The Executive Certificate in Financial Planning prepares individuals for success in the demanding but highly rewarding financial planning industry. The courses in this program cover the areas of expertise that are needed to develop comprehensive, effective financial plans for a variety of individual clients. Those who successfully complete the program are awarded a certificate of completion by Old Dominion University and verification that they have completed the educational requirement to sit for the CFP® Board Certification Exam.

Want to learn more? Contact us!

To learn more about the Executive Certificate in Financial Planning, you can reach Continuing Education by calling 757-683-5650, emailing cepd@odu.edu, or completing the quick form below.

Program Details

  • Overview

    The Executive Certificate in Financial Planning program consists of seven courses and the entire program can be completed in just over 1 year. Courses can be taken in any order with the exception of the Capstone. All other courses must be completed before enrolling in the Capstone course. This program consists of live, online discussion to appeal to working professionals, executives, and undergraduate students. 

  • Eligible for ODU Undergraduate Credit

    Students who are admitted and enrolled in an ODU undergraduate degree program are eligible for (5) 300-level CPD elective credits upon completion of this program.

    Explore CPD Elective Credits Program

  • Schedule

    The Executive Certificate in Financial Planning program is currently offered in a Live-Online format and is registered with the CFP board. This means the program content is aligned with the CFP Board Principal Knowledge Domains and Topics.

    Live-online classes offer the added flexibility of attending class from anywhere. Our virtual classroom provides you with the opportunity to interact in real-time with our expert instructors with the added benefit of watching recordings of your class sessions at your convenience until the course ends.

Program Schedule

Financial Planning Principles, Professional Conduct, and Regulation (August 28, 2024 to October 9, 2024)

  • Dates: 8/28/2024 – 10/09/2024
  • No Class: 9/04/2024
  • Day(s): Wednesdays, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
  • Location: Online live, via Zoom
  • Continuing Education Units: 3.12
  • Instructor: Mike Milligan, CFP
  • Tuition: $999.00

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Risk Management, Insurance, and Employee Benefits Planning (October 23, 2024 to December 18, 2024)

  • Dates: 10/23/2024 – 12/18/2024
  • No class: 11/27/2024
  • Day(s): Wednesdays, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
  • Location: Online live, via Zoom
  • Continuing Education Units: 4.16
  • Instructor: Dennis Harvey, MBA, MSHRM, ARM, CPCU, CIC, CLTC, CRPC
  • Tuition: $999.00

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Investment Planning (January 8, 2025 to February 26, 2025)

  • Dates: 1/08/2025 – 2/26/2025
  • Day(s): Wednesdays, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
  • Location: Online live, via Zoom
  • Continuing Education Units: 4.16
  • Instructor:  Bruce Rubin, Ph.D.
  • Tuition: $999.00

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Retirement Savings and Income Planning (March 12, 2025 to April 30, 2025)

  • Dates: 3/12/2025 – 4/30/2025
  • Day(s): Wednesdays, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
  • Location: Online live, via Zoom
  • Continuing Education Units: 4.16
  • Instructor: TBD
  • Tuition: $999.00

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Tax Planning (May 14, 2025 to July 9, 2025)

  • Dates: 5/14/2025 – 7/09/2025
  • No class: 7/02/2025
  • Day(s): Wednesdays, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
  • Location: Online live, via Zoom
  • Continuing Education Units: 4.16
  • Instructor: Walter McDaniel, CFP, CPA
  • Tuition: $999.00

Register Now

Estate Planning (July 23, 2025 to September 17, 2025)

  • Dates: 7/23/2025 – 9/17/2025
  • No class: 9/03/2025
  • Day(s): Wednesdays, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
  • Location: Online live, via Zoom
  • Continuing Education Units: 4.16
  • Instructor: Samuel Johnson, CPA
  • Tuition: $999.00

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Capstone: Financial Plan Development Course (October 1, 2025 to December 10, 2025)

  • Dates: 10/01/2025 – 12/10/2025
  • No Class: 11/26/2025
  • Day(s): Wednesdays, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
  • Location: Online live, via Zoom
  • Continuing Education Units: 5.2
  • Instructor: Mike Milligan, CFP
  • Tuition: $1,099.00

Register Now

Why Become a Certified Financial Planner (CFP)?

