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Find out if the world of financial planning is for you.

Really.

Did you know? Financial planning is one of America’s top careers.

 

Choosing a career can be intimidating, and it can be even harder to explore interests without declaring a major. Even if you’re enrolled in your CFP® program right now, you might still wonder… Is this the career for me?

Whether you love numbers, want to help people live their best lives, or find fulfillment in working on teams, financial planning may be your ideal career path.

What Makes Financial Planning a Top 100 Profession?

Median salary: $87,850

Unemployment rate: 0.4%

Number of jobs: 11,600

*According to US News

But we want to help you find out for sure — with the FPA Virtual Externship!

Considering the financial planning profession?

 

You’re not alone. There are so many great reasons to become a financial planner or receive the CFP® designation. Even if you decide that a CFP® mark isn’t what you want to pursue, you may still find what many other people find: that financial planning can serve you well in other disciplines, and can make you a more well-rounded and desirable candidate when you enter the workforce.

  • Helping People 83% 83%
  • Work/Life Balance 58% 58%
  • Path to Entrepreneurship 45% 45%
  • Technical Analysis 34% 34%
  • Demand for Jobs 26% 26%
  • Starting Salary 23% 23%

There is a wealth of information and experts in various parts of the field inside the externship. I would do this every year just to hear insights of these experts in the industry.

Brandon Moyer, 2020 Extern

One of the most beneficial and educational experiences I have been a part of throughout my college career. It gave me a glimpse of exactly what to expect regarding this career.

Sean Boylan, 2020 Extern

I have really been blown away by this. I'm really lucky to have stumbled upon this opportunity via my CFP® online course with Boston University. It has only increased my passion for this work and possible future career.

Ian Sheridan, 2020 Extern

There are so many planners with different backgrounds and different approaches to financial planning that there is something for everyone. This program really gets you excited to start this career.

Christopher Remmich, 2020 Extern

I have learned more relevant info in this brief externship than I have in probably 8 finance courses.

Matt Davis, 2020 Extern

This Externship has been one of the best, most informative, and helpful experiences I have had in all of my CFP training, work experience, seminars, CE, etc.

Jay Boekeloo, 2020 Extern

Epic!

Anthony Guzman, 2020 Extern

Best Experience Ever!

Shadia Yusuf, 2020 Extern

Hearing experiences from successful financial planners in many different paths gives a real perspective about the profession and wakes up the passion to help people.

Edwin Rodriguez, 2020 Extern

FANTASTIC!!! I've found myself more inspired than ever to keep pursuing a career in this industry and making it fit my vision.

Amber Berry, 2020 Extern

It's made me love financial planning!

Nicholas Touquet, 2020 Extern

Amazing! Currently, I am a sophomore in college, and I have been trying to figure out what I'm going to major in. After doing this externship, I learned so much about financial planning, and I have decided this would be the perfect career for me.

Sydney Davison, 2020 Extern

The most rewarding learning experience in my Financial Planning journey. Daily sessions and assignments give me more purpose during quarantine.

Elena Panco, 2020 Extern

This has allowed me to dream again and has been a huge breath of fresh air and opportunity. I am very thankful.

Sandra Hay Magdaleno, 2020 Extern

A great investment of time towards a future career in financial planning.

Gregory Petz, 2020 Extern

I learn something new with every video and assignment.

Nicholas Welsh, 2020 Extern

The opportunity of a lifetime. Educational, engaging, and empowering. What an incredible time to be entering this field and continuing the work of bettering client's lives.

Rachel Anderson, 2020 Extern

I've made so many great connections and gotten to learn from the absolute best in the business! It has made me so excited to launch my financial planning career and I am so much better prepared to do so thanks to this externship!

Bonnie Maize, 2020 Extern

This Externship has been a game-changer for me. It's been awesome to get a peek inside the life of a Financial Planner, from the hands-on tools to the experts and mostly learning that there are so many opportunities in this profession to consider.

La Tanya Harris, 2020 Extern

This Externship has been extraordinary. I am learning a lot about what a Financial Planner does for work behind the scene, and all the real-life planners shared their experience and insight to us as students. I LOVED the hands-on experience with all the invaluable Financial Planning Tools.

Mikki Venekamp, 2020 Extern

This externship has been the best thing to result from COVID!

KATHRYN KUBIAK-RIZZONE, 2020 Extern

This externship opened a whole new world for me! I now have a MUCH better understanding about what financial planning is exactly and the myriad opportunities available to us to make a difference in people's lives. I'm so excited for the future!

Neha Sharma, 2020 Extern

Very valuable. I feel like I had the opportunity to work with 20 planners on real client cases over the last two months.

Deborah Purcell, 2020 Extern

This externship will go down in history as one of the most valuable experiences of my career. The exposure to so many different points of view within the profession and seeing the actual human side of the planning work made me feel like I'm getting my footing in this profession much better than I ever could without an experience like this externship.

Brandon Tacconelli, 2020 Extern

Life changing. Thank you!!!

Diane Reynolds, 2020 Extern

In a word, AMAZING! Thank you so much for this opportunity!

Erin M. Coe, 2020 Extern

I've learned so much about financial planning that I never would have learned in my education program. I'm so grateful for the experience.

Jennifer Mawson, 2020 Extern

Internships and continuing education: Reimagined.

Instead of working with just one firm or mentor, you get to peek behind the curtain and see over 25 firms and experts at work, and do the work yourself. 

You’ll also get access to over 20 deliverables and processes from these experts, so you can see exactly how you’d want to work in your career.

Plus, for those working toward their CFP® designation, the Externship now offers 180 CFP® Board experience hours upon proof of completion. (That’s 20 more hours than last year, and is now enough to fulfill most schools’ internship requirements!)

We created the FPA Virtual Externship for YOU.

Our goal with this externship is to support students and those who are entirely new to financial planning  with unique insights into the profession.

No experience necessary. All are welcome.

You’ll get the opportunity to see how financial planning is applied in diverse financial planning firms, and with diverse clientele, so you can really decide if this career is for you.

New This Year!

Get access to real client meetings and follow along with Hannah Moore, CFP® as she works with clients and navigates questions, unknowns, and relationships.

This will show you just what a planner’s work looks like, and how you can make an impact with this career!

Decide if financial planning is right for you

You’re undecided — and you’re definitely not alone.  In fact, 30% of externs were undecided before the externship!

Join us at the next FPA Virtual Externship

June 7th – July 30th

FPA Member Price: $199
Non-member Price: $249*

Join the Waitlist
*Non-member price includes a one-year Aspiring Financial Planning membership (a $50 value). Want to know what else you get when you join FPA? There are so many benefits, beyond the Virtual Externship! Click here to see them all.