Passing Both

PFP 512 and CFP Board Exam
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Click here to see my Bio! Thanks For Visting My Student Page
 Instructor: Terry Nelson, CFP MS      (Biography)

This web page and its related links had been dedicated to helping students from previous classes as much as possible.    However, because of time constraints, I am no longer teaching for any institution but The College of Financial Planning.     

If you are one of my students or anticipate being a student, you can feel free to contact me at my office any time.    The only time I will be unavailable to speak with you is when I am working with or on client accounts. 

You can call my office at: (651) 638-9428 or 
E-mail me at: terry@hometownfp.com     

College for Financial Planning: 
          Master of Science Degree Program

Here are the Modules 7 and 10 for the PFP 512 Course.

If you get a message that asks for a password, just click on cancel.   
(PS, if anyone knows how I can get that box from popping up, I will give you 5 points of extra credit.)

 

All of the material below represent my own personal experience both taking the tests and years of teaching it.   Nothing here is endorsed by the College of Financial Planning or any other institution!!

While I have removed the vast majority of material from my previous class web pages, I did want to leave some material as it might be helpful to individuals looking into financial planning as a career or customer. 

In order to pass the CFP Board Exam Board Exam, it is critical that you: 
1.   Memorize you study materials, 
2.   Know Your Calculator completely, and 
3.   Are able to apply the material in Case Analysis situation.

I also highly recommend that you take a Review Course.    There are several courses to choose from.    The following link (from the board of Standards) lists most of the courses available: http://www.cfp.net/become/reviewcourse.asp.

From my experience and what I have heard from students, my best recommendations are:

  • If Self Study is what your looking for, all of the College of Financial Planning is great: http://www.fp.edu/examreview/default.asp.

  • If a live class is what your looking for, the one by Ken Zahn in Florida, it is more than worth the time and travel costs to attend.    Zahn Review Course: http://www.gate.net/~zahn/overcour.htm.

  • Also, the Keir Company has a sample test you can take which is great.   While it is extremely hard, they will give you your money back if you pass their test and not the Board Exam.   So, if you pass their test, you should be ready for the board exam.  Their phone number and web site are: 1(800) 795-5347,  www.keirsuccess.com.

 

Here is a good example of how you should create your own memorization cards.   You can use this MS Word Document as a start, then change it however it is most helpful for your learning style: 

Investment Memorization Cards (including Time Value of Money)

Also: Here are some Actual CFPTM Test Questions, which the Board of Standards also has available on their web site.

CFP Board Exam (1999)
CFP Board Exam (2000)

CFP Board of Standards, Inc., You can click here to get more information about the test and the process of becoming a Certified Financial Planner practitioner.

See a PDF File of the CFP Certification Exam Topic List (after July 2001)

Click Here to Download the Adobe Reader for PDF Files: Download the Reader!

 

Also, students often ask where the can get learning materials for the Series 65 exam.    I have found the best company is Dearborn.    In addition to materials, they also provide a pre class before the test.   

Their phone number is: 1(800) 824-8742
Their web site is: http://www.dearborn.com


Here is another Great Learning / Time Saving  Tool:   Text to Speech Software

I currently use Text to Speech software to: 

  • Read Articles On Line, any trade magazine you may be receiving, also has each issue on line.    You can use that format with Text To Speech software. 
  • You will be required to do research on line, it is helpful to have some of these web pages read to you rather than reading through them.

It is very handy to be able to listen to articles and reports.  It allows me to do other work at the same keeping up on my reading.

I have looked at several software packages and have found the Read Please software to be the most functional.    It allows me to:

  • Listen to web pages,
  • Any text document, 
  • As well as save the reading as an MP3, Wav or other audio formats.   This way I can listen to them in the car or any where.

You will want to get at least one 16 bit voice, as it is much more appealing to listen to.   They sound the most realistic.