  • A Nationally Recognized Certification: The CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification is the standard of excellence for financial planners. CFP® professionals have met extensive training and experience requirements and commit to CFP Board's ethical standards that requires them to act as a fiduciary when providing financial advice to a client. CFP® professionals take a holistic, personalized approach to bring all the pieces of your financial life together. 
  • Build Trust: More and more consumers understand the importance of working with a financial planner they can trust. CFP® certification demonstrates that you have a strong commitment to personal financial planning and that you are an expert in your field. Your clients want to work with a planner who can give them excellent advice that fits their unique situation. Because you invest in education, rigorous testing, and real-world experience while you earn CFP® certification, you will have the confidence and the skills to give your clients the advice they need.
  • Complement Your Existing Credentials: Some CFP® professionals started in other careers and fields. Many come from related fields in the financial services industry. Those who hold other professional designations and licenses decide to add the CFP® mark to their resume to complement their existing credentials, demonstrate their commitment to personal financial planning and help them to stand out from the competition. You may even be eligible to take an accelerated path to CFP® certification. Find out if you’re eligible for the Accelerated Path.

More Details

Who Should Attend This Course?

Students include CFA’s CPA's, CPU's, CLU's, CFSA's, lawyers, stockbrokers, trust officers, and realtors as well as other representatives of the financial services industry, or anyone wishing to make a career change. Candidates for this course are NOT required to hold a baccalaureate degree nor is one needed to take the CFP® Certification Examination.

It is required that anyone planning to sit for the CFP® Certification Examination complete a CFP Board registered education program, request a transcript review, or be eligible to challenge the examination by virtue of academic or professional credentials.

What's the Certification Process?

  • Education: The two-part education requirement includes both (1) completing coursework on financial planning through a CFP Board Registered Program, and (2) holding a bachelor's degree or higher (in any discipline) from an accredited college or university. The bachelor’s degree is not required to sit for the exam but must be completed and reported to CFP Board required within 5 years of passing the exam.
  • Exam: Passing the CFP® exam. The CFP® exam is a 170-question, multiple-choice test that consists of two 3-hour sessions over one day. 
  • Experience: You can fulfill the experience requirement either before or after you take the exam. You need to complete either 6,000 hours of professional experience related to the financial planning process, or 4,000 hours of apprenticeship experience that meets additional requirements.
  • Ethics: The ethics requirement is the final step on your path to CFP® certification. It indicates you've agreed to adhere to high ethical and professional standards for the practice of financial planning, and to act as a fiduciary when providing financial advice to your client, always putting their best interests first.

Faculty

Grant Chapman, CFP, before ascending to Senior Vice President Financial Advisor and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ with The Alcaraz Fisher Justis Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors, Grant Chapman began his career as a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones. In addition to being an advisor, Grant was tapped to work in many leadership roles including coaching Financial Advisor’s on complex investment strategies.  Also was nominated for the Forbes Next Gen Advisor list.  Today he focuses on in-depth investment planning for individual clients, as well as businesses with complex needs. You will often hear him quote “It's not what you make, it's what you keep”. He is an Alumnus of Old Dominion University where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Economics and his master’s in business administration. During his time there, Grant competed on the top-15 ranked ODU wresting team, and himself was a 3-time conference place winner. Outside of the office, Grant loves to spend time with his wife Lindsey and sons, Carson and Brady enjoying the outdoors. Especially going boating and any water related activity. Grant actively volunteers his time working with local high schools and wrestling clubs.

