Become NGPF Certified in specific personal finance topics for FREE!

Certification Courses are NGPF’s most in-depth professional development format. Each course combines 9 hours of live virtual sessions focused on a core personal finance content area with a 1-hour exam. The content follows the flow of NGPF Semester Course but uses different resources so your content knowledge deepens without feeling redundant. These courses are 100% free.

WHY TAKE A CERTIFICATION COURSE?

Become more confident, qualified, and ready for the classroom

Boost your resume and earn digital badges to add to your email

Receive NGPF Academy credits and swag

Achieve the NGPF Distinguished Educator award when you complete 6 or more certifications

Most states that track professional development accept them for state CEUs

 

Register for the upcoming cohort:


NEED TO MAKE UP A SESSION OR WANT TO ATTEND A REVIEW SESSION?

Click here to register for individual sessions to make-up missed sessions from a PREVIOUS cohort or to attend a review session before the next exam window.

COHORT #41

SESSIONS

Feb 12 - Mar 14

REGISTRATION

CLOSED

EXAM WINDOW

Mar 15 - 22

Live virtual courses offered:


Behavioral Economics
Career

On-demand only courses offered:


Credit
 

Behavioral Economics

2pm - 4pm PT / 5pm - 7pm ET

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Educators will walk away with real-life examples of these biases along with ideas on how to overcome them. This content knowledge will prove helpful in educators' lives while also increasing their confidence to teach the unit.

CERTIFICATION COURSE SCHEDULE
WEEK 1 Session 1 Tues, Feb 13 Experiments, Cognitive Biases

WEEK 2 Session 2 Tues, Feb 20 Loss Aversion, Endowment Effect

WEEK 3 Session 3 Tues, Feb 27 Financial FOMO and Marketing Applications

WEEK 4 Session 4 Tues, Mar 5 Overconfidence, Confirmation Bias

WEEK 5 Session 5 Tues, Mar 12 Hedonic Adaptation

EXAM WINDOW MAR 15-22

Career

4pm - 6pm PT / 7pm - 9pm ET

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In this course, participants will learn up to the minute trends regarding 21st century careers, including how to prepare for in-person and virtual interviews, curating a successful LinkedIn profile, finding a career path for success, and more!

CERTIFICATION COURSE SCHEDULE
WEEK 1 Session 1 Wed, Feb 14 Career Landscape, 21st Century Resumes

WEEK 2 Session 2 Wed, Feb 21 Online Networking, Alternatives to 4-year College

WEEK 3 Session 3 Wed, Feb 28 The Productive Gap Year, Joining the Military, Virtual Interviews

WEEK 4 Session 4 Wed, Mar 6 The Gig Economy, Automation, Soft Skills

WEEK 3 Session 5 Wed, Mar 13 Job Offers and Benefits

EXAM WINDOW MAR 15-22

Credit
[On-Demand]

ON-DEMAND ONLY

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In this course, participants will explore major aspects of credit, loans, and debt management. We will also drill down on the complexities of the United States crediting system, common pitfalls, and current trends!

CERTIFICATION COURSE SCHEDULE
Session 1 On-Demand Credit Essentials, Debt Fundamentals

Session 2 On-Demand Credit Cards, Personal Loans and Predatory Lending

Session 3 On-Demand Trends in Consumer Credit, Auto Loans

Session 4 On-Demand Mortgages, Credit Reports & Scores

Session 5 On-Demand Identity Theft and Current Trends

EXAM WINDOW MAR 15-22

COHORT #42

SESSIONS

Mar 18 - Apr 3

REGISTRATION

CLOSED

EXAM WINDOW

Apr 5 - 12

On-demand only courses offered:


Advanced Investing (Invite Only)
Insurance
Paying for College

NOTE: Cohort #42 is a 3-week cohort

 

Advanced Investing
[On-Demand]

ON-DEMAND ONLY

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This course emphasizes vocabulary, content knowledge and NGPF resources for in Investing instructional use. Participants will build the foundational understanding of: the value of investing early and often, compound returns, and more.

CERTIFICATION COURSE SCHEDULE
Session 1 On-Demand Asset Allocation, Target Date Funds

Session 2 On-Demand Behavioral Finance, Bond Funds

Session 3 On-Demand Investing Pitfalls, Regulation of the Financial Markets

Session 4 On-Demand Investing Internationally, What Research Teaches Us

Session 5 On-Demand Hot Topics in Investing

ON-DEMAND MODULE DEADLINE APR 3 / EXAM WINDOW APR 5-12

Insurance
[On-Demand]

ON-DEMAND ONLY

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This course will cover many facets of insurance from renters insurance, to homeowners insurance, to health insurance. Educators will walk away with a working knowledge of insurance types and forms.

