{"id":4678,"date":"2025-05-16T12:20:51","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T20:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mcclatchymhstg.wpenginepowered.com\/sabe-careers-education\/?p=4678"},"modified":"2025-05-22T17:55:48","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T01:55:48","slug":"what-does-cfp-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/careers-education\/what-does-cfp-do\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does a CFP\u00ae Do?"},"content":{"rendered":" <p>Considering finance for its high earning potential? If you\u2019re looking for meaningful work that pays, you\u2019ve probably seen a ton of three-letter certifications\u2014each promising something unique and equally as desirable.<\/p> <p>An excellent option is the Certified Financial Planner\u2122 (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfp.net\/get-certified\/certification-process\">CFP\u00ae<\/a>) certification. If working with your very own clients in the financial space is right up your alley, this is a career worth some serious consideration.<\/p> <p>In this guide, I\u2019ll explain what a CFP\u00ae professional actually does on a day-to-day basis, how the certification can shape your career, and how it compares to other designations like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/careers-education\/cfa-vs-cpa\/\">CPA and CFA\u00ae<\/a>.<\/p> <p class=\"custom_key\"><strong>Key Takeaways<\/strong><\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list custom_underline\"> <li><strong>CFP\u00ae Certification Expands Finance Career Opportunities:<\/strong> The CFP\u00ae designation opens doors across the financial industry, allowing you wiggle room for the paths you take over the course of your career.<\/li> <li><strong>Holistic Financial Planning:<\/strong> A CFP\u00ae professional addresses a client\u2019s full financial picture, including taxes, investments, retirement, and estate planning.<\/li> <li><strong>Fiduciary Duty Ensures Trust:<\/strong> CFP\u00ae professionals follow strict ethical standards and are required to act in their clients\u2019 best interest. This is a job for someone with a strong moral compass.<\/li> <li><strong>Growing Demand for CFPs\u00ae:<\/strong> With the current state of our economy, more people are looking for balanced, trustworthy financial advice. Due to that, the demand for CFP\u00ae professionals is only getting higher.<\/li> <li><strong>CFP\u00ae and CFA\u00ae Serve Different Finance Roles:<\/strong> A CFP\u00ae focuses on personalized financial planning, while a CFA\u00ae focuses on investment research and portfolio strategy. Both important, but different.<\/li> <\/ul> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-s-a-cfp-professional\">What\u2019s a CFP\u00ae Professional?<\/h2> <p>A CFP\u00ae is not the 22-year-old you see on TikTok luring people into get-rich-quick schemes.<\/p> <p>CFPs have a holistic understanding of wealth planning, ranging from college savings, insurance, investments, taxation, retirement planning, and estate planning, etc.<\/p> <p>They don\u2019t just tell clients who to invest in or lie about how to save a few bucks. They can be helpful in making sure you understand your current situation, what your goals are, and what financial moves you need to try to make in order to achieve those goals.\u2019<\/p> <p><em>To earn this certification and associated title, you\u2019ll need to do a few things first:<\/em><\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li>Earn a bachelor\u2019s degree\/accredited college or university<\/li> <li>Complete CFP\u00ae Board-approved coursework<\/li> <li>Pass a beast of an exam<\/li> <li>Get apprenticeship experience<\/li> <li>Pass a background check<\/li> <li>Commit to a code of ethics<\/li> <\/ul> <p>If you&#8217;re serious about being a CFP\u00ae, you&#8217;ll have to dedicate an enormous amount of time to fulfilling the experience requirement. If you don&#8217;t plan to pursue this full-time, it will take you a while to get certified.<\/p> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-does-a-cfp-do\">What Does a CFP Do?<\/h2> <p>For the sake of simplicity, financial planning services vary greatly day by day (and at what point of your career you are).<\/p> <p>Starting out, you&#8217;re likely going to be focusing on licensing, getting CFP\u00ae education, and basically learning as much financial planning knowledge as possible. Once you&#8217;re licensed, the reality is that most financial advisors starting out need to focus on prospecting, aka, finding new clients and bringing them in the door. This never really stops, but it&#8217;s typically a primary task early on.<\/p> <p>As you start bringing those clients in, you work with them on identifying goals, building plans on how to (hopefully) achieve said goals, and implementing the plan. You&#8217;ll meet with clients for reviews to make sure everything is on track, make changes, etc.<\/p> <p>It&#8217;s known to be quite fun because every day can host completely different scenarios and issues to solve with your clients.<\/p> <p>Here\u2019s an outline of where you\u2019ll potentially spend most of your time:<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-helping-people-plan-for-the-future\"><strong>Helping People Plan for the Future<\/strong><\/h3> <p>You\u2019ll guide clients through the scary stuff (like wondering if they\u2019ll have enough to retire) and turn it into a solid, doable plan. You\u2019ll run numbers, make projections, and break it down in a way they can understand.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-personal-investment-advice\"><strong>Personal Investment Advice<\/strong><\/h3> <p>You won\u2019t be managing hedge funds. You\u2019ll be helping real people figure out where to put their money so it grows in a way that fits their risk tolerance and long-term goals.