Dennis Harvey, MBA, MSHRM, ARM, CPCU, CIC, CLTC, CRPC, has over thirty years of extensive experience in the insurance and risk management industry. He has a robust background as a Lecturer and Educator with a Master of Business Administration and a Master’s in Human Resources. His academic concentrations span Insurance, Risk Management, Marketing, Finance, Economics, Management, and Employee Benefits. As an instructor at Old Dominion University, he has been instrumental in expanding external business relationships to enhance student opportunities. His professional journey includes roles such as Supervisory Principal at Mass Mutual Commonwealth Insurance, District Manager at Farmers Insurance Group, and Market Distribution Manager at Allstate Insurance Company. He has developed and taught distance learning and online courses, demonstrating an ability to engage students and foster their understanding of complex subjects. His practical experience encompasses recruiting, training, sales, and customer service, with a proven track record of driving business growth and developing new markets. His civic involvement includes leadership roles with the Boy Scouts of America, the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, and volunteer work with Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Samuel E. Johnson (Sam), CPA, is currently a Lecturer in the School of Accountancy, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate classes in accounting and taxation. Prior to joining ODU, he was a partner in the Richmond office of Cherry Bekaert LLP. A graduate of Virginia Tech, Johnson holds a Master of Taxation degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Mike Milligan, CFP, is a native of North Carolina and graduate of Campbell University where he received a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration on Trust and Investment Management from the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business.  He became a Certified Financial Planning® Professional in May 2002 and has continuously worked in the planning field with major regional banks before founding an Independent Financial Planning firm in 2019 and launching a Registered Investment Advisory Firm in 2023.  A Norfolk, VA resident, he has also completed coursework and previously or currently holds the following designations:  AIF® (Accredited Investment Fiduciary), FRC® (Federal Retirement Consultant), FINRA Series 7 and 63 and registered Nationally with the SEC as an Investment Adviser Representative.  He currently teaches the Principles of Financial Planning class and the Capstone Financial Plan Development courses with the ODU program. Follow Mike professionally on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/mikemilligancfp, Instagram @ideasbymike or YouTube @ideasbymike.

Walter McDaniel, EA,CFP, is currently the owner and sole proprietor of a tax and employee benefits advisory practice. Prior to starting his own firm, he was associated with Prudential Preferred Financial Services for 18 years, Lincoln Financial Advisors for two years, and he served as the regional vice president of AXA Advisors, LLC for four years. He holds multiple professional designations including CLU, ChFC, and EA. McDaniel earned his B.S. in accounting from Virginia Tech. He has been an adjunct faculty member at Old Dominion University since 2002.

Bruce L. Rubin, PhD, has been a member of the Finance Department at Old Dominion University since 1981. He has served as chairman of the Finance Department, interim dean of the School of Business and Public Administration and is current director of the Economics Club of Hampton Roads and the director of the Insurance and Financial Services Center. Rubin helped design the original financial planning program and has taught for the program since its beginning in 1983. Rubin received his bachelor's degree from New York University, and his master's and doctorate from Case Western Reserve University. He was previously on the faculty of the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University.

All students attending the Executive Certificate in Financial Planning are encouraged to create a CFP Board account and to join a local chapter of the Financial Planning Association.

Cost & Aid

  • Fees

    Each course is $999 with the exception of the Capstone course, which is $1099. Tuition includes e-book and corresponding question bank.

  • Financial Aid

    Continuing Education can accept payments for courses in several different forms. ODU's helpful staff can assist you in determining if you might qualify for any number of various funding options that could assist you with non-credit continuing educational opportunities to improve your marketability and advance your career.

  • Refund Policy

    To withdraw from a course you must send a request in writing to davans@odu.edu (7) days prior the start date of the course. Failure to attend a course does not constitute withdrawal. Course registration fees, less a $50 processing fee will be refunded via the original form of payment. There are no refunds once the class has begun. Late withdrawals of six (6) days or less before the class begins, will result in the student being charged the $50 processing fee, as well as charges for books and/or other course material fees.

Certified Financial Planning and the CFP® Board

This program is registered with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. The CFP® Board is a national regulatory organization whose mission is to benefit the public by fostering the highest professional standards in personal financial planning.

The Executive Certificate in Financial Planning prepares individuals for success in the demanding but highly rewarding financial planning industry. The courses in this program cover the areas of expertise that are needed to develop comprehensive, effective financial plans for a variety of individual clients. Those who successfully complete the program are awarded a certificate of completion by Old Dominion University and verification that they have completed the educational requirement to sit for the CFP® Board Certification Exam.

This educational program is also registered with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. The CFP® Board is a national regulatory organization whose mission is to benefit the public by fostering the highest professional standards in personal financial planning. The CFP® designation is the most recognized and respected discriminator for financial planning professionals. This is a career-enhancing credential that distinguishes those professionals who have received hands-on training in a university-sponsored program.

CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ are certification marks owned by Certified Financial Board of Standards, Inc. These marks are awarded to individuals who successfully complete the CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.