The Process

What will a Candidate learn while pursuing the CPFinCap?

The twelve-week learning investment will be divided into these topical learning categories:

• The Ethics of Financial Capability
• The Roles in Financial Capability
• The Resources Available in Financial Capability
• Working Directly With Those Served in Financial Capability
• The Psychology of Financial Capability
• Financial Capability at the Policy Level
• Financial Capability in Our Communities
• Financial Capability and Financial Technology
• The Role of Learning in Financial Capability
• Leadership and Teamwork in Financial Capability

How will a Practitioner pursue the CPFinCap?

The CPFinCap will be pursued through principles of social learning and learning synthesis. Simply stated, Candidates will learn with and from each other weekly through intensive reading, research, discussion, writing and engagement exercises. Candidates will also apply what they have learned, and learn from what they apply, as they engage with each other throughout the twelve-week Window.

The terms below will help further detail the CPFinCap Candidate process.

Window – Initially, two Certification Windows will be offered annually. Windows will last twelve (12) weeks, beginning in February and October.

Cohort - All Candidates (those pursuing the CPFinCap) will be assigned to a Cohort of up to twenty-five (25) peer members. Cohort members (Candidates) will function as a learning group and navigate the CPFinCap requirements together throughout the Certification Window.

Moderator - Each Cohort will have an assigned Moderator. The Moderator will guide the learning, and also apply ratings to all Candidate contributions to the social learning approach, following a rubric.

Discussion Forum - Each week, a Candidate will be required to read an internet-based reading assignment. Alternatively, some weeks may require internet-based research on a specific topic area. As the Candidate completes the assigned reading or research, they will be guided to enter a written entry in a social learning platform. These Discussion Forum consisting of fields for open text. The Candidate’s entry will be scholarly in nature, including references to reading and research. Candidates will then reply and respond to other Candidate entries within their Cohort, creating a lively exchange of ideas and perspectives to generate a unique, shared learning experience.

Rubric – Weekly, the Moderator will assign a rating to each Candidate’s contributions. These ratings will be tallied throughout the twelve-week period to determine CPFinCap attainment.

Final White Paper – Each Candidate will be required to complete and submit a research paper on a topic of their choice within the Financial Capability profession. This final Candidate output will be part of determining a final rating for attaining the CPFinCap.

What projected time investment is expected of a Candidate to pursue the CPFinCap?

Many factors will determine the overall time investment required of each Candidate. The Institute for Financial Capability projects the time investment at 2-5 hours per week, depending upon a Candidate’s agility with reading and writing assignments.

Read more to learn about the who, what, when, where, why and how of the CPFinCap.