Ok. I'm interested. What will I learn?
A Financial Planning Software Curriculum for People Who Really Want to be in Financial Planning At an easy pace for learning. Here's is what we're covering and plan on covering:
Level 1: Foundations (Getting Oriented)
Goal: Build comfort and eliminate intimidationModule 1: Why the Software Matters• Role of planning software in modern advice• Planning vs. portfolio management• What clients actually care about seeing• Common advisor mistakes (over-modeling, under-explaining), including the humility required to be "predicting the future".
Exercise:Explain a plan output to a “client” in under 3 minutes.________________________________________
Module 2: Navigation & Core Structure• Dashboard overview• Client profiles and household setup• Data hierarchy (inputs → calculations → outputs)• Where advisors most often break things Exercise:Create a mock client and navigate to every major tab without guidance.________________________________________
Level 2: Data Entry That Doesn’t Suck
Goal: Accurate inputs without overengineeringModule 3: Income & Cash Flow• Salary, bonuses, self-employed income• Social Security assumptions• Pensions and irregular income• Realistic expense modeling (rules of thumb)Exercise:Model a dual-income household with uneven retirement dates.________________________________________Module 4: Assets, Accounts & Liabilities• Account types and tax treatment• Employer plans (401k, match logic)• Taxable vs. qualified vs. Roth• Mortgages, student loans, other debtExercise:Recreate a real (sanitized) client balance sheet.________________________________________
Level 3: Planning Scenarios That Clients Love
Goal: Turn software into a conversation toolModule 5: Retirement Modeling• Retirement age assumptions• Spending phases (go-go, slow-go, no-go)• Inflation assumptions• Withdrawal order basicsExercise:Answer: “Can we retire at 60 instead of 65?”________________________________________Module 6: What-If Scenarios• Early retirement• Market downturns• Major purchases• Lifestyle creep vs. disciplineExercise:Create 3 scenarios and explain which one feels best for the client.________________________________________
Level 4: Risk, Probability & Reality
Goal: Avoid false precision and client confusion
Module 7: Risk & Monte Carlo (Without Scaring People)• What probability of success really means• How assumptions drive outcomes• How to explain bad years without panic• Guardrails vs. guaranteesExercise:Explain Monte Carlo to a 12-year-old (or a nervous client).________________________________________
Level 5: Client Meetings & Deliverables
Goal: Clean, confident, client-facing output
Module 8: Running the Client Meeting• Live vs. prepared plans• Where to pause and ask questions• When to not click more buttons• Using visuals effectivelyExercise:Run a 15-minute mock review meeting.________________________________________Module 9: Reports & Follow-Ups• What to show vs. what to hide• Executive summaries• Action items from the plan• Updating plans efficientlyExercise:Create a 1-page “plan takeaway” for a client.________________________________________
Level 6: Advanced & Firm-Specific Use
Goal: Consistency, scale, and compliance
Module 10: Firm Standards & Templates• Assumption standards• Naming conventions• Scenario templates• Version control________________________________________Module 11: Integration & Workflow• CRM integration• Portfolio management links• Data updates and annual reviews• Who owns what in the process________________________________________
Work Towards Capstone Certification
Final Project:• Build a full financial plan from scratch• Present it to leadership or peers• Defend assumptions• Answer curveball client questions
Club Members Outcome:✔️ “Client-Ready Financial Planning Software User"