US college launches CFP prep course

The vocational course will satisfy the requirements for the educational component of the certified financial planner (CFP) accrediation process and has been approved by the international CFP Board.

In addition to prepping students for the CFP exam, the course curriculum will also include a unit on professional ethics, which ISU finance instructor Sharon L Robinson says sets it apart from other qualifications.

"The ethical component is its strength, and that is because, as a Certified Financial Planner designee, we have a fiduciary standard," she said in a university statement. "The client's best interest will always come first."

The course will differ from the other business school courses in its focus on a comprehensive range of subjects to prepare students to provide advice on “all areas of their financial life, from as basic as budgeting to retirement, estate planning, insurance or investment planning”, rather than the traditional market analysis focus of other financial educational courses, she said.

Student Jennifer Groth, a junior finance major from Terre Haute, Indiana, says the course is appealing to would-be financial planners."This major will complement what I want to do," she said. "Also, the curriculum is set up perfectly so I can take the CFP exam in the future."