance policy and company selection | FIR 3810 FIR 4870 |
| D.11 | Property and casualty insurance | FIR 3810 FIR 4870 |
| E. Investment Planning Take any one course from EACH ROW |
||
| E.1 | Characteristics, uses and taxation of investment vehicles | FIR 3710 FIR 3720 |
| E.2 | Types of investment risk | FIR 3710 FIR 3720 |
| E.3 | Quantitative investment concepts | FIR 3710 FIR 3720 |
| E.4 | Measures of investment returns | FIR 3710 FIR 3720 |
| E.5 | Asset allocation and portfolio diversification | FIR 3710 FIR 3720 |
| E.6 | Bond and stock valuation concepts | FIR 3710 FIR 3720 |
| E.7 | Portfolio development and analysis | FIR 3710 FIR 3720 |
| E.8 | Investment strategies | FIR 3710 FIR 3720 |
| E.9 | Alternative investments | FIR 3710 FIR 3720 |
| F. Tax Planning Take any one course from EACH ROW |
||
| F.1 | Fundamental tax law | ACCT 3510 FIR 3410 |
| F.2 | Income tax fundamentals and calculations | ACCT 3510 |
| F.3 | Characteristics and income taxation of business entities | ACCT 3510 FIR 3410 |
| F.4 | Income taxation of trusts and estates | FIR 4011 |
| F.5 | Alternative minimum tax (AMT) | ACCT 3510 |
| F.6 | Tax reduction/management techniques | ACCT 3510 |
| F.7 | Tax consequences of property transactions | ACCT 3510 |
| F.8 | Passive activity and at-risk rules | ACCT 3510 |
| F.9 | Tax implications of special circumstances | ACCT 3510 |
| F.10 | Charitable/philanthropic contributions and deductions | ACCT 3510 FIR 4011 |
| G. Retirement Savings and Income Planning Take any one course from EACH ROW |
||
| G.1 | Retirement needs analysis | FIR 3410 FIR 4011 |
| G.2 | Social Security and Medicare | FIR 4011 FIR 4870 |
| G.3 | Medicaid | FIR 4011 FIR 4870 |
| G.4 | Types of retirement plans | FIR 4011 ACCT 3510 |
| G.5 | Qualified plan rules and options | FIR 4011 ACCT 3510 |
| G.6 | Other tax-advantaged retirement plans | FIR 4011 ACCT 3510 |
| G.7 | Regulatory considerations | FIR 4011 |
| G.8 | Key factors affecting plan selection for businesses | FIR 4011 ACCT 3510 |
| G.9 | Distribution rules and taxation | FIR 4011 ACCT 3510 |
| G.10 | Retirement income and distribution strategies | FIR 4011 |
| G.11 | Business succession planning | FIR 4011 |
| H. Estate Planning Take any one course from EACH ROW |
||
| H.1 | Characteristics and consequences of property titling | FIR 3310 FIR 4011 |
| H.2 | Strategies to transfer property | FIR 3310 FIR 4011 |
| H.3 | Estate planning documents | FIR 3310 FIR 4011 |
| H.4 | Gift and estate tax compliance and tax calculation | FIR 4011 ACCT 3510 |
| H.5 | Sources for estate liquidity | FIR 4011 |
| H.6 | Types, features, and taxation of trusts | FIR 4011 ACCT 3130 |
| H.7 | Marital deduction | FIR 4011 ACCT 3130 |
| H.8 | Intra-family and other business transfer techniques | FIR 4011 |
| H.9 | Postmortem estate planning techniques | FIR 4011 ACCT 3130 |
| H.10 | Estate planning for non-traditional relationships | FIR 4011 ACCT 3130 |