College for Financial Planning

In July 2018, Kaplan acquired the College for Financial Planning®, bringing together two respected leaders in financial services education. College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan Company (CFFP) remains a separate institution, owned by Kaplan and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Education programs in financial planning, asset management, wealth management, and retirement planning including our CFP® certification program, professional designation programs, Master’s Degree in Personal Financial Planning, and Master’s Degree in Financial Analysis are offered under the name College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan Company. The financial planning movement experienced a historic moment in December 1969 when 13 men gathered in Chicago and outlined the first steps to further the idea that people could benefit from a profession that integrated knowledge and practices across the various areas of the financial services industry. Resolutions were made to create the International Association for Financial Planners (IAFP) and the College for Financial Planning. Founded in 1972, the College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan Company has a 50 year heritage in financial planning education. Shortly after its founding, the College introduced the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM certification, which is now the world’s most recognized and respected financial planning credential with more than 90,000 certified professionals. Five decades after the the launch of our CFP® Certification Professional Education Program that led to the creation of the CFP® certification, our offerings now also include Master of Science degree programs in Personal Financial Planning and Financial Analysis as well as professional designation programs that provide more in-depth knowledge of the financial services industry with specializations in asset management, retirement planning and personal financial planning. These specializations include launching groundbreaking designation programs related to behavioral finance, domestic partnerships and sustainable, responsible, and impact (SRI) investments. The ongoing expansion of our education offerings is a reflection of our commitment to responding to the needs of the evolving financial services industry and supporting professionals looking to add to their skillset, advance their careers and create better outcomes for their clients. Since the first graduating class in 1973, more than 195,000 financial professionals are alumni of the College.