This program has seven classes; each class is 7-weeks in length, and runs from January 8, 2025 through March 7, 2026. Click here to download this schedule. For details on specific dates, you can click on the courses below:

General Principles (FP100): January 8 - February 22, 2025

Week 1: January 8 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 2: January 15 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 3: January 22 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT)
Week 4: January 29 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 5: February 5 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 6: February 12 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 7: February 19 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) & February 22 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p)

Insurance Planning (FP200): March 12 - April 26, 2025

Week 1: March 12 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 2: March 19 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 3: March 26 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT)
Week 4: April 2 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 5: April 9 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 6: April 16 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 7: April 23 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) & April 26 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p)

Investment Planning (FP300): May 14 - June 28, 2025

Week 1: May 14 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 2: May 21 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 3: May 28 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT)
Week 4: June 4 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 5: June 11 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 6: June 18 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 7: June 25 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) & June 28 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p)

Psychology & Tax (FP400): July 16 - September 6, 2025

Week 1: July 16 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 2: July 23 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 3: July 30 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT)
Week 4: August 6 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 5: August 13 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 6: August 20 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 7: August 27 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) & September 6 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p)

Retirement Planning (FP500): September 17 - November 1, 2025

Week 1: September 17 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 2: September 24 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 3: October 1 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT)
Week 4: October 8 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 5: October 15 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 6: October 22 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 7: October 29 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) & November 1 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p)

Estate Planing (FP600): November 19, 2025 - January 31, 2026

Week 1: November 19 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 2: December 3 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 3: December 10 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT)
Week 4: December 17 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 5: January 14 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 6: January 21 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) 
Week 7: January 28 (Wed, 6:00 - 10:00p CT) & January 31 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p)

Capstone (FP700): February 20 - March 7, 2026

Week 1: February 20 (Fri, 6:00 - 10:00p CST) & February 21 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 2: February 27 (Fri, 6:00 - 10:00p CST) & February 28 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 3: March 6 (Fri, 6:00 - 10:00p CST) & March 7 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)

 

This is a 4-week accelerated course, from February 21 to December 23, 2025. Click here to download this schedule. For details on specific dates, you can click on the courses below:

General Principles (FP100): February 21 - March 15, 2025

Week 1: February 21 (Fri, 5:30 - 9:30p CST) & February 22 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 2: February 28 (Fri, 5:30 - 9:30p CST) & March 1 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 3: March 8 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 4: March 15 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)

Insurance Planning (FP200): April 4 - May 3, 2025

Week 1: April 4 (Fri, 5:30 - 9:30p CST) & April 5 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 2: April 11 (Fri, 5:30 - 9:30p CST) & April 12 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 3: April 26 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 4: May 3 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)

Investment Planning (FP300): May 30 - June 21, 2025

Week 1: May 30 (Fri, 5:30 - 9:30p CST) & May 31 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 2: June 6 (Fri, 5:30 - 9:30p CST) & June 7 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 3: June 14 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 4: June 21 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)

Psychology & Tax (FP400): July 11 - August 2, 2025

Week 1: July 11 (Fri, 5:30 - 9:30p CST) & July 12 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 2: July 18 (Fri, 5:30 - 9:30p CST) & July 19 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 3: July 26 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 4: August 2 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)

Retirement Planning (FP500): Sep 11 - Sep 27, 2025

Week 1: Sep 5 (Fri, 5:30 - 9:30p CST) & Sep 6 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 2: Sep 12 (Fri, 5:30 - 9:30p CST) & Sep 13 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 3: Sep 20 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 4: Sep 27 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)

Estate Planing (FP600): October 17 - November 8, 2025

Week 1: October 17 (Fri, 5:30 - 9:30p CST) & October 18 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 2: October 24 (Fri, 5:30 - 9:30p CST) & October 25 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 3: November 1 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 4: November 8 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)

Capstone (FP700): November 21 - December 13, 2025

Week 1: November 21 (Fri, 5:30 - 9:30p CST) & November 22 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 2: December 5 (Fri, 5:30 - 9:30p CST) & December 6 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 3: December 12 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)
Week 4: December 13 (Sat, 8:30a - 5:30p CST)

 

Accelerated Program from February 3 to December 7, 2024:

General Principles (FP100): February 3 - March 2, 2024
Insurance Planning (FP200): March 22 - April 20, 2024
Investment Planning (FP300): May 10 - June 8, 2024
Psychology & Tax (FP400): June 28 - July 27, 2024
Retirement Planning (FP500): August 16 - September 14, 2024
Estate Planing (FP600): October 4 - October  26, 2024
Capstone (FP700): November 15 - December 7, 2024

Registration: Fill out our online registration form by clicking here. New students can start the program in General Principles or Insurance Planning. Students who have completed classes previously can join for the classes needed to complete their course education requirement. Classes are restricted to 20 students.

Registration Deadlines: 10 days before start date of class.