<\/p> <p>So, yes, that means knowing your stuff. But it also means knowing\/understanding <em>them<\/em> as your clients.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-managing-risk\"><strong>Managing Risk<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Insurance isn&#8217;t the most exciting topic, but it is in everyone&#8217;s lives. It&#8217;s incredibly important. You\u2019ll help clients protect what they\u2019ve built, prepare for the unexpected, and make sure they\u2019re not overpaying.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tax-and-estate-strategy\"><strong>Tax and Estate Strategy<\/strong><\/h3> <p>You won\u2019t replace a CPA, but your advice will complement one. You\u2019ll help clients structure things smartly, keeping more money in their pockets and making life easier for whoever handles their estate in the future.<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-fiduciary-standard-massive-trust\"><strong>Fiduciary Standard = Massive Trust<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Not everyone giving financial advice is legally required to do what&#8217;s best for the client. Chartered financial consultants are.<\/p> <p>They have to put the client first. Every time. No shady product pushing. No backdoor commissions. Only advice that serves real needs. That\u2019s one of the biggest reasons people seek out CFP\u00aes over many other \u201cfinancial experts.\u201d<\/p> <p>Now, there is certainly the discussion of whether CFP\u00ae advice is truly personalized for clients who aren&#8217;t high-earning. That&#8217;s a topic for another day!<\/p> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cfp-vs-cpa-vs-cfa\">CFP\u00ae vs. CPA vs. CFA\u00ae<\/h2> <p>There are some pretty significant differences between these three popular certifications. Which path fits you best?<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong>CFP\u00ae<\/strong>: You work solely with individuals. Focus is on personal finance (investments, retirement, estate planning, etc.)<\/li> <li><strong>CPA<\/strong>: You focus on taxes and audits. Great for people who are organized, tolerate paperwork, and don&#8217;t mind solving the many puzzles of compliance. Much <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/careers-education\/cfp-vs-cpa\/\">broader skillset than CFP<strong>\u00ae<\/strong>s<\/a>.<\/li> <li><strong>CFA\u00ae<\/strong>: You want to go really deep into investment analysis. Think big money, big funds, and intense research.<\/li> <\/ul> <figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/05\/What-Does-a-CFP\u00ae-Do-info.png\" alt=\"CFP vs CPA vs CFA\" class=\"wp-image-4679\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/05\/What-Does-a-CFP\u00ae-Do-info.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/05\/What-Does-a-CFP\u00ae-Do-info-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/05\/What-Does-a-CFP\u00ae-Do-info-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/05\/What-Does-a-CFP\u00ae-Do-info-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure> <p>Each one has its place and they are all unique in their own respects. If you aren&#8217;t sure what to pick, I strongly recommend creating a list of pros\/cons for each and going from there. Being a CPA myself, I know that each of these certifications require certain skillsets.<\/p> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-is-cfp-right-for-you\"><em>Is CFP\u00ae Right for You?<\/em><\/h2> <p>It could be. Ask yourself a few questions:<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><em>Do you actually enjoy speaking to people? (Much less consulting them.)<\/em><\/li> <li><em>Can you explain complex ideas in Layman&#8217;s terms?<\/em><\/li> <li><em>Are you curious about how money shapes people\u2019s lives?<\/em><\/li> <li><em>Do spreadsheets secretly excite you? Better yet, do you color-code your spreadsheets?<\/em><\/li> <\/ul> <p>If you nodded through that list, you could be a great fit. Ultimately, it&#8217;s a very personal decision. There&#8217;s a lot to consider, so take your time.<\/p> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-final-verdict\">Final Verdict<\/h2> <p>If you\u2019re looking for a path that requires technical\/people skills and makes a real impact, CFP\u00ae certification could be what you&#8217;re looking for. It probably won\u2019t be easy at first, but a career worth having never is.<\/p> <p>Regardless of which path you choose to go on, I&#8217;m rooting for you!<\/p> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-faqs\">FAQs<\/h2> <div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1747199009213\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>What does a CFP\u00ae professional actually do?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">A CFP\u00ae helps individuals manage finances\u2014covering investments, retirement, taxes, and estate planning\u2014all while following fiduciary standards.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1747199014973\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>How hard is it to become a CFP\u00ae?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">It\u2019s challenging. You need a bachelor\u2019s degree, complete CFP Board coursework, gain experience, and pass a tough exam\u2014but it\u2019s achievable with commitment.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1747199019986\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>Is being a CFP\u00ae a good career right now?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Yes. Demand is rising as more people seek reliable, personalized financial advice\u2014especially during uncertain economic times.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1747199024222\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>Do CFP\u00aes only work with wealthy clients?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">No. Many CFP\u00aes work with a wide range of clients, including those seeking fee-only or hourly planning\u2014not just the wealthy.