Amanda Brooks, CFP^®: My Not-So-Traditional Journey to Becoming a CFP^® Professional

With the CFP^® exam testing window just around the corner, I wanted to share my story as a reminder to anyone getting ready to test that passing this exam is possible, no matter what season of life you’re in.

My CFP^® certification journey was anything but traditional. It began in 2022, a month before my husband and I found out we were expecting our first little one!

Between the exhaustion I felt deep in my bones, the constant studying and my full-time job, I honestly had no idea how I was going to keep studying or if I even should … but I just kept taking steps forward. They might have been slow, but they were still forward steps.

Later that year, we had our little one! While it was one of the greatest moments of my life, the exhaustion intensified. As you can imagine, that wasn't exactly great for my memory and retention.

But I just kept pushing. There was no way I wanted to go through this whole studying process again, so I pushed forward with everything I had to be prepared for the CFP^® exam.

A few months went by, and then it was time for the live review. Those days were brutal. Almost 12-hour days back-to-back covering exciting topics like amortization calculations, figuring out business structure taxation and gift tax calculations.

After the live review, I was a month out from the exam. My husband and I had just relocated cross-country, and I was starting a new role at a financial firm. From the outside looking in, it really seemed like everything was stacked against me. But I knew my “Why” and who I was doing this for, and that was all I needed.

The night before the exam, I knew I had done absolutely everything I could to set myself up for success. While I wasn’t getting perfect scores on my practice tests, I felt I knew enough to succeed.

The next day was the day I had prepared for over the past two years. I trusted in the process, remembered who I was doing this for – and “Why.” That’s what got me through.

Today, I’m officially a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^® professional!

Want to follow Amanda’s lead and earn CFP^® certification? Get an overview of the process here.