Certification Courses
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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 assessment exam. These courses are 100% free. Most states that track professional development accept them for state CEUs.
WHY TAKE A CERTIFICATION COURSE?
Become more confident, qualified, and ready for the classroom
Deepen your understanding of a specific personal finance topic
Boost your resume and earn digital badges to add to your email
Receive NGPF Academy credits and swag
Earn Continuing Education Credits, if eligible in your state
Achieve the NGPF Distinguished Educator award when you complete 6 or more certifications
NGPF CERTIFICATION AT A GLANCE
WEEK 1-4 | Attend a 2-hour virtual sessions each week. |
WEEK 5 | Attend a 1-hour virtual session and a 1-hour optional review session. |
EXAM |
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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 #33
 | SESSIONSApr 24 - May 25 |
 | REGISTRATIONCLOSED |
 | EXAM WINDOWMay 26 - Jun 2 |
Course topics offered:
2pm - 4pm PT / 5pm - 7pm ET
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
COHORT #34
| SESSIONSJun 5 - 22 |
| REGISTRATIONOPEN |
| EXAM WINDOWJun 23 - 30 |
Course topics offered:
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!
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!
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!
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.
COHORT #35
| SESSIONSJun 26 - Jul 13 |
| REGISTRATIONOPEN |
| EXAM WINDOWJul 14 - 21 |
Course topics offered:
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!
| 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 | ||
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.
| 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 | |||
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.
| 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 | |||
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.
| 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 | Q&A with Morgan Housel, author of the Psychology of Money | |
| EXAM WINDOW JULY 14-21 | |||
COHORT #36
| SESSIONSJul 17 - Aug 3 |
| REGISTRATIONOPEN |
| EXAM WINDOWAug 4 - 11 |
Course topics offered:
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!
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
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!
| 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 | |||
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.
| 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 | |||
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Certification Courses affect my NGPF Academy credits for the 2022-23 School Year?
Yes, NGPF Certification Courses will count towards your Academy Credits for the 2022-23 school year for those eligible. NGPF Academy is intended only for teachers and educators to reach a multitude of students. Finance professionals and homeschool educators are welcome to attend our professional development offerings but will not receive Academy Credits.
To learn more about NGPF Academy, click here.
What can I expect for the NGPF Certification Exam?
Length 30 Questions
Duration 60 Minutes. Once you start the exam, the timer cannot be paused. There will be a timer on the upper right side of the page.
Exam Window You will have a specific time period (usually 48 hours) in which you will need to start and complete the exam. You can view specific exam window end times by looking at your exam invitation email and clicking the link.
Exam Format Multiple choice (with use of open notes).
Scoring You will see your results immediately after completing the exam. A passing grade is 80%. If you pass, your NGPF PD Certificate will be available in your NGPF Academy Profile within 7 business days.
The exam window has opened and I still haven't received my exam invite email, what can I do?
If you have attended all 5 sessions of a specific course you will receive an exam invite via email the day the exam window opens. If you have not received this email, please email certifications@ngpf.org and include an alternative email that we can send the exam invite to.
Can I re-take the exam if I miss the exam window or score less than an 80% and do not pass?
Yes, you can! We will send you an exam link during the next exam window to try again.
Can I complete more than 1 Certification at a time?
Yes, you can! You must register for each separately.
I am going to miss a session, what can I do to make it up?
If you miss a session you can make up 1 session during your registered cohort via the On-Demand module found on the course web page. If you are unable to complete the module or prefer the live sessions, you can register for a single session make-up in a future cohort here.
If I miss a session, can I still take the Exam?
No, you will need all 9 hours of Certification Course content before becoming eligible for the Exam!
How are CEU/PD credits processed after completing a certification course?
When you take the exam, you will be asked to provide your state and state ID# if applicable (necessary for MI, PA, and WY). When you provide this information at the time of the exam, your CEUs are automatically processed by NGPF following your state's specific guidelines. We have outlined the process for each state in our Guide to State PD Credits.
Do I have to renew my NGPF Certification yearly?
No! We do not recommend attending a course you have already completed in previous years unless we have shared that the course has been completely updated and revamped.
