I took the test on November 13th, and it said I passed, but said it's only preliminary and the official results would take about 4 weeks. I felt really good about the test, but I wanted to see the official results before truly celebrating! The test was the last part I needed to complete to finish getting certified. Their 4 E's to getting certified are first Education-you have to complete the required courses which take about 9 months, and also have a Bachelor's Degree. Second Experience-you have to have 5 years of financial planning experience, which I had while working. Third is the Exam-which was pending until December. And fourth is you agree to their Ethics.
It's been a long process getting here that's for sure! I actually took my education requirements in 2014. I then studied and tried to prepare myself for the test the best I could. I took the test in November of 2015 but didn't pass. I was a couple months pregnant with Carter at the time, so I definitely wasn't feeling too great (morning sickness), but since I had already signed up for the test I thought I'd take it anyway. I obviously didn't pass. Looking back I realized I wasn't very well prepared nor did I know enough at the time.
Fast forward to 2017. The company I work for, Fidelity Investments, announced they will now pay 100% of everything to get your CFP certification. Before that you had to pay for your review classes and exam plus 10% of your education courses. After thinking about it and praying about it further, I decided I would study and prepare to take the exam again. I really wanted to finish what I started and it was always in the back of my mind something I wanted to accomplish. I also wanted to have the certification so I could potentially have more flexibility in working. I am hoping it will allow me to work from home someday. So I signed up in May to take the Dalton Guaranteed to Pass Review Course (online). They said I could also take their review courses twice, which was nice. I figured since it's been a couple years, I needed to refresh my memory as much as possible.
So for the past 6 months I have been studying basically every day, except Sundays (I made a promise to the Lord not to study on Sunday since I was in college, and I really feel it's made a difference in my life). As it got closer to the exam I was putting in more and more hours each week. I was studying on the train to and from work, on my lunch break when I could. Then when I got home I would fix dinner and we'd get the kids to bed and I'd start studying, usually 2-3 hours a night. On Saturdays I would spend longer. They suggested putting in 200 hours in the final 10 weeks, so about 20 hours a week. And this is in addition to working full time, plus a church calling, and taking care of the kids/house. Needless to say there was a lot to fit into a day/week. Steve would many times take the boys out while I stayed home to study on Saturdays. This really helped so I could have some quiet time to study.
Dalton has an Exam Readiness Quiz which you take 3 weeks before you sit for the exam. The first time I took (in July) they said I had a 75% chance of passing. Then when I took it again (at the end of October), they said I had a 95% chance of passing. It definitely made me feel pretty good about taking it, but I still had a little bit of fear of not passing again. Steve gave me several blessings along the way, which helped me feel at peace about taking it and gave me assurance I could do it this time. A teacher at Dalton called me about 10 days before my test. He said I needed to have confidence and remember that the test wasn't greater than me, others have passed it and so can I. I appreciated his confidence in my ability to pass it as well.
The test was 6 hours long, with a 40 minute break. It was pretty intense, but I definitely felt way more prepared than last time! Last time I thought I could do well on just some parts and still pass, but that wasn't the case. You actually need to do medium to high in every category (Fundamentals, Insurance, Investments, Retirement, Tax, and Estate Planning). When I finished the last question they had you take a 10 question survey. It then processes for a minute and then you see either pass/fail. My heart was pounding as I sat waiting for the results. As the window popped up I saw the word Congratulations. I was sooooo thankful this time it said Congratulations! I sat there in my chair and cried for a minute and said a little prayer thanking Heavenly Father. I then got up and waited while the attendant checked me out (they have to fingerprint your each time) and printed the official paper saying I passed. She handed it to me, said congrats and that I should go celebrate.
I was so shaky after taking the test for some reason. I guess from all the stress over the months. As I got to the car, I said a little prayer again thanking my Heavenly Father for his help, then started driving home. I called Steve and told him the good news, then called my parents to tell them and Steve's parents. They all said they knew I could do it. I appreciated their confidence in me. When I got home I put all my books downstairs, not wanting to look at them for a long time. We then loaded up in the car and went over to eat at Olive Garden to celebrate. It was so nice to eat out for once. We haven't sat down at a restaurant in months!
Carter trying to eat the crayons. Now eating yummy noodles!
Nyles working on a puzzle while Steve checks out the menu.
We're slowly getting life "back to normal." I feel like there is time to do whatever I want since I don't have to study. Before it was that constant feeling of "I need to study" and in some ways I felt guilty when I wasn't. It was definitely very stressful. I now can play with the kids, read to them, cook, clean, watch TV, or whatever, without feeling guilty like I need to study. I feel so free!
Most of all I feel an immense amount of gratitude. I know I couldn't have done it without all your love, support and encouragement. I know many of you were praying for me as well. I could feel your strength through prayer. Steve was my number one supporter. I know I especially couldn't have done it without him. At times when I would doubt myself and my ability, Steve was there to give me confidence and reassurance that I could do it. Thanks honey! I love you so much! Thanks again to all of you for your love, support and encouragement on my behalf. I appreciate it more than you know. Thanks a million! Now that I've finished my MBA and CFP certification, I think I'm going to take a break from school for a while. :)
As we get closer to Christmas in a couple weeks, my heart if full of love and gratitude for our Savior Jesus Christ. May we all feel of his love this time of year and always. And remember that He is the greatest gift of all. We love you all!!!
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