Capstone September 10 2025
By Bryce Pease CFP® Accredited Investment Fiduciary® Casey Morris CFP® Capstone Pacific Investment Strategies, Inc. California, Colorado, Nebraska
Like many people, you might have hopes and dreams for the future that might include buying a home or business, saving for your child’s education, taking a dream vacation, or retiring comfortably. Financial planning is the process of wisely managing your finances, and navigating the barriers, so that you can achieve those dreams and goals. Deciding who will help you with your planning, can be very important. Anyone can call themselves a planner so visit https://www.finra.org/investors/professional-designations to see the requirements for a bunch of different designations.
The CFP® exam is for the financial industry what the bar is for the legal industry. Being a Certified Financial Planner®, or CFP®, is largely considered the gold standard in financial planning. Of the approximately 321,000 financial advisors in the U.S., the CFP Board says only 104,808 are CFP®s.¹
The CFP® exam is a computer-based testing format consisting of 170 multiple-choice questions that tests a person’s ability to apply their financial planning knowledge to client situations. It is given in two 3-hour sessions separated by a 40-minute scheduled break. It is offered three times a year in March, July, and November at almost 50 locations nationwide.
Preparing to take the CFP® exam begins months or even years before someone actually sits to take the test. And it often requires a depth of study that makes your hardest college course look like a walk in the park.¹ The exam is one of the toughest tests in the financial planning industry. Statistics from the CFP® Board showed the pass rate on the CFP® exam to be 65% of test-takers in July 2024.
Applicants for CFP® certification agree to adhere to high standards of ethics and practice outlined in CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct. They must complete a minimum of 30 hours of continuing education every 2 years. The latest version of the CFP exam is structured as follows: 18% retirement savings and income planning, 17% investment planning, 15% general financial planning principles, 14% tax planning, 11% risk management and insurance planning, 10% estate planning, 8% professional conduct and regulation and 7% psychology of financial planning.
We can help you get started or give you a no cost second opinion on your current plan. Call us at 626-915-7006 or email at info@capstonepacificinc.com
Casey and Bryce
¹https://money.usnews.com/investing/investing-101/articles/cfp-exam-101-everything-you-need-to-know-to-pass-the-cfp-test
