Financial Educator Standards and Guarantee 

Teaching financial literacy requires unique skill sets that include bridging educational mythologies, subject matter expertise, behavioral finance, and psychological understanding. Competent financial educators must possess cross-disciplinary skill sets from each of these areas to help people work toward a state of financial wellness and security.

Up until 2013, there were no standards or guidelines for financial education instructors. The NFEC was called to create the industry’s first set of standards for financial educators – the Framework for Teaching Personal Finance. The objective was to develop an educational framework to share clear performance criteria benchmarks, set best proactive guidelines, and provide public assurance that financial education instructors are held to the highest standards of practice.

NFEC Creates First (and only) National Standards for Financial Educators

To start, we built a team of the most highly-qualified industry experts. Our first partners were the creators of the most widely-used teaching model in the United States (approved in more than 20 states) – Charlotte Danielson & Danielson Group Consultants. With a development team of 14 people led by Dr. Pamela Rosa and input from hundreds of educators and financial professionals, this collaboration yielded the first and only national standards for financial educators – the Framework for Teaching Personal Finance.

The Framework for Teaching Personal Finance breaks down teaching financial literacy into 22 components recognized as best practices in the industry. The Framework defines the skill sets distinguished educators should possess and performance levels that define optimal educator capabilities. This framework identifies the responsibilities of financial educators proven by empirical studies and theoretical research to produce the highest gains in participant test scores.

Skills needed to teach personal finance

Certified Financial Education Instructor Course Built Around Standards

The Certified Financial Education Instructor program was built around the Framework to help our educators produce the highest gains in participant test scores; and provides clear benchmarks to enhance educators’ ongoing professional development. The course is built around 4 key pillars of education: instruction, classroom environment, planning and preparation, and professional development.

The CFEI course is a 40-hour, self-paced online course that covers all the guidelines listed in the Framework. Graduates have demonstrated that they meet national standards and are among the most highly-qualified financial education instructors teaching today.

Highest Standards, Highest Educational Value & Most Comprehensive Training – Backed by 2 Guarantees, Including a 1-Year 100% Guarantee

We eliminate your risk in taking the Certified Financial Education Instructor program by offering 2 guarantees.  A 30-day unconditional guarantee – return anytime within 30 days for a full refund.  We also offer a full 1-year guarantee of up to 100% of the purchase price. The guarantee is simple: we offer the most comprehensive and highest quality financial education programming based on these 3 important criteria: