Bryant University's Online CFP® curriculum has been refined over 15 years. Students are familiarized with essential topics in the Introduction to Financial Planning course. Those topics are then developed and mastered throughout 5 other core education courses. Students then prove their command of the Financial Planning Process in the Financial Planning Capstone Course.


Introduction to Financial Planning

Bryant's Introductory course lays the necessary groundwork for your Certified Financial Planning® education. You will develop a thorough understanding of the tools required to build your successful career by taking a broad look at the entire financial planning process. The course introduces several important topics, including time value of money, accounting, statistics, and economics.

What's covered?

Financial Planning Basics

  • The Financial Planning Process
  • Life Cycle Planning
  • Time Value of Money
  • Personal Financial Statements and Budgeting
  • Emergency Fund Planning
  • Credit and Debt Management
  • Buying vs. Leasing
  • Educational Funding
  • Monetary Settlements and Special Circumstances
  • CFP® Board's Code of Ethics and Practice Standards
  • CFP® Board's Disciplinary Rules and Procedures

Foundations of Business

  • Basic Economic Concepts
  • Business Law
  • Function, Purpose and Regulation of Financial Institutions
  • Financial Services Industry Regulation Requirements

Practice Questions: Over 550

Recommended Calculator:

  • HP12C Financial Calculator



Insurance Planning and Risk Management

The second core content course addresses life, disability, and medical insurance. Begin by learning the basics of each available contract type. Learn to efficiently read insurance proposals, and finally learning how insurance rates are developed and how life insurance is used to meet client goals. Property and casualty insurance, including homeowners', liability and auto insurance, along with group life and health insurance plans are all covered in depth.

What's covered?

  • Principles of Insurance
  • Evaluation and Analysis of Risk Exposures
  • Legal Aspects of Insurance
  • Property and Casualty Insurance
  • General Business Liability
  • Health Insurance
  • Disability Income Insurance
  • Long-Term Care Insurance
  • Life Insurance
  • Viatical Settlements
  • Insurance Needs
  • Taxation of Insurance
  • Insurance Policy Selection
  • Insurance Company Selection

Practice Questions: Over 380



Investment Planning

The Investment Planning course examines the fundamental investment principles employed by advisors as they seek to accumulate wealth for their clients. Mastery of these principles is key, because it's this wealth that ultimately allows clients to realize their long term financial planning goals.

You will study effective investment planning strategies, including...

What's covered?

  • Fixed Income Securities
  • Equities
  • Pooled Investments
  • Derivatives, Insurance Securities and Other Investments
  • Investment Risks
  • Measures of Investment Returns
  • Time Influence on Valuation
  • Valuation of Bonds and Stocks
  • Portfolio Management and Measurements
  • Formula Investing and Investment Strategies
  • Asset Allocation and Portfolio Diversification
  • Efficient Market Theory
  • Asset Pricing Models
  • Buying and Selling Securities
  • Hedging and Option Strategies
  • Tax Efficient Investing
  • Taxation of Investment Vehicles

Practice Questions: Over 480



Tax Planning

The Tax Planning course explores the impact of state and Federal taxation on different business types including sole proprietorships, partnerships and corporations. You will develop a strong knowledge base regarding the tax-related aspects of investments, insurance, annuities and securities. You'll be introduced to other special tax considerations, including charitable giving, the sale of assets and more.

What's covered?

  • Income Tax Law Fundamentals
  • Gross Income
  • Income Tax Calculations
  • Tax Characteristics of Entities
  • Basis
  • Cost Recovery Concepts
  • Tax Consequences on Sale of Assets
  • Like-Kind Exchanges and Involuntary Conversions
  • Income Taxation of Trusts and Estates
  • Passive Activity
  • Charitable Contributions and Deductions
  • Tax Implications of Changing Circumstances
  • Tax Accounting Methods
  • Tax Compliance
  • Alternative Minimum Tax
  • Tax Management Techniques

Practice Questions: Over 430



Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits

The retirement planning component of this course examines tax-deferred retirement plans, IRAs and nonqualified plans. You will learn how to conduct a retirement needs analysis and how to plan, implement and monitor both individual and business-sponsored retirement plans. Furthermore, you'll learn which regulatory issues surround retirement planning and benefits, and how tax issues impact these decisions. The employee benefits component of the course considers Social Security and Medicare, civil service systems and group insurance policies.

What's covered?

  • Retirement Needs Analysis
  • Qualified Retirement Plans
  • Non-Qualified Plans
  • Government 457 Plans
  • Other Tax-Advantaged Retirement Plans
  • Investment Considerations for Retirement Plans
  • Distribution Rules, Alternatives and Taxation
  • Plan Selection for Businesses
  • Employee Benefit Plans
  • Employer/Employee Insurance Arrangements
  • Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid
  • Regulatory Considerations

Practice Questions: Over 450



Estate Planning

The final core content course teaches strategies which either maximize the value of your client's estate or eliminate uncertainties over the administration of your client's probate. To maximize the value, techniques to reduce tax impacts on transfers of wealth are covered, including gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes at both the state and Federal levels. Non-tax aspects of estate planning, including the estate planning process, wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney, powers of appointment, and probate procedure are also studied.

What's covered?

  • Overview of Estate Planning
  • Forms of Property Ownership
  • Gifting
  • Gross Estate
  • Estate Tax Calculations
  • Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax
  • Estate Planning Documents
  • Probate Process
  • Trusts
  • Charitable Gifting
  • Business Planning
  • Miscellaneous Planning
  • Estate Planning Process

Practice Questions: Over 385



Financial Planning Capstone Course

The Capstone course is where students prove their command of the Financial Planning Process. Students apply the knowledge they have gathered throughout the previous six courses as they work through 7 case studies that are designed to be as similar to the case studies found on CFP® Board's Certification Exam as possible.

How does the Capstone work?

The Financial Planning Capstone Course is comprised of 7 total case studies:

3 Mini-Cases. These cases have abbreviated fact sets. You will encounter several similarly structured small cases on your Board Exam. Each mini-case is focused on a specific topic, which is also true of the small cases on the Board Exam. The 3 mini-cases are each completed by passing a brief 4-question quiz.

3 Full Cases. These cases have full fact sets. You will encounter at least one similarly structured full case on your Board Exam. Each full case is focused on a specific topic, which is also true of the full cases on the Board Exam. The 3 full cases are each completed by passing a 10-question quiz.

1 Final Case. This is where everything you have learned comes together. The final case provides 7 prompts that each require a written response and 1 prompt that requires an audio response. Consider both the specific objectives of the case's subjects and CFP® Board's Financial Planning Practice Standards. while responding to each prompt.



On the Capstone course:
"Great course and cases… I felt Bryant did a good job of challenging me and giving me the freedom
to interpret the action steps.”

- Corey A., Reilly, Fisher & Solomon, P.A.


Learn about the many Features & Benefits of Bryant's online CFP® curriculum.