Many professionals refer to themselves as financial planners: insurance salespeople, stock brokers, accountants and fee-based financial planners. Each profession has its own education, testing and licensing procedures. The professional licensing industry serves this community. Courses are generally online and self-paced so they can be completed quickly. Often, in-person testing after short coursework is required to receive certification to become a licensed insurance broker or stockbroker or a certified financial planner.
Community colleges are specifically well suited to offering learning of all kinds to local residents. Classes are inexpensive and sometimes free. Some classes offer college credit; others are offered solely for the value of the information being taught. Financial literacy programs are popular among community colleges because financial literacy is so importance for the well-being of a community. Many programs focus in part on financial literacy for the new student as well as basic long-term-planning concepts. Your nearest community college is a great place to start looking for financial planning courses if you are not seeking a professional certification.
The FDIC or Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation offers an online program with curricula for children 13 and older as well as adults. The Money Smart program is free to anyone with Internet access. The adult program has 11 modules. Each module covers financial basics such as maintaining a checking account, common products offered by financial institutions, basics of credit management and the principles of savings.
The Financial Management Training Center offers a series of short courses. Free coursework, including advanced financial planning for individuals and business managers, is also available online at no cost. Each course is downloadable in a variety of file formats. Many of the courses are designed for CPE (Continuing Professional Education) standards.