CERTIFICATION COURSE SCHEDULE
Session 1 On-Demand What is insurance?, Renters Insurance

Session 2 On-Demand Homeowners Insurance, Auto Insurance

Session 3 On-Demand Health Insurance

Session 4 On-Demand Disability Insurance, Life Insurance

Session 5 On-Demand Other Types of Insurance

ON-DEMAND MODULE DEADLINE APR 3 / EXAM WINDOW APR 5-12

Paying for College
[On-Demand]

ON-DEMAND ONLY

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In this course, participants will investigate the financial aid process. Sessions will focus on college pricing, the role of the FAFSA, financial aid, 529 college savings plans, student loans, financial aid offers, student loan repayment, and more!

CERTIFICATION COURSE SCHEDULE
Session 1 On-Demand College Basics & Budgets, College Exploration Process

Session 2 On-Demand FAFSA Basics

Session 3 On-Demand College Savings Plans & Free Money, Student Loans

Session 4 On-Demand Financial Aid Packages, Loan Repayment

Session 5 On-Demand Alternatives to 4-year Colleges + Current Events

ON-DEMAND MODULE DEADLINE APR 3 / EXAM WINDOW APR 5-12

COHORT #43

SESSIONS

Apr 15 - May 16

REGISTRATION

OPEN

EXAM WINDOW

May 17 - 24

Live virtual courses offered:


Credit
Consumer Skills
Cryptocurrency Basics

On-demand only courses offered:


Behavioral Economics
Investing
 

Credit

4-6pm PT / 7-9pm ET

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In this course, participants will explore major aspects of credit, loans, and debt management. We will also drill down on the complexities of the United States crediting system, common pitfalls, and current trends!

CERTIFICATION COURSE SCHEDULE
Session 1 Tues, April 16 Credit Essentials, Debt Fundamentals

Session 2 Tues, April 23 Credit Cards, Personal Loans and Predatory Lending

Session 3 Tues, April 30 Trends in Consumer Credit, Auto Loans

Session 4 On-Demand Mortgages, Credit Reports & Scores

Session 5 Tues, May 14 Identity Theft and Current Trends

EXAM WINDOW MAY 17-24

Consumer Skills

4-6pm PT / 7-9pm ET

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In this course, participants examine the lives of modern consumers. We explore targeted advertising, social media influencers, deceptive web design elements, advanced scams, fraud threats, fake product reviews, and more!

CERTIFICATION COURSE SCHEDULE
Session 1 Wed, April 17 How Social Media Influences Spending

Session 2 Wed, April 24 Big Data & Targeted Advertising, Dark Patterns

Session 3 Wed, MAY 1 Comparison Shopping Skills, How eCommerce Business Models Affect Budgeting

Session 4 On-Demand Second Hand Savvy, Scams, Fraud, and Identity Theft

Session 5 Wed, MAY 15 Consumer Ethics

EXAM WINDOW MAY 17 - 24

Cryptocurrency Basics

2-4pm PT / 5-7pm ET

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Sessions will cover many topics including the pros and cons of Bitcoin, to the current state of crypto, and more. Educators will gain an understanding of what cryptocurrency is, how it works, and arguments for and against its widespread adoption.

CERTIFICATION COURSE SCHEDULE
Session 1 Thurs, April 18 The History of Money and Cryptography

Session 2 Thurs, April 25 The Pros/Cons of Bitcoin

Session 3 Thurs, May 2 Ethereum + Smart Contracts, Exploring Altcoins

Session 4 On-Demand The Metaverse, NFTs + DeFi, Getting Started with Crypto

Session 5 Thurs, May 16 Unpacking Scams and Fraud

EXAM WINDOW MAY 17 - 24

Investing
[On-Demand Only]

ON-DEMAND ONLY

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This course emphasizes vocabulary, content knowledge and NGPF resources for Investing instructional use. Participants will build the foundational understanding of: the value of investing early and often, compounding returns, stocks and bonds, and more!

CERTIFICATION COURSE SCHEDULE
Session 1 On-Demand Compounding, Stock

Session 2 On-Demand Measuring Performance, Bonds

Session 3 On-Demand Behavioral Economics, Intro to Index and Mutual Funds

Session 4 On-Demand ETFs and Target Date Funds, Retirement Investing

Session 5 On-Demand Robo-Advising and Current Events

EXAM WINDOW MAY 17 - 24

Behavioral Economics
[On-Demand Only]

ON-DEMAND ONLY

cert course badge

Educators will walk away with real-life examples of these biases along with ideas on how to overcome them. This content knowledge will prove helpful in educators' lives while also increasing their confidence to teach the unit.

CERTIFICATION COURSE SCHEDULE
Session 1 On-Demand Experiments, Cognitive Biases

Session 2 On-Demand Loss Aversion, Endowment Effect

Session 3 On-Demand Financial FOMO and Marketing Applications

Session 4 On-Demand Overconfidence, Confirmation Bias

Session 5 On-Demand Hedonic Adaptation

EXAM WINDOW MAY 17 - 24

COHORT #44

SESSIONS

Jun 3 - 19

REGISTRATION

COMING SOON

EXAM WINDOW

Jun 21 - 28

TENTATIVE On-demand only courses offered:


Banking & Budgeting
Behavioral Economics
Career
Cryptocurrency Basics

NOTE: Cohort #44 is a 3-week cohort