Hello everyone, and welcome to this well-researched article that will not just highlight a reputable CFP prep course, Kaplan CFP, but will also discuss it in detail.
As you consider which CFP prep course to enroll for, you will find the information in this article particularly helpful.
By the time you’re done reading this article, you will have known how the Kaplan CFP prep course can help you succeed in your forthcoming CFP exams.
To be more specific, we will cover the following points in this article:
You know what? Let’s start right away!
A quick guide to the Kaplan CFP course
As you prepare for your certification exams for financial planning, you must have come across Kapan with its several exam prep reviews.
Kaplan acquired the College for Financial Planning in 2018. Since then, it has been the first choice of most financial experts when preparing for their CFP exams.
Even though they have been in the business of preparing students for CFP exams, it does not necessarily mean that they should automatically be your first choice.
So, will Kaplan improve your knowledge of the financial ecosystem and help you pass your exam?
Let’s take a closer look at some inside stories.
Kaplan learning platform offers students two main financial education courses.
They are:
- Essential Review Package
- Premium Review Package
We will compare the two prep courses soon, but their offering shows clearly how much the Kaplan company cares about educating people with various financial backgrounds.
Both packages have their perks and peculiar features.
However, no matter which package you choose, everyone has access to the same study materials.
Such study materials include:
- CFP textbooks
- Quizzes
- Practice questions
- Videos
- Classes
- Podcast
Kaplan prep courses have a 90% pass guarantee for first-time students, provided they utilize all the review materials provided.
Here is another thing: your success is Kaplan’s bragging rights.
If you did not go beyond the p̣assmark on your first try, Kaplan will provide all training materials, online classes, and past questions for free on your next try.
Now let’s consider some free study tools that Kaplan provides for students.
Kaplan CFP free materials for exam prep
Looking at the scope and intensity of the syllabus, you will rightly expect a good exam prep course to have an avalanche of study materials and resources.
The comments of people who have enrolled for Kaplan’s review course have shown that you will get nothing less than that.
Kaplan education programs have one of the most intense curricula that cover every topic you will be tested on.
The study course focuses on the critical areas of concentration based on a careful analysis of past questions.
Kaplan believes that there is no new question; thus, they present the most challenging part of the syllabus in the simplest format.
Several study materials make it a point of emphasis to repeat the critical topics to impress upon the students’ hearts the lessons in each area of concentration.
Here are the various study materials that the Kaplan program offers:
- Live or on-demand classes
- eLibrary videos
- High five videos
- Seven coursebooks or CFA textbooks
- Several mock exams from past questiCoursessses (live or on-demand)
- In-person class guide
- Supplementary materials ( study notes directly from the CFP board
Each student has an online portal specifically made for them.
On the student portal, students are given some assignments through the ‘Activity Feed’ that provides step-by-step instructions on what to read and when to read them.
It also records your performance through each assignment and gauges your performance at regular intervals.
This helps you understand where you need to improve and how to improve.
Each course begins with a 100 question test for each student.
The purpose is to understand your base knowledge and to know what areas you need to improve on.
This result is eventually filtered into each student’s activity feed as time goes on.
Kaplan CFP textbooks
One of the advantages of the Kaplan program is the set of 7 CFP textbooks that can help students prepare well for the exam day.
You get these textbooks the very moment you enroll or sign up for the program.
To access the textbook anytime after your initial registration, just enter your login credentials on the sign-in page.
No matter the package you are subscribed to, you will have this textbook to read.
Some students have used the textbooks for a self-study program.
The books are easy to read and the case studies used in each of them are valuable to the entire CFP ® certification program.
These are the titles of the seven textbooks:
- Financial Planning Case Studies
- Tax Planning
- General Financial Planning Principles, Conduct, and Regulation
- Estate Planning
- Retirement Savings and Income Planning
- Risk Management, Insurance, and Employee Benefits Planning
- Investment Planning
Each of the textbooks is authored by a financial expert, topics are covered chronologically.
They have a table of contents that makes it easy to find the page of each point covered.
So, what do all these have to do with you?
