The CFP exam covers eight principal knowledge areas, spanning the whole of personal financial planning: ethics and regulation, general planning, insurance, investments, tax, retirement, estate planning and client psychology.
The CFP exam is built around CFP Board’s eight Principal Knowledge Topics. This is a plain-English summary; the official weightings are set by CFP Board and can change, so confirm the current percentages with their materials before planning around them.
The eight knowledge areas
- Professional Conduct and Regulation - the standards of conduct, fiduciary duty and the regulatory environment that govern advice.
- General Principles of Financial Planning - the financial planning process, cash flow, debt, net worth and the client relationship.
- Risk Management and Insurance Planning - protecting clients against life, health, disability, property and liability risks.
- Investment Planning - risk and return, portfolio basics and choosing approaches suited to a client’s goals.
- Tax Planning - how taxation interacts with planning decisions across the rest of the plan.
- Retirement Savings and Income Planning - accumulating for retirement and turning savings into sustainable income.
- Estate Planning - transferring wealth and coordinating it with the wider plan.
- Psychology of Financial Planning - client behaviour, communication and counselling principles.
How the areas fit together
Professional Conduct and Regulation and General Principles form the foundation: the rules and the planning process. The specialisms (insurance, investments, tax, retirement and estate planning) are the substance a planner integrates for each client, and the Psychology of Financial Planning shapes how that advice is communicated. The exam expects you to join these areas around one client, not treat them in isolation. Confirm current weights with CFP Board, as they are reviewed periodically.