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Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Syllabus
Personal financial-planning certification from the CFP Board covering investments, retirement, tax, and estate planning.. The complete Certified Financial Planner (CFP) outline — 7 subjects, 28 chapters and 113 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
Certified Financial Planner (CFP) subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
4 chapters · 17 topics · 22 sub-topics
General Principles of Financial Planning and Cash Flow4 chapters · 16 topics · 15 sub-topics
Risk Management and Insurance Planning4 chapters · 16 topics · 23 sub-topics
Investment Planning4 chapters · 16 topics · 22 sub-topics
Tax Planning4 chapters · 16 topics · 18 sub-topics
Retirement Savings and Income Planning4 chapters · 16 topics · 17 sub-topics
Estate Planning4 chapters · 16 topics · 23 sub-topics
Certified Financial Planner (CFP) flashcard decks
386 question-and-answer cards across 7 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
- Professional Conduct, Regulation, and the Financial Planning Process — 50 cards
- General Principles of Financial Planning and Cash Flow — 51 cards
- Risk Management and Insurance Planning — 62 cards
- Investment Planning — 61 cards
- Tax Planning — 51 cards
- Retirement Savings and Income Planning — 60 cards
- Estate Planning — 51 cards
How to work through the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: Professional Conduct, Regulation, and the Financial Planning Process carries 17 topics while Estate Planning carries 16. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for Certified Financial Planner (CFP).
The ~115 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
Certified Financial Planner (CFP) syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) syllabus?
Certified Financial Planner (CFP) covers 7 subjects: Professional Conduct, Regulation, and the Financial Planning Process, General Principles of Financial Planning and Cash Flow, Risk Management and Insurance Planning, Investment Planning, Tax Planning, Retirement Savings and Income Planning and Estate Planning. Together they contain 28 chapters and 113 named topics.
How much do you have to study for Certified Financial Planner (CFP)?
The full Certified Financial Planner (CFP) outline breaks down into 28 chapters, 113 topics and 140 sub-topics. Professional Conduct, Regulation, and the Financial Planning Process is the largest single subject with 17 topics across 4 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole Certified Financial Planner (CFP) syllabus?
Roughly 115 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 5 weeks.
Are there Certified Financial Planner (CFP) flashcards?
Yes — 386 question-and-answer flashcards across 7 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this Certified Financial Planner (CFP) syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too, in United States and everywhere else. No account is needed to start.
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