TOTAL PROGRAM COST: $5,845 

The program cost includes $5,650 in tuition and course materials for seven classes (EXE FP100 - EXE FP700) plus $195 CFP Board Completion Submission Fee. The $195 fee will be billed with the final course (EXE FP700: CFP Capstone). The cost of the exam is not included in our tuition fees.

All course registration fees include a National Underwriter textbook and an additional Zahn workbook.

EDUCATION COURSES

$800 per class for courses FP100 - FP600; $850 for FP700 (includes course materials)
$5,650 is the total tuition cost for seven classes in the program
Payment for each class is due a minimum of ten-days prior to the first day of class. UD bills for one class at a time, unless requested otherwise. 

CFP BOARD'S PER CAPITA FEE: EDUCATION COMPLETION SUBMISSION FEE

Starting in 2023, the CFP Board will charge a $195 Per Capita Fee for every student reported by the school through the education verification system. Registered programs are required to submit completion of the coursework requirement through their  education verification system for any student who has successfully completed the full registered program through their institution. This is a pass through fee which the University will collect and pay to the CFP Board.

The $195 Per Capita Fee will be charged to all students who are completing the program. This fee will be added to the Capstone (EXE FP700) course invoice. The fee must be paid before the University can submit your coursework requirement to the CFP Board. 

Exceptions: Students will not be charged the Per Capita Fee when:

Student complete only the Capstone course. Students must self-report to CFP Board.
Students who attend multiple registered programs must self-report course completion certificates/transcripts to the CFP Board.

Scholarship Opportunities

The New Kitces CFP Certification Scholarship List was created to help individuals pursuing their CFP certification. UD has no affiliation with any of these scholarship opportunities, the information is provided as a resource to our students.

Link to scholarship webpage: https://www.kitces.com/cfp-scholarships-list/

Stephen Stetz, MBA, MS PFP, CFP®

Steve was born in Kansas and lived in Oklahoma before moving to Texas in 1992. He has worked for a leading financial services firm since 2011 where his goal is to empower and educate his clients. His current role focuses on fee based discretionary managed accounts. He partners with clients each day to help them determine an appropriate asset allocation for their investment portfolios, as well as create and sustain successful financial plans. Throughout his career in financial services, he has been consistently recognized for his performance and leadership. He has also served as a mentor to newer representatives where he helped his peers succeed in their role and increase their knowledge of the financial markets.

Steve became a CFP® professional in July 2014. Along with his certification he also holds the FINRA 7, 63, Texas Life & Health, and Texas Property & Casualty insurance licenses. He received a B.B.A. in Management in 2005 from Texas Tech University. After working for 3 years, he went back to attend graduate school in August of 2008 where he received an MBA and a Master of Science in Personal Financial Planning graduating in December 2010. 

Steve is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Dallas and teaches Live Review classes around the US. Steve is a member of FPA Dallas/Fort Worth.

Sean Britt, CFP®, CLU®

Sean joined the financial services industry in 2012 at Fidelity Investments and then went on to work at Merrill Lynch as a Financial Advisor working with families and then spent some time at JPMorgan coaching and developing other Financial Advisors. In 2019, Sean moved to Charles Schwab as a Planning Consultant where he works with clients as a financial planner helping clients prioritize their goals, creating a plan for reaching them, and providing portfolio recommendations.

Sean holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) certification awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., and holds the Series 7 and 66 FINRA registrations as well as his Texas life, health and variable annuity insurance licenses. He is a graduate of Midwestern State University, with a BBA degree in Finance.

Sean is a native Texan, who, in his spare time, enjoys traveling with his wife, Kati. In addition to traveling, they enjoy spending time with family and their 3 pets. Sean is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Dallas and a member of FPA Dallas/Fort Worth.

Rodney Jarrell, MBA, CPA, CFP®

Rodney Jarrell is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with Lakeview Financial Solutions and has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1981. After spending many years in the financial industry where he helped hundreds of people with their life plan, he moved into the retirement and college planning industry. Rodney became interested in retirement planning when more and more of his college planning clients started asking for help with their retirement plans. With diligent analysis and research he has helped many families navigate their way through the minefield of retirement planning.

Rodney Jarrell has both a Bachelor’s degree and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He has been married to his wife Janice for 46 years and has two children and one grandson. His daughter Kirsten is a Doctor of Audiology in Rowlett and his son Mark is an Integration Architect in Austin.

Rodney is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Dallas and an FPA member of Dallas/Fort Worth.

Ashish Bajaj, MBA, CFP®

Ashish earned his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® designation in 2016 after completing the Zahn program at the University of North Florida. He began teaching students through the Zahn program in 2017. Ashish worked directly with clients as a financial planner from 2013 -2022. In recent years, Ashish has been working as a financial educator with the Wounded Warrior Project, teaching and supporting veterans who are trying to improve their financial circumstances.

