Cal Poly earns certification for finance program
Cyrus Ramezani, chair of the Finance concentration, leads a class.
Graduates now eligible to take the CFP exam upon graduation and pursue the Certified Financial Planner credential
– The financial management concentration at Cal Poly’s Orfalea College of Business has been named a Certified Financial Planner-registered program by the CFP Board of Standards Inc.
With the designation, graduates of the financial management program are eligible to take the CFP exam upon graduation and pursue the Certified Financial Planner credential. The CFP certification is a nationally recognized credential in the financial services industry.
“Achieving registration with the CFP board opens new career paths in financial services for our students,” said Cyrus Ramezani, professor of finance and program director. “The financial planning courses we offer provide the technical foundation and customer-focused skills to become outstanding advisers. Demand for qualified financial planners is projected to grow over the next decades. This registration enables us to train qualified graduates, providing them with an edge to succeed in the competitive financial services industry.”
According to the CFP board, nearly eight in 10 CFP professionals report that the certification gives them a competitive advantage over other financial advisors. The board states that the average annual salary of a CFP professional is $192,000. In addition, 90 percent of consumers report feeling more confident working with a financial advisor who holds the CFP designation.
The CFP board oversees more than 300 programs at more than 200 institutions in the U.S. It sets professional standards for financial planning and administers the CFP exam to ensure the public has access to qualified and ethical advisors.
Students who complete Cal Poly’s financial management concentration and meet the education, examination, experience and ethics requirements are eligible to earn the CFP credential.
As of July 1, the CFP board reports there are nearly 105,000 CFP professionals working in the U.S.
Cal Poly’s Financial Management and Real Estate Finance concentrations enroll more than 400 students. The curriculum includes courses in finance, computer science, accounting and economics, along with training in financial software.