Believe it or not, there is no topic in the exams that have not been covered in this set of review books.
The information presented has been simplified to a level that even a 7th grader can understand.
These are some reasons why many financial experts recommend the Kaplan CFP program as one of the best prep courses.
Kaplan study packages and pricing
As mentioned earlier, Kaplan offers two education packages with competitive structures and pricing.
They are:
- The essential review package (priced at just $450)
- The premium review package (priced at $1350)
The essential review package offers the basics any students will need to pass the exams.
This basically includes the set of textbooks mentioned above, recorded classes, student portal, and other features.
You also have the online study tool, practice questions from Qbank, a few resources, and the performance tracker.
But this package is devoid of a few things like preparatory questions, live video lessons, and live classes.
That is why the price is set at $450.
Does it mean that if one fails to enroll for the second package it is difficult to pass the exam? No.
The premium review package covers more materials in terms of study tools.
It contains all the study resources in the essential package, and there’s more.
When you subscribe for the premium package, you can choose to attend your class in three different formats:
Live online class: This is a virtual class that comprises several 3-hour class sessions (11 of such).
In total, the student would have enjoyed 33 hours of class instructions.
The advantage of this format is that it allows a student to spread out class sessions.
Live in-person class: The live in-person class is a duration of 4 days consecutively and about 33 hours of live classes.
Since this provision is only available in some locations, make sure to check your schedule before choosing the option.
On-demand class: This is for those who may be lazy to sit down for long or for those whose circumstances may not permit them to spend time in a live class.
It replaces live classes with prerecorded video classes. Students who choose this can watch the video anytime they like, and at any place they desire.
Students with a regular job commitment can take advantage of this option.
However, whether you choose the essential review package or the premium review package, passing the exam will only be guaranteed with proper preparation.
What is Kaplan continuing education?
Continued education is what a certificate holder needs to keep renewing their certificate once every 2 years.
If a CFP professional wants to remain CFA certified, he or she must renew the certificate every two years.
To renew a certificate, the person needs to devote 30 hours of continued education once every 24 months.
These 30 hours must include 2 hours of studying CFP ethics and regulations through an approved representative.
Kaplan is a CFP approved representative, so they provide one of the best self-study continued education courses.
The two courses are:
Total Access CE: This is all-year-round access to all the approved courses for the CFP continued education.
The courses are not included in the list of study materials from Kaplan online.
Ethics CE: This is either a live online course or a self-study course that will last a maximum of 2 hours. The live online class is usually on the third Wednesday of the month.
Other Useful Features
Easy to use mobile app and user interface
As mentioned earlier, the Kaplan program has a dedicated student portal that has one of the best user interfaces among competitor prep course providers.
The app’s layout is simple and straightforward.
All the study tools are on the dashboard.
The study plan tab directs the individual students to various study links and their assignments.
The textbooks are also accessible through this portal.
The entire app is easy to navigate, even for a starter.
The help tab provides real-time directions to any who may be confused by the dashboard. However, this rarely happens.
You can also do other things like track down an online tool, get reminders on what to do and when to do it, as well as notify you of new video lessons when they are due.
Other resources
Here are some supplementary resources that students can utilize for an all-around user experience.
While they may not have to use them during regular study days, they are needed once in a while.
- Email support using the ‘InstructorLink’
- CFP education podcasts
- Offline study materials
- Webinars for exam tips and strategies
- Performance trackers
Conclusion
Is Kaplan coursework suitable for your CFP board certification? Yes!
When prẹparing for your exam, you need all the help you can get because certifications education might sound easy, but they are not that easy.
The exam bothers on wealth management, estate planning, risk management, investments, retirement planning, and other financial-related topics.
With Kaplan’s study tools, review courses, and study plan, you have what you need right at your fingertips.
As highlighted, too, there is a provision for live online classes where you’ll get help from Kaplan’s expert instructors.
Take advantage of all these and many more offers from Kaplan as you prepare for your CFP exam.
Finally, don’t hesitate to read this article all over again if at any point you are confused about what to do next.
We wish you all the best in your exams.
