Lori Bodenhamer is a financial planner at Abundo Wealth.
UC Berkeley Extension's Certificate Program in Personal Financial Planning provides an academic path to the financial planning profession. Through the curriculum, you learn to analyze and advise in all core areas of personal financial planning. Students who register for and complete this certificate are eligible to take the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) Certification Examination.
The curriculum is overseen by an advisory board of investment, financial planning and education leaders and taught by working professionals with many years of practical experience in financial services.
In March 2025, students, Advisory Board members and members of the Bay Area professional financial planning community came together to hear our panelists talk about their journeys to career success. And for those who are ready to commit to an engaging and critical career in personal financial planning, the panel could not stress this enough: It’s all about connecting with clients and prospects, earning their trust. Read more from this engaging event.
The curriculum consists of 8 required courses and 1 elective course for a total of 18 semester units (270 hours of instruction). Candidates must pay a nonrefundable program registration fee.
You must take all courses for a letter grade. To receive the certificate, you must complete each course with a grade of C or better. All coursework must be completed within five years.
By registering, you declare your intention to complete the curriculum. To register online for the Certificate Program in Personal Financial Planning, complete these two steps:
Each course is priced individually, and you pay the course fee at the time of enrollment. The program has an estimated cost of $10,700 (not including course materials or registration fee). Course fees are subject to change.
Once you have completed the program coursework, notify UC Berkeley Extension that you have completed the curriculum and request your certificate. Send an email to extension-business@berkeley.edu. After your records have been reviewed, verified and approved (usually within two to three weeks), your certificate will be mailed to you.
Upon your request, we will notify the CFP Board of your eligibility to take the national exam after your grades and course completion have been verified.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc.
The Certificate Program in Personal Financial Planning is accredited and registered with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. This registration allows those who have successfully completed the UC Berkeley Extension program and who wish to obtain the CFP certification to take the national CFP Certification Examination. Coursework is designed to cover 101 topics tested on the exam. To sit for the exam, please email us at extension-business@berkeley.edu for additional details.
CFP® and Certified Financial Planner™ are federally registered marks of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. See the CFP Board for details.
UC Berkeley Extension does not certify individuals to use the CFP and Certified Financial Planner designations. CFP certification is granted only by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards to those persons who, in addition to completing an educational requirement such as this CFP Board–registered program, have met its ethics, experience and examination requirements.
For information regarding CFP certification, please write to the CFP Board at 1670 Broadway, Suite 600, Denver, CO 80202; call (303) 830-7500; or email mail@cfp-board.org.
Brian Kozel, CFP®
Partner, Lead Adviser
North Berkeley Investment Partners
Chair, Advisory Board
UC Berkeley Extension
Chuck Bowes, CFP®
Co-Founder and Senior Wealth Manager
Waypoint Wealth Partners
Kurt F. Carrasquilla, M.B.A.
Financial Adviser
Morgan Stanley
Gordon Dunne
THE Financial Services NETWORK
Eric Flett
CEO and Principal
Concentric Wealth Management
Campbell Judge
Senior Vice President
Fidelity Investments Institutional Services
Craig Kirkpatrick
President
Orinda Funds
Tim Kochis, J.D., M.B.A., CFP®
Founder
Kochis Global
Daniel Lee, CFA®, CFP®
Wealth Manager
Plancorp
Michael Ma, CFP®, ChFC®
Principal
Parallel Advisors
Lieve Mertens, CFA®, CAIA®, CFP®
Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager
Bank of America Private Bank
Terrance Odean, Ph.D.
Rudd Family Foundation Professor of Finance
UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
Frank Paré, CFP®
President
PF Wealth Management Group
Kate Wilusz, CFP®
President, Financial Advisor
Wilusz and Associates