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

 

NGPF CERTIFICATION AT A GLANCE

WEEK 1-2

Attend two 2-hour virtual sessions each week. [Note: Holidays may impact scheduling]

WEEK 3

Attend a 1-hour virtual session and a 1-hour optional review session. 

EXAM

  • 1-hour self-paced exam
  • Become certified with an 80% or better
  • Retakes are permissible in future exam windows. 

 

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 #34

SESSIONS

Jun 5 - 22

REGISTRATION

OPEN

EXAM WINDOW

Jun 23 - 30

Course topics offered:

Banking & Budgeting
Career
Insurance
Investing
 

Banking & Budgeting

9am - 11am PT / 12pm - 2pm ET

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During this course, participants will cover essential strategies and tools for successfully banking and budgeting. Throughout the 5 session course, sessions will focus on Online Banking, Overdraft Fees, Budgeting Strategies, Savings Accounts, and more!

WEEK 1
SESSION 1
Mon, Jun 5
Checking Accounts, Overdraft Protection Fees, Unbanked and Underbanked, Online and Mobile Banking
 
SESSION 2
Wed, Jun 7
Why is Saving Important?, Types of Savings Accounts
WEEK 2
SESSION 3
Mon, Jun 12
Peer-to-Peer Payment Apps, Budgeting Strategies
 
SESSION 4
Wed, Jun 14
Budgeting for Transportation and Housing
WEEK 3
SESSION 5
Wed, Jun 21
The Gig Economy
EXAM
WINDOW
Jun 23 - 30

Career

9am - 11am PT / 12pm - 2pm 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!

WEEK 1
SESSION 1
Mon, Jun 5
Career Landscape, 21st Century Resumes
 
SESSION 2
Wed, Jun 7
Online Networking, Alternatives to 4-year College
WEEK 2
SESSION 3
Mon, Jun 12
The Productive Gap Year, Joining the Military, Virtual Interviews
 
SESSION 4
Wed, Jun 14
The Gig Economy, Automation, Soft Skills
WEEK 3
SESSION 5
Wed, Jun 21
Job Offers and Benefits
EXAM
WINDOW
Jun 23 - 30

Investing

7am - 9am PT / 10am - 12pm ET

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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!

WEEK 1
SESSION 1
Tues, Jun 6
Compounding, Stock
 
SESSION 2
Thurs, Jun 8
Measuring Performance, Bonds
WEEK 2
SESSION 3
Tues, Jun 13
Behavioral Economics, Intro to Index and Mutual Funds
 
SESSION 4
Thurs, Jun 15
ETFs and Target Date Funds, Retirement Investing
WEEK 3
SESSION 5
Tues, Jun 20
Robo-Advising and Current Events
EXAM
WINDOW
Jun 23 - 30

Insurance

9am - 11am PT / 12pm - 2pm ET

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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.

WEEK 1
SESSION 1
Tues, Jun 6
What is insurance?, Renters Insurance
 
SESSION 2
Thurs, Jun 8
Homeowners Insurance, Auto Insurance
WEEK 2
SESSION 3
Tues, Jun 13
Health Insurance
 
SESSION 4
Thurs, Jun 15
Disability Insurance, Life Insurance
WEEK 3
SESSION 5
Tues, Jun 20
Other Types of Insurance
EXAM
WINDOW
Jun 23 - 30

COHORT #35

SESSIONS

Jun 26 - Jul 13

REGISTRATION

OPEN

EXAM WINDOW

Jul 14 - 21

Course topics offered:

Behavioral Economics
Cryptocurrency Basics
Paying for College
Psychology of Money
 

Paying for College

7am - 9am PT / 10am - 12pm ET

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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
WEEK 1
Session 1 Mon, June 26 College Basics & Budgets, College Exploration Process
Session 2 Wed, June 28 FAFSA Basics

WEEK 2
Session 3 Wed, July 5 College Savings Plans & Free Money, Student Loans

WEEK 3
Session 4 Mon, July 10 Financial Aid Packages, Loan Repayment
Session 5 Wed, July 12 Alternatives to 4-year Colleges + Current Events

EXAM WINDOW JULY 14-21

Behavioral Economics

9am - 11am PT / 12pm - 2pm 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 Mon, June 26 Experiments, Cognitive Biases
Session 2 Wed, June 28 Loss Aversion, Endowment Effect

WEEK 2
Session 3 Wed, July 5 Financial FOMO and Marketing Applications

WEEK 3
Session 4 Mon, July 10 Overconfidence, Confirmation Bias
Session 5 Wed, July 12 Hedonic Adaptation

EXAM WINDOW JULY 14-21

Cryptocurrency Basics

7am - 9am PT / 9am - 11am 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
WEEK 1
Session 1 Tues, June 27 The History of Money and Cryptography
Session 2 Thurs, June 29 The Pros/Cons of Bitcoin

WEEK 2
Session 3 Thurs, July 6 Ethereum + Smart Contracts, Exploring Altcoins

WEEK 3
Session 4 Tues, July 11 The Metaverse, NFTs + DeFi, Getting Started with Crypto
Session 5 Thurs, July 13 Unpacking Scams and Fraud

EXAM WINDOW JULY 14-21

Psychology of Money

9am - 11am PT / 12pm - 2pm ET

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We will be using Morgan Housel’s Psychology of Money as the foundational text. This course incorporates key concepts from the book and extends them with videos, articles and podcasts.

CERTIFICATION COURSE SCHEDULE
WEEK 1
Session 1 Tues, June 27 Our Attitudes Around Money, Hedonic Adaptation
Session 2 Thurs, June 29 The Power of Compounding, Keys to Financial Survival

WEEK 2
Session 3 Thurs, July 6 Being Rich vs Being Wealthy, Savings vs Spending Rates

WEEK 3
Session 4 Tues, July 11 Surprises in Financial Plans, Challenges in Financial Planning and Stock Market Volatility

Session 5 Thurs, July 13 Podcast interview with Morgan Housel, author of the Psychology of Money

EXAM WINDOW JULY 14-21

COHORT #36

SESSIONS

Jul 17 - Aug 3

REGISTRATION

OPEN

EXAM WINDOW

Aug 4 - 11

Course topics offered:

Advanced Investing
Consumer Skills
Credit
Taxes
 

Credit

7am - 9am PT / 10am - 12pm ET

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

CERTIFICATION COURSE SCHEDULE
WEEK 1
Session 1 On-Demand Credit Essentials, Debt Fundamentals
Session 2 Wed, July 19 Credit Cards, Personal Loans and Predatory Lending

WEEK 2
Session 3 Mon, July 24 Trends in Consumer Credit, Auto Loans
Session 4 Wed, July 26 Mortgages, Credit Reports & Scores

WEEK 3
Session 5 Mon, July 31 Identity Theft and Current Trends

EXAM WINDOW AUG 4-11

Taxes

9am - 11am PT / 12pm - 2pm ET

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CERTIFICATION COURSE SCHEDULE
WEEK 1
Session 1 Mon, July 17 Session Details will be shared closer to the cohort start date
Session 2 Wed, July 19  

WEEK 2
Session 3 Mon, July 24  
Session 4 Wed, July 26  

WEEK 3
Session 5 Mon, July 31  

EXAM WINDOW AUG 4-11

Consumer Skills

7am - 9am PT / 10am - 12pm 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
WEEK 1
Session 1 Tues, July 18 How Social Media Influences Spending
Session 2 Thurs, July 20 Big Data & Targeted Advertising, Dark Patterns

WEEK 2
Session 3 Tues, July 25 Comparison Shopping Skills, How eCommerce Business Models Affect Budgeting
Session 4 Thurs, July 27 Second Hand Savvy, Scams, Fraud, and Identity Theft

WEEK 3
Session 5 Tues, Aug 1 Consumer Ethics

EXAM WINDOW AUG 4-11

Advanced Investing

9am - 11am PT / 12pm - 2pm ET

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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
WEEK 1
Session 1 Tues, July 18 Asset Allocation, Target Date Funds
Session 2 Thurs, July 20 Behavioral Finance, Bond Funds

WEEK 2
Session 3 Tues, July 25 Investing Pitfalls, Regulation of the Financial Markets
Session 4 On-Demand Investing Internationally, What Research Teaches Us

WEEK 3
Session 5 Tues, Aug 1 Hot Topics in Investing

EXAM WINDOW AUG 4-11