Busy professionals dreaming of a career as a certified financial planner don’t have to stop working to meet their academic requirements. According to TheBestSchools.org, which ranks degree programs and colleges, there are plenty of great online programs that prepare aspiring planners to take the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) exam, a requirement of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.
Whether you are developing your financial services career or seeking to start one, CFP online certificate programs offer the necessary skills and knowledge you'll need while permitting you to study at your own pace. The flexible programs mean students don't have to make many of the professional, personal or financial sacrifices that students enrolled full-time in master's degree programs typically do.
TheBestSchools examined the quality of the online programs, the types of courses offered, the faculty, the rankings, the awards they have received and their reputation.
Here in order from last to first, are TheBestSchools’ top 10 picks to get you started in your new career as a CFP.
10. Rice University
The CFP program at the Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies at Rice University–in Houston—consists of seven courses: estate planning, financial plan development, general studies, income taxation planning, insurance and risk management, investment planning and retirement and employee benefits planning. Students must complete a capstone project.
