Sage APFC approved to count 500 CFP experience hours

Sage Financial Solutions’ accredited personal finance coach program received CFP Board approval to provide up to 500 hours of documented experience toward the 6,000-hour CFP requirement. The firm will begin a three-course APFC curriculum next week focused on behavioral coaching techniques for financial advisors.

The CFP Board granted approval this summer after adding the psychology of planning to its principal knowledge topics in 2021. The APFC curriculum combines classroom instruction, supervised fieldwork, mentoring and a performance evaluation to document candidate experience.

The first course, Financial Coaching Foundations, starts next week. It is followed by Deepen the Learning and an applied practicum during which students work with supervised clients to record required hours.

Saundra Davis, founder of Sage and director of the Financial Planning Programs at Golden Gate University, described the curriculum as training on emotional, behavioral and psychological factors that affect client decisions. At a recent information session she demonstrated coaching techniques by exploring a volunteer’s feelings about student loans and home buying and by recommending a decision balance sheet to weigh costs and benefits.

Sage lists each course at $600, with a bundled rate of $1,900 for all three courses. The company also offers a financial well-being rate that lets applicants state an affordable payment amount to increase access for people with irregular income or early-career professionals.

Other coaching credentials for financial professionals include the accredited financial counselor, the financial fitness coach and the behavioral financial advice designations. A training provider that runs externships for aspiring planners has argued that coaching and planning serve different needs and require different training.

Brandy Baxter, an AFC and APFC certificant, contrasted time horizons for the roles, describing counseling as focused on clients’ immediate cash flow while planners focus on long-term goals. Cherie Stueve, an AFC and CFP who previously taught personal financial planning, observed that coaching skills help advisors build trust quickly and surface client fears and motivations.

Course activities emphasize role-play, open questions, listening for emotional drivers and helping clients make decisions rather than teaching technical financial planning tools. The supervised client work is intended to document coaching hours candidates need for the APFC credential.

Interest in behavioral approaches within the profession has increased as some advisors and clients place priority on peace of mind and behavior management alongside portfolio performance. Structured coaching training is one response being offered to meet that demand.