Our Most Advanced Designation: The Financial Counselor

The Certified Financial Counselor is our most advanced designation. It includes course materials from our Credit Counselor, Financial Health Counselor, and Student Loan Counselor. It meets the competencies for Cities for Financial Empowerment. Successful candidates earn a two-year renewable certificate.

The Certified Financial Counselor (CFC) designation provides counselors/coaches with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to help clients improve their financial health and life-cycle planning. This is accomplished by creating and understanding budget and debt management planning, credit reports and scoring, steps to making large purchases and financing an education. Counselors and coaches will work with clients to develop an action plan and maintain accountability.

This program covers the entire financial picture, including:
• Counseling and coaching strategies
• The psychology of money
• Credit and banking
• Debt management
• Student loans preparing to attend and managing student loans
• Housing preparing to purchase a home and foreclosure prevention
• Life Cycle planning and management of resources
• Retirement
• Ethics, resources and more

Financial Counselor Job Growth

Financial counselors have a Bright Outlook according to the O*NET database for the U.S. Department of Labor. A Bright Outlook means the field is expected to see rapid growth and more job openings in the near future.

Enrollment includes access to our online learning management system. The online course is open enrollment and self-paced with an on-call instructor! It includes exercises, review slides, audio lectures, and a practice exam. The instructor and NACCC support staff are available to assist students throughout the course.

Curriculum

Keys to Success: Solutions Through Knowledge
Essential Financial Topics and Coaching Techniques
Credit Counseling: Essential Topics, Skills, and Roles
Student Loans
Financial and Career Coaching Success

Refunds are not provided after enrollment.

Skills Earned from completing this course:

• Active Listening
• Active Learning
• Adaptability
• College Planning
• Communication
• Counseling Techniques
• Critical Thinking
• Debt Management Planning
• Ethics and Standards of Conduct
• Facilitate Creation of Action Plan
• Goal Setting and Decision Making
• Interpersonal
• Knowledge of Debt Repayment
• Management of Financial Resources
• Money Management and Budgeting
• Problem Solving Process
• Resourceful.Research Skills
• Risk Assessment
• Using Credit Wisley
• Working with Disabilites

Upon completion of the course, fill out the Request Exam Form. Testing materials are sent to the testing site indicated on the form. Proctoring services are required. These are easily arranged through local community colleges, universities, or libraries. Proctoring fees are determined by the proctoring site and may vary from location to location. NACCC also provides webcam proctoring for a one time charge of $50. The individual or firm taking the test is fully responsible for proctor payment.

The 3-hour certification exam consists of 150 multiple-choice questions that relate directly to the content presented in the study manual. Candidates must receive minimum score of 70% to pass.
(Please allow 10 business days for proctor to receive testing materials.)

Why attend the seminar? The rule of thumb in education is that we learn:
20% of what we see
40 % of what we see and hear
70% of what we see, hear and do

Triple your success rate in passing the exam the first time. Tuition Rates are based on the number of participants. They optimize the performance of your counselors and your entire organization.