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Certified Financial Planner

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April 11, 2024 3 minute read

Entering the financial services sector is both a lucrative and competitive prospect for a new graduate. Certified Financial Planners, a key pillar of the sector, are subject matter experts on not just investment advisory and financial planning, but must also possess comprehensive knowledge of tax strategies and estate planning too. This career guide will serve to not only help you determine if this is the right path for you, it will also provide you with a comprehensive overview of the career path, required skills, and relevant online courses to support your learning journey.

Types of Financial Planning

As a financial professional, you will provide financial advice to clients with a variety of needs. Depending on where you work, your client base may be individuals or institutions. The largest two categories of financial planning are:

  1. Investment Planning: this considers financial goals, including retirement, education, and major purchases. You will manage client portfolios consisting of stocks, bonds, and other investment vehicles.
  2. Retirement Planning: this encompasses income planning, asset allocation, tax-efficient strategies, and estate planning. The aim is for clients to have sufficient income to meet their needs during retirement and preserve assets for loved ones.

Required Skills

There are a number of skills that Certified Financial Planners must acquire and develop to perform this complex and multifaceted role. They include both hard and soft skills including:

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Salaries for Certified Financial Planner

City
Median
New York
$134,000
San Francisco
$192,000
Seattle
$141,000
See all salaries
City
Median
New York
$134,000
San Francisco
$192,000
Seattle
$141,000
Austin
$170,000
Toronto
$145,000
London
£75,000
Paris
€53,000
Berlin
€82,000
Tel Aviv
₪474,000
Singapore
S$122,000
Beijing
¥250,000
Shanghai
¥293,000
Shenzhen
¥542,000
Bengalaru
₹1,200,000
Delhi
₹758,000
Bars indicate relevance. All salaries presented are estimates. Completion of this course does not guarantee or imply job placement or career outcomes.

Path to Certified Financial Planner

Reading list

We haven't picked any books for this reading list yet.
This classic text provides a comprehensive overview of asset allocation principles, including risk management, return enhancement, and goal achievement strategies.
This recent publication offers a deep dive into asset allocation, focusing on return forecasting, risk forecasting, and portfolio construction. Written by an expert from a major investment firm, it provides real-world examples and insights into making effective allocation decisions. is highly relevant for contemporary approaches and suitable for advanced students and professionals.
Considered a classic in the field, this book provides a disciplined approach to asset allocation for managing risk and achieving investment goals. It reviews historical market performance and explains the rationale behind diversification across multiple asset classes. This foundational text suitable for a broad audience interested in strategic asset allocation.
This practical guide, written by a Nobel Prize winner in Economics, provides insights and best practices for asset allocation in real-world settings.
Written by the former chief investment officer of Yale University, this book offers insights into managing institutional portfolios with a focus on non-conventional assets like private equity and venture capital. While geared towards institutional investors, it provides valuable lessons on long-term investment strategy and asset allocation principles applicable to sophisticated investors.
Focuses specifically on the inclusion of private markets in asset allocation strategies. It is highly relevant for institutional investors and sophisticated individuals looking to understand the role and characteristics of private equity, private debt, and private real assets within a diversified portfolio.
This comprehensive textbook provides a broad overview of asset allocation, covering topics such as portfolio construction, risk management, and performance evaluation.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the role of tax policy in the economy, including topics such as the impact of taxation on labor supply, saving, and investment.
Provides a comprehensive overview of asset allocation principles and strategies applicable across different market environments. It covers key asset classes, historical risk and return characteristics, and the differences between tactical and strategic asset allocation. It valuable resource for both individual and professional investors.
Presents a comprehensive approach to asset management focusing on factor investing. It emphasizes that understanding and harvesting factor risks are crucial for portfolio construction. It key text for graduate students and professionals interested in systematic investment strategies and the economics behind factor risk premiums.
Provides an advanced yet practical guide to asset allocation specifically for wealth management practitioners. It goes beyond traditional approaches and incorporates recent advances relevant to real-world client preferences and the evolving investment landscape.
Offers an integrated approach to both strategic and tactical asset allocation, addressing key questions about formulating expectations, valuations, portfolio optimization, and the application of business cycle insights. It is aimed at finance professionals seeking a coherent framework for decision-making.
Proposes a balanced approach to asset allocation designed to perform well across different economic climates. It challenges the conventional portfolio construction and offers a framework for building more resilient portfolios. It's valuable for investors and professionals seeking alternative perspectives on diversification and risk management.
Aimed at fundamental equity analysts and portfolio managers, this book provides a framework for portfolio construction and risk management grounded in both theory and practice. It covers sophisticated techniques for building profitable and resilient portfolios. It valuable resource for experienced professionals.
Inspired by the investment strategies of successful university endowments, this book explores different asset allocation models, including those with allocations to alternative investments. It provides historical analysis and practical strategies for implementing endowment-style investing.
This comprehensive reference provides in-depth coverage of asset allocation theory and practice, including advanced topics such as factor investing and risk management.
Compiles articles and interviews exploring advanced topics and new frameworks in asset allocation, including discussions on defining asset classes, handling market crashes, and the evolution of portfolio construction tools. It is relevant for institutional investors and academics interested in the cutting edge of asset allocation research.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the behavioral economics of tax compliance, including topics such as the role of framing, heuristics, and biases in tax decision-making.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the theory of value-added taxation, including topics such as the different types of VATs, the incidence of VATs, and the efficiency and equity of VATs.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the relationship between taxation and inequality, including topics such as the impact of taxation on the distribution of income and wealth.
Explores dynamic approaches to asset allocation, focusing on strategies that adapt to changing market conditions. It is relevant for those interested in more active management styles and quantitative approaches to portfolio allocation. It adds depth to the understanding of tactical asset allocation.
This highly technical and comprehensive book covering advanced concepts in risk and asset allocation, including multivariate estimation methods, risk evaluation, and portfolio optimization under estimation risk. It is suitable for advanced graduate students, quantitative researchers, and practitioners with a strong mathematical background.
While broader than just asset allocation, this book provides a strong foundation in risk management, which critical component of asset allocation decisions. It is particularly useful for graduate students and professionals who need to understand how to design portfolios with a focus on managing various types of financial risks.
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