Conference Highlights Financial Planning Education

CFP Board Hosts Program Directors' Conference in Washington, D.C.

Washington DC, July 28, 2010 — Financial planning education best practices and research will be on the agenda during CFP Board’s Program Directors’ Conference on August 12-13 in Washington, D.C., as educators from across the country come together to share ideas and resources, all in an effort to prepare future personal financial planners.

“As one of the fastest growing occupations in the country, financial planners need a robust education to ensure they can practice their profession and serve their clients,” said Bob Glovsky, CFP®, 2010 Chairman of CFP Board’s Board of Directors and Director Emeritus of Boston University’s Program for Financial Planners. “This conference provides a great opportunity for educators to exchange ideas, discuss best practices and identify areas for research.”

The primary objective of this conference is to provide a forum for the sharing of ideas and resources, specifically with regard to instructional opportunities that allow the learner to integrate and apply course content. Given the introduction of the Financial Plan Development Course requirement – a capstone course – this is an instructional opportunity for the student to synthesize content from across the financial planning curriculum. The conference will offer specific avenues for programs to meet CFP Board criteria in designing effective capstone experiences that prepare future financial planners for their profession. The conference will also feature a poster session that will provide doctoral students the opportunity to showcase their research, proving the unique opportunity for practitioners, educators, and researchers to participate in a dialogue about topics in the profession.

The keynote speaker is Deanna Sharpe, Ph.D., CFP®, who will discuss the rationale for providing instructional opportunities that allow the learner to integrate and apply content knowledge from across the curriculum. She will also share some of the practicum experiences that she has developed in her own program at the University of Missouri. Nearly 125 educators from some of the country’s top higher education institutions will be presenting at the conference, representing a variety of online and classroom-based certificate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs.

To become a CFP® certificant, people need to meet a series of qualifications. Known as the “4 Es” – education, ethics, experience and exam – education is the foundation for CFP® certification. Candidates for CFP® certification need to have a bachelor’s degree, sit for the CFP® exam and once a CFP® professional, earn continuing education credits. Education programs are taught as stand-alone programs or part of receiving a baccalaureate or master’s degree. CFP Board partners with 335 programs at 212 institutions.

“Financial planning education is rapidly evolving, with more colleges and universities adding baccalaureates, master’s and even doctoral programs in financial planning,” said Kevin Keller, CEO of CFP Board. “This conference will bring the best and brightest in financial planning education.”

Those interested in attending the conference, which is being held at The Fairfax at Embassy Row, 100 Massachusetts Ave., NW Washington, DC 20008, can register at www.CFP.net. An announcement on the conference is on the homepage. For more information, contact the Education Department at education@CFPBoard.org.

Media interested in attending should contact Dan Drummond, Director of Public Relations, at ddrummond@CFPBoard.org or 202-379-2252.

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