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1747199029000\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>Is being a CFP\u00ae a good career choice right now?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Demand is certainly rising as more people look for trusted, personalized financial advice. With the economy&#8217;s health currently on a decline, financial planning services are more needed than ever.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1747199035876\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>Do I need a finance degree to become a CFP\u00ae?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">No. You need a bachelor\u2019s degree in any field, plus CFP Board-approved coursework to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/careers-education\/how-to-become-a-cfp\/\">become a CFP\u00ae<\/a>. Many people enter from different backgrounds like education, psychology, or business.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div> ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Considering finance for its high earning potential? If you\u2019re looking for meaningful work that pays, you\u2019ve probably seen a ton of three-letter certifications\u2014each promising something unique and equally as desirable. An excellent option is the Certified Financial Planner\u2122 (CFP\u00ae) certification. If working with your very own clients in the financial space is right up your [&hellip;]<\/p> ","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":4680,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,244],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-careers-education","category-finance"],"acf":{"external_author":[129],"external_editor":"","select_template":"default","not_show_feature_image":false,"hide_toc":false},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/05\/What-Does-a-CFP\u00ae-Do-feature-image-768x427.png","author_info":{"display_name":"","author_link":"https:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/careers-education\/author\/"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.5 (Yoast SEO v27.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Does a CFP\u00ae Do?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Want to be a CFP\u00ae? You came to the right place. Learn about the role of a Certified Financial Planner to help you guide your financial future.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/careers-education\/what-does-cfp-do\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Does a CFP\u00ae Do?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Want to be a CFP\u00ae? You came to the right place. Learn about the role of a Certified Financial Planner to help you guide your financial future.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/careers-education\/what-does-cfp-do\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sacramento Bee - Careers &amp; Education\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-16T20:20:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-23T01:55:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/careers-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/05\/What-Does-a-CFP\u00ae-Do-feature-image.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"889\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sacbee.com\\\/careers-education\\\/what-does-cfp-do\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sacbee.com\\\/careers-education\\\/what-does-cfp-do\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"What Does a CFP\u00ae Do?\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-16T20:20:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-23T01:55:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sacbee.com\\\/careers-education\\\/what-does-cfp-do\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1346,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sacbee.com\\\/careers-education\\\/what-does-cfp-do\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sacbee.com\\\/careers-education\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/What-Does-a-CFP\u00ae-Do-feature-image.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Careers &amp; Education\",\"Finance\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"WebPage\",\"FAQPage\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sacbee.com\\\/careers-education\\\/what-does-cfp-do\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sacbee.com\\\/careers-education\\\/what-does-cfp-do\\\/\",\"name\":\"What Does a CFP\u00ae Do?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sacbee.com\\\/careers-education\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sacbee.com\\\/careers-education\\\/what-does-cfp-do\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sacbee.com\\\/careers-education\\\/what-does-cfp-do\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sacbee.com\\\/careers-education\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/What-Does-a-CFP\u00ae-Do-feature-image.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-16T20:20:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-23T01:55:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\"},\"description\":\"Want to be a CFP\u00ae? 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You need a bachelor\u2019s degree, complete CFP Board coursework, gain experience, and pass a tough exam\u2014but it\u2019s achievable with commitment.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sacbee.com\\\/careers-education\\\/what-does-cfp-do\\\/#faq-question-1747199019986\",\"position\":3,\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sacbee.com\\\/careers-education\\\/what-does-cfp-do\\\/#faq-question-1747199019986\",\"name\":\"Is being a CFP\u00ae a good career right now?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. 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