Prior to becoming a financial planner, Ashish was a manager at the American Medical Association leading two of the AMA’s largest physician groups. He also spent several years as a strategy consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, specializing in organizational design, change management and strategic communications.

Ashish received his Bachelors from the University of Chicago and his MBA from Emory University. He has been active in several charitable and civic organizations in Jacksonville and Chicago including the League of Women Voters, the Jacksonville Dance Theatre, and the Chicago Jaycees. In his spare time, Ashish enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family.

The program curriculum consists of six required courses and one Capstone review course that delivers information about areas in financial planning for both beginning and established practitioners. Required courses in UD's certificate program include:

FP100: General Principles
This course is designed to introduce students to the financial planning process. The course focuses on the general principles required to become a successful financial planner which include the ethics of the profession as well as the knowledge and skills required to prepare a financial plan. 

FP200: Insurance Planning
This course is designed to acquaint students with the principles of risk management and various types of insurance including casualty, fire, health, life, auto, home, disability. The principles taught prepare students to identify a client's risk exposure and select appropriate risk management techniques. 

FP300: Investment Planning
This course introduces the wide variety of investment vehicles that may be included in a client's portfolio. Topics include client assessment, tax considerations, economic factors, valuation methods, asset allocation techniques, portfolio performance evaluation, and more.

FP400: Psychology & Tax
This course emphasizes the fundamentals of individual income taxation, the tax implications of various types of businesses, tax-advantaged investments, employee compensation issues and planning, alternative minimum tax, tax traps, and more.

FP500: Retirement Planning
This course provides a complete overview of retirement planning including retirement savings need analysis, qualified retirement plan design, Social Security, Medicare, and more. In addition, group life, health, and disability insurance; non-qualified deferred compensation; and other commonly provided employee benefits are examined.

FP600: Estate Planning
This course covers planning and managing federal estate and gift tax planning and opportunities. The perspectives of a variety of parties are considered including heirs, fiduciaries, estates, trusts, beneficiaries, donors, and donees. Topics include asset valuation, estate tax deductions, exemptions and credits. Significant time is given to the transfer of amount at death and the dispositive tools available to clients.

FP700: CFP Case Study/Capstone
This course builds upon the material in the above courses. Emphasis is on the applications of financial planning concepts in an integrated planning environment. This "capstone-like" course utilizes case studies and mini-cases to tie together the various discipline studied in the individual prior courses into a comprehensive financial planning process. 

• All course registration fees include a National Underwriter textbook and an additional Zahn workbook.
• A financial calculator is also required for class and it is the responsibility of the student to provide their own calculator.

Students who successfully complete the entire accelerated graduate level program (classes FP100 – FP700) will earn the Personal Financial Planning Certificate digital badge. This badge is issued by the University of Dallas.

Earners of this badge understand how to approach personal finances ethically and holistically, including all aspects of financial planning; including general principles of financial planning, ethical and professional conduct, personal risk management with insurance planning, retirement strategies which including savings, investments, and income planning, income tax planning, estate management, and most importantly how to bring these elements together into a comprehensive and actionable  road map for their clients. Badge earners have shown they are experts in all aspects personal financial planning.

What is a digital badge?

More advanced than a certificate, a digital badge is a micro-credential that contains detailed information about the learning experience and the knowledge gained.  It is shareable across the Internet, including LinkedIn, on a personal resume or CV. Each badge comes with searchable meta-data linked to an individual and the earned badge, and your accomplishment can be verified and recognized internationally by employers and hiring managers.

How to Earn the Digital Badge:

Completion of this program allows students to earn the Certificate in Financial Planning, and the student’s completion is also submitted to the CFP Board as verification the student has completed a CFP Board approved and registered program. This education verification completes one of the criteria a student must meet to sit for the Certified Financial Planner™ exam. 

Students with prior coursework from other institutions can still earn this certificate. UD requires a student to complete five of the seven classes within our program, which includes FP700 (CFP Case Study/Capstone). Please note: Students with prior coursework from other registered programs can earn the badge; however, they are required to submit their own education coursework completion to the CFP Board themselves

The CFP Board has conducted surveys with CFP® certified professionals and investors highlighting the value of certification in the field of finance. Visit their webpage for more information on the value of the CFP certification.

Why our program?

• Earn a Personal Financial Planning Certificate  and digital badge issued by UD. Students who successfully complete our entire program (FP100 - FP700) will be issued a certificate and digital badge.
• UD is committed to help you complete the CFP Board coursework requirement in under 1-year.
  Our instructors are industry professionals who have all earned their CFP® certification.
• We have helped over 100 students pass the CFP® exam.
• Convenient Friday and Saturday class format, designed with the working professional in mind.
• Course materials are updated yearly, and included in the price of tuition. 
• Certificate of Completion awarded to students who successfully complete all seven classes. 
• Convenient online sessions with a live instructor.

For information about the CFP Board's education and experience requirements, exam fees, and test information click here.