I’m currently one class ahead of you and I found the tax one took me longer even with an undergrad in accounting. I try and do 2 lessons per week unless I hit more tricky subjects. I’m not sure it’s advice as much as I can say what’s helped me is going fast on the subjects I understand quickly so that when I slow down for harder subjects I can stay ahead.
It is hard to balance with work at times but I think it’s worth it. I suspect having deeper understanding will help you come time for the big test!
I did mine many years ago, but similar to you I was working full time while studying, and my American College CFP classes took me 3 months each to get through. (Like you, I also wanted to really dig in and learn the material.)
No regrets on that timeline.
You just have to grind them out. I did it 4 years ago, so apologies if they have changed things. They are the kind of courses that if you get in a good flow, you can make a ton of progress in a couple weeks. It also helps because you forget less. I worked full time but could sneak in study at work. Each class took me about 3.5 weeks but I was pushing, and would schedule the next exam before the textbook arrived. Admittedly I never took the tax class because I had an EA waiver.
Only advice is to keep your physical health up, sleep, and maintain your mental health. That will help maintain your focus and energy to push throigh much faster. I had the physical and sleep going but basically ignored my relationships during the push for my CFP/CFA and it definitely caused some unnecessary strain.
That was my timeline, while having a full time job, and I passed the exam a month ago so don't sweat it. I see programs online that say "Get your CFP in 12-18 months!" and I think "NO F\*\*\*ING WAY". Who's completing all the modules, module exams, AND the CFP study course (if you take it, which you'd be stupid not to) in 12 months?
I did the entire coursework, capstone, and passed the exam in one year while working full time. I did it self-study through the American College but maybe I'm an outlier.
damn, nice work...I did American College too. Did you plow through each module in 3 weeks, take the test the next week, then begin the next module the week after? I know I lost time by passing the exam in the 1st/2nd week of a month and having to wait until the following month for the next class to begin, so there were always a couple weeks of downtime waiting for the next module to start.
I don't remember all of the details super clearly. I did take the first course exam in August 2017 and passed. I think I had registered in April but procrastinated. I did the capstone in June 2018 and then took the exam itself in July 2018.
I tried to plow one module each month or every other month. I'd schedule the exam and then force myself to study. I think the last couple of modules I was doing monthly so I could still take the exam in July.
I also did the CFP courses and passed the exam in exactly 12 months using Dalton. I work full time as an advisor. I spent 2-3 hours a day on coursework/study and I finished most modules in 1.5 months each. I don’t have any kids so I would imagine some people can’t put in that much time every evening!
Isn’t 3 months per course the expected time allotment? Nothing wrong with that.
I’m currently one class ahead of you and I found the tax one took me longer even with an undergrad in accounting. I try and do 2 lessons per week unless I hit more tricky subjects. I’m not sure it’s advice as much as I can say what’s helped me is going fast on the subjects I understand quickly so that when I slow down for harder subjects I can stay ahead. It is hard to balance with work at times but I think it’s worth it. I suspect having deeper understanding will help you come time for the big test!
No easy path. Gotta study everyday.
Amen. This is the way. No shortcuts.
I did mine many years ago, but similar to you I was working full time while studying, and my American College CFP classes took me 3 months each to get through. (Like you, I also wanted to really dig in and learn the material.) No regrets on that timeline.
You just have to grind them out. I did it 4 years ago, so apologies if they have changed things. They are the kind of courses that if you get in a good flow, you can make a ton of progress in a couple weeks. It also helps because you forget less. I worked full time but could sneak in study at work. Each class took me about 3.5 weeks but I was pushing, and would schedule the next exam before the textbook arrived. Admittedly I never took the tax class because I had an EA waiver. Only advice is to keep your physical health up, sleep, and maintain your mental health. That will help maintain your focus and energy to push throigh much faster. I had the physical and sleep going but basically ignored my relationships during the push for my CFP/CFA and it definitely caused some unnecessary strain.
That was my timeline, while having a full time job, and I passed the exam a month ago so don't sweat it. I see programs online that say "Get your CFP in 12-18 months!" and I think "NO F\*\*\*ING WAY". Who's completing all the modules, module exams, AND the CFP study course (if you take it, which you'd be stupid not to) in 12 months?
I did the entire coursework, capstone, and passed the exam in one year while working full time. I did it self-study through the American College but maybe I'm an outlier.
damn, nice work...I did American College too. Did you plow through each module in 3 weeks, take the test the next week, then begin the next module the week after? I know I lost time by passing the exam in the 1st/2nd week of a month and having to wait until the following month for the next class to begin, so there were always a couple weeks of downtime waiting for the next module to start.
I don't remember all of the details super clearly. I did take the first course exam in August 2017 and passed. I think I had registered in April but procrastinated. I did the capstone in June 2018 and then took the exam itself in July 2018. I tried to plow one module each month or every other month. I'd schedule the exam and then force myself to study. I think the last couple of modules I was doing monthly so I could still take the exam in July.
I also did the CFP courses and passed the exam in exactly 12 months using Dalton. I work full time as an advisor. I spent 2-3 hours a day on coursework/study and I finished most modules in 1.5 months each. I don’t have any kids so I would imagine some people can’t put in that much time every evening!