CFP Board
CFP Board is a non-profit standards-setting and certification body headquartered in Washington, DC that owns and administers the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®) credential, enforcing education, exam, experience, and ethics requirements for over 109,000 U.S. financial planning professionals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What CFP Board does
CFP Board (Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.) is a non-profit standards-setting and certification body headquartered in Washington, DC, founded in 1985. It owns and administers the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®) credential in the United States, operating a four-component certification process covering Education, Exam, Experience, and Ethics, and enforcing a Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct backed by public disciplinary actions. The organization serves approximately 109,000 certified financial planning professionals, more than 10,000 financial services firms that employ them, and indirectly serves consumers seeking financial planning guidance.
Its core product portfolio centers on the CFP® certification (a $250 application fee plus a $575 annual certification fee) and a surrounding ecosystem including the 14,000+ continuing-education programs delivered by 1,200+ CE sponsors, a Career Center job board, the 228,000+ member Candidate Forum, a Mentor Program, practice exams, a $3.4M-plus scholarship program, the Financial Planning Review academic journal, the annual Connections Conference, the Let's Make a Plan consumer website, the CFP Pro Store, and a Salary Calculator. Underlying technology includes a digital certification management platform with online account dashboards, remote proctoring delivered through Prometric, CE reporting systems, and the CFP Certification Tracker; testing and CE delivery rather than proprietary AI are the core technical capabilities.
Revenue is generated almost entirely from the individual certificant base through annual certification fees and application fees, supplemented by CE provider fees (capped at roughly $1.25 per credit hour), conference and store revenue, and advertising on Let'sMakeAPlan.org. The go-to-market motion combines direct-to-employer engagement by a Corporate Growth team, channel partnerships with CE sponsors and registered university programs, and community-led growth through conferences, mentorship programs, and pro bono activity. As a non-profit, CFP Board reinvests revenue into standards enforcement, public awareness, and pipeline-building initiatives such as scholarships and diversity programs.
CFP Board firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CFP Board
- Legal name
- Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.
- Website
- https://cfp.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- CFP Board is a non-profit standards-setting and certification body headquartered in Washington, DC that owns and administers the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®) credential, enforcing education, exam, experience, and ethics requirements for over 109,000 U.S. financial planning professionals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CFP Board industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Certification Services
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Financial Services & Insurance (FINRA, CFP, IAR, Insurance CE) (EDAAALAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Finance, Accounting & Risk (CFA/CPA/FRM) Certifications (EDAAANAD), Accounting & Finance Certification Prep (CPA, CMA, CFA, FRM) (EDANAIAD)
Keywords
Where CFP Board is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
CFP Board business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Certification Fees: CFP Board charges an application fee of $250 and an annual certification fee of $575 for CFP professionals to maintain their credential. Initial certification fees are prorated based on the certification cycle.
- CE Provider Fees: CFP Board charges CE providers fees to bill certificants up to $1.25 per credit hour for CE programs, creating significant revenue from the continuing education ecosystem with estimated $2 million in implementation costs across providers.
- Advertising Campaign Funding: Annual certification fee increase to $575 partially funds public awareness advertising campaigns promoting CFP certification.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | CFP Certification Application Fee |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual CFP Certification Fee |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Scholarships |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | CE Provider Fees |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
CFP Board product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CFP Board sets and administers the standards for the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®) certification, enforcing the four "E" requirements (Education, Examination, Experience, Ethics). It accredits financial planning degree programs at colleges and universities, approves continuing education (CE) sponsors, maintains the Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct (including the fiduciary duty owed to clients), and operates the public-facing professional directory used by consumers to find CFP professionals.
Product overview
CFP Board offers the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) certification as its primary product—a rigorous professional certification for financial planners that requires passing the CFP® exam, completing education coursework through registered programs, meeting experience requirements, and adhering to ethics standards. The organization provides a suite of supporting products and services including the Career Center (job board for financial planning professionals), Candidate Forum (online community for certification candidates), Mentor Program (matching candidates with CFP® professionals), Practice Exam (170-question exam preparation tool), various scholarship programs for exam and coursework funding, Continuing Education (CE) programs for certified professionals, the Financial Planning Review academic journal, the annual Connections Conference, a consumer-facing 'Let's Make a Plan' website, the CFP Pro Store for merchandise, and a Salary Calculator tool.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Financial Planning Review (FPR): Peer-reviewed academic journal published by Wiley and housed in the CFP Board Center for Financial Planning, launched in 2018, indexed in Scopus and Scimago since 2022, ranked B-rank in Australian Business Deans Council Journal Quality List.
Products and services
- CFP® Certification Program
Companies that use CFP Board
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CFP Board technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
CFP Board partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.
- CitiminorCFP Board hired Desi Wyatt, former Director of Field Readiness & Strategy for Citi's U.S. Consumer Wealth business, as Managing Director of Corporate Growth to lead workforce development.
- Amplified Planning (Externship Program)flagshipAmplified Planning's 2026 Externship virtual eight-week training program expects 2,000+ participants; program addresses profession's talent gap and develops next generation of certified financial planners with technology partners Nitrogen and Holistiplan.
- Charles Schwab FoundationcoreCFP Board and Charles Schwab Foundation expanded partnership to develop the financial planning workforce through scholarships, educational programs, and conference sponsorship to increase qualified CFP professionals and enhance industry diversity.
- Schwab Advisor ServicescorePartnership renewal with Schwab Advisor Services to support workforce development initiatives, scholarships, and diversity programs for financial planning profession.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CFP Board competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat7 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CFP Board social profiles
Digital presenceCFP Board compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
CFP Board financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CFP Board leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
CFP Board funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CFP Board M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CFP Board
What does CFP Board do?
CFP Board sets and administers the standards for the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®) certification, enforcing the four "E" requirements (Education, Examination, Experience, Ethics). It accredits financial planning degree programs at colleges and universities, approves continuing education (CE) sponsors, maintains the Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct (including the fiduciary duty owed to clients), and operates the public-facing professional directory used by consumers to find CFP professionals.
Is CFP Board a public or private company?
CFP Board is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was CFP Board founded?
CFP Board was founded in 1985. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is CFP Board based?
CFP Board is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does CFP Board make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Certification Fees are the primary driver. The others are CE Provider Fees and advertising Campaign Funding.
Does CFP Board have an API?
No public API is recorded for CFP Board.
What industry is CFP Board in?
CFP Board's product category is Professional Certification Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAALAJ, Financial Services & Insurance (FINRA, CFP, IAR, Insurance CE), with a secondary code of EDAAANAD, Finance, Accounting & Risk (CFA/CPA/FRM) Certifications. Its SIC code is 8200.