The College of Business at Illinois State has registered with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. (CFP Board) to provide an undergraduate minor in financial planning.

The CFP Board owns the certified financial planner certification mark, which it awards to individuals who meet its education, examination, experience, and ethics standards.

Finance Professor Edgar Norton said the main advantage of having a CFP Board registered program at Illinois State is that it allows students who complete the financial planning program to take the CFP exam. The program includes course work in investments, insurance, taxation, retirement planning, estate planning, and a capstone course that requires students to present a comprehensive personal financial plan, he said.

“Given the department’s recognized strengths in investment analysis and insurance, financial planning is a natural strategic direction for faculty members that pride themselves on linking theory with financial practice,” said Gary Koppenhaver, professor and chair of the Department of Finance, Insurance and Law. “The breadth and depth of our courses and the feedback from active advisory board members makes for Illinois State graduates and interns that can provide quality financial advising to clients.”

In considering a school’s application to register a program, the CFP Board compares the program with the financial planning content areas identified in extensive, periodic job-task analysis studies. Financial planning professionals are surveyed to determine areas students should master in order to provide competent, ethical financial planning services.

“CFP Board is pleased to have an educational institution of the caliber of the College of Business at Illinois State now offering its approved financial planning curriculum,” said Nancy A. Kistner, chair of the CFP Board’s board of directors. “As student interest in financial planning as a career continues to grow, we anticipate that Illinois State’s program will contribute significantly to the number of qualified candidates seeking to attain the CFP certification, the standard of excellence for competent and ethical financial planning.”

Persons interested in the program, hiring student interns, or hiring graduates should send inquires to Norton at eanorto@IllinoisState.edu.