This Week's Money Talking Points
What is a CFP?
A CFP®, or Certified Financial Planner®, is someone who’s trained extensively to help individuals and families navigate nearly every area of their financial life, from budgeting and retirement savings to tax planning, insurance, investments, and estate planning. As I shared on the podcast, it’s a very broad and deep knowledge base. The whole purpose of becoming a CFP® is to develop the skills needed to build comprehensive financial plans, plans that take your personal values, goals, and full financial picture into account.
To put it simply: a CFP® is someone who’s equipped to help you bring it all together, no matter where you’re starting from. We’re trained to connect the dots and help guide people through the big picture of money management. Whether you’re facing student loan decisions, building a retirement plan, or just trying to figure out how to stop living paycheck to paycheck, a CFP® can help you plan it out with clarity and confidence.
What are the requirements to become a CFP?
Becoming a CFP® is no small feat, and I say that having just come out the other side of it! You need a bachelor’s degree, completion of a certified financial planning education program, and you must pass a 170-question, six-hour exam designed for someone with years of experience. On top of that, you need to complete 6,000 hours of real-world experience and agree to uphold a strong code of ethics. It’s a serious undertaking.
But I think that’s what makes it meaningful. These marks aren't handed out lightly. Every CFP® has put in the time, effort, and commitment to learn this material, not just to pass a test, but to help people. When you work with a CFP, you’re working with someone who’s deeply invested, literally and figuratively, in helping you navigate your finances with expertise and integrity.
When would someone work with a CFP?
The beauty of working with a CFP® is that you don’t need to be wealthy to benefit. There are CFP® professionals out there working with folks at every stage of life, from those just getting started with budgeting to those planning for retirement or navigating complex tax situations. There are even pro bono programs that match people with limited financial assets to CFP® professionals who can help with things like cash flow planning, debt management, and basic financial organization.
If you’ve ever had a money question you couldn’t quite answer—like “Should I pay off debt or invest?” or “How much do I need to save for retirement?” That’s the perfect time to talk with a CFP®. We’re here to help you make informed decisions and build a plan that works with your life, not against it. If I can’t personally help, I’ll do whatever I can to connect you with someone who can.
This week's Money Buddy
Skyler Fleming is a personal finance podcast host. He hosts the podcast Money Talk. A podcast dedicated to starting a conversation around money so we can all do better with money. Skyler is also a certified financial coach and a Candidate for CFP® certification
He found a love for money when he was young and working in a call center for a credit union. He saw a lot of people go through some really hard financial times. He quickly learned more about money than he was ever taught, just by helping other people. This helped him find his passion for helping teach other people about money. So that led to him becoming the host of Money Talk. A show where he helps people get started with simple and powerful Money Talks.
Skyler spends his time helping young adults who feel like they weren’t taught about money in school. He provided them with tailored coaching and financial planning. His goal is to help people who want to do better with money and use it to create opportunities for themselves.
Enjoy your week and get out there and have a money talk!
