Certified Financial Education Instructor
Course Preview & 6-Part Video Tour
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Because finances are directly tied to a person’s emotional state, relationships, life goals, and much more – financial education is a unique subject that requires specialized expertise to teach effectively.
Qualified financial educators form the cornerstone of any personal finance program; such educators can help learners achieve far better outcomes than underqualified instructors would.
In this section you will understand the skill sets and qualifications financial educators possess and how this course will help you become a respected personal finance instructor.
Financial Educators Defined
The term “Financial Educator” can refer to anyone helping people work toward greater financial wellness through education. Whether education occurs online or in person, a financial educator provides the training, support, and activities people need to help strengthen their financial situations.
Challenges of Financial Education
Every person you teach has a unique relationship with money. People’s financial behaviors, sentiments, knowledge, and management systems start forming in childhood and are often established as habits by the time they reach adulthood. Whether you are teaching children or adults, you will encounter some challenges to overcome – this is where qualified financial educators can make a difference.
Unique Skill Sets Required
Because each person has his or her own preexisting financial habits, relationship with money, and current financial situation, teaching personal finance is a unique subject. Unlike most subjects taught in school, teaching personal finance requires broader skill sets to address the habits, behaviors, and emotional wellness aspects of money.
Risk of Underqualified Instructors
Underqualified financial educators can cause significant harm when teaching personal finance. Unlike other subjects that do not have a direct impact on people’s well-being, the topic of money does. Something as simple as giving incorrect information or turning a student off learning can cause major problems that affect many areas of their lives.
The effects of poor teaching can continue to affect students’ lives for many years after instruction ends.(1) Underqualified teachers reduce overall student achievement levels and tend to be paired with at-risk students – thus exacerbating the risk of future economic problems.(2) Most financial literacy instructors today lack the training and knowledge about personal finance topics they need to teach effectively. This puts students at risk.(3)
1. Sanders, W.L. (2006). Taking ownership of the future. Financial Literacy and Education Committee.
2. Webster, William J. & Robert L. Mendro (1997). The Dallas Value-Added Accountability System Report. Dallas, TX: Dallas Public Schools.
3. National Financial Educators Council (2017). Underqualified educators pose risk.
Other Sections in the CFEI Course Tour
The National Financial Educators Council is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard. IACET is recognized internationally as a standard development organization and accrediting body that promotes quality of continuing education and training.