CFC Philippines study plan

Map the CFC exam blueprint onto a personal tracker, weighting each domain by its stated percentage so weekly effort matches exam weight.

Build a one-page financial planning process flowchart (gathering data, goals, analysis, recommendation, implementation, monitoring) and annotate where Philippine practice adds client-suitability documentation.

Compute risk and return statistics by hand for a two-asset portfolio: expected return, standard deviation, covariance, and the effect of correlation on diversification.

Explain the difference between strategic and tactical asset allocation and write three client scenarios where rebalancing would be triggered.

Draft a 20-item formula sheet covering time-weighted return, Sharpe ratio, real return after inflation, and peso-cost averaging.

Classify Philippine investment vehicles (government securities, corporate bonds, equity funds, UITFs, VULs, time deposits) by risk, liquidity, tax treatment, and minimum ticket size.

Construct three model portfolios for conservative, balanced, and aggressive profiles and justify each allocation in writing.

Distinguish pure risk from speculative risk and identify insurable versus non-insurable exposures in a sample household balance sheet.

Calculate life insurance needs using both the human life value and needs-analysis approaches, then reconcile any gap between the two results.

Compare term, whole life, endowment, and variable universal life on premium structure, cash value, and suitability for a Filipino family with dependents.

Explain indemnity, insurable interest, utmost good faith, subrogation, and contribution, and apply each principle to a property or health claim scenario.

Analyze health, disability, and critical illness coverage options available in the Philippines and identify common exclusions clients overlook.

Compare SSS and GSIS retirement benefits with Pag-IBIG provident benefits and employer retirement plans on eligibility, payout form, and taxation.

Compute retirement funding need using inflation-adjusted replacement ratios and a pre-retirement and post-retirement return assumption.

Evaluate the trade-offs among lump sum, pension, and annuity payout options for a retiring client.

Build a personal cash flow statement and net worth statement from a sample client's records and compute emergency fund adequacy, savings rate, and debt service ratio.

Apply the 50/30/20 and zero-based budgeting frameworks to the same client and explain where the recommendations diverge.

Design a debt reduction sequence for a client with credit card, auto loan, and housing loan balances, comparing avalanche and snowball methods.

Model employee benefit choices including HMO coverage, group life, and retirement plan contributions and quantify their effect on take-home pay.

Draft a monitoring calendar that ties cash flow review, insurance renewal, and retirement contribution review to specific months.

Apply Philippine individual income tax rules to compensation income, including graduated rates, allowable deductions, and the treatment of thirteenth-month pay and de minimis benefits.

Distinguish final withholding tax from creditable withholding tax and compute tax due on interest income, dividends, and capital gains from sale of shares.

Explain estate tax, donor's tax, and the gross estate composition rules, including the treatment of family home, standard deduction, and share of the surviving spouse.

Compare intestate succession and testamentary succession under Philippine law and identify the legitime that cannot be impaired.

Select among will, trust, life insurance beneficiary designation, and inter vivos donation for a sample estate and justify the choice on cost, control, and timing.

Draft a simple will outline and a beneficiary designation checklist, noting common errors that cause disputes or unintended transfers.

Analyze business entity choices (sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation) for liability, taxation, and continuity implications.

Compute key business ratios from sample financial statements and interpret them for an owner seeking expansion financing.

Build a basic business valuation using capitalized earnings and adjusted book value, then explain the spread between the two results.

Identify business succession risks and propose funding mechanisms such as key person insurance and buy-sell arrangements.

Write out the fiduciary duties of care, loyalty, disclosure of conflicts, and suitability and match each to a concrete planner behavior.

Analyze five short ethical dilemmas and decide the correct action, citing the standard that governs each decision.

Define the planner's scope of engagement, compensation disclosure, and documentation requirements in a sample engagement letter.

Explain how the financial planning process supports ethical practice, particularly around gathering complete client data and documenting recommendations.

Prepare a personal disclosure statement listing compensation sources and potential conflicts.

Complete two full-length timed practice exams and record accuracy by domain to identify remaining weak areas.

Re-derive the twenty formulas from the week one sheet and correct any that cannot be reproduced from memory.

Review every missed practice question and write a one-line reason for each error, tagging it as knowledge, calculation, or misreading.

Run a final integration case that moves from client data through risk, investment, retirement, tax, and estate recommendations in one written plan.

Build a one-page exam-day sheet with domain weights, timing checkpoints, and personal error patterns to avoid.