Take the final step toward earning your Accredited Personal Finance Coach® certification.
Through a combination of one-on-one and group mentorship sessions, plus independent experiences with real clients, reinforce your coaching skills to the highest level in preparation for your final performance evaluation.
The Course Schedule
Start Date: July 19, 2025
End Date: August 16, 2025
Enrollment deadline: July 9, 2025
Live Session Times
We’ll meet virtually every Saturday between 10 AM – 12 PM PST for mentoring sessions. Your exact mentorship times will be scheduled once the cohort is full.
1:1 Mentorship: 3 one-hour sessions
Group Mentorship: 7 total hours spread across multiple sessions
Session One: July 29
Session Two: July 26
Session Three: August 2
Session Four: August 9
Session Five: August 16
Outside of the mentorship sessions, you will have up to two years to complete your experience hours and final evaluation to earn your APFC® certification.
What to expect in this course
1:1 Mentoring Sessions
Before each one-hour session with your Mentor Coach, you’ll submit a 20-30-minute audio recording of a coaching session. You’ll receive feedback based on the ACC Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales framework, helping you identify your strengths and areas for growth.
Group Mentoring Sessions
Attend a total of 7 hours of group mentorship to engage in peer-to-peer coaching practice. In each 30-minute demo, you’ll alternate as coach and coachee. Your Mentor Coach will observe and provide both verbal and written feedback to help you make adjustments to your approach.
Self-Paced Requirements
100 Experience Hours
We’ll help you figure out how to find clients so you can apply your coaching skills during real paid or pro bono sessions. These independent experience hours are an opportunity to practice everything you’ve learned throughout your training.
Evaluation Submission
For your final performance evaluation, you’ll submit one audio and one video recording with transcripts of a full coaching session with a real client for an assessment of your coaching skills based on ICF Core Competencies.
Co-requisite Completion
To complete your certification, you must also demonstrate financial competency. Before you submit your final APFC® evaluation for review, you’ll provide a certificate or certification of an approved co-requisite, which can be completed simultaneously with the APFC® program:
- Accredited Financial Counselor® (AFC®)
- Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®)
- Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®)
- Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
- Certified Financial Therapist (CFT)
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Do you have a question about a certification you hold that’s not listed? Email us at certification@sagefinancialsolutions.org to see if it meets the criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any prerequisites for APFC® Certification?
To enroll in this course, you’ll need to have completed 67.5 hours of formal training through our APFC® program or another ICF-accredited financial coaching program. This includes only structured training hours, not mentor coaching or experience hours. Not sure if you’re eligible? Email your transcript to us for review.
How many spots are available?
This course is designed for small groups of 15 students to ensure personalized attention, a supportive learning experience, and a sense of community.
What’s the time commitment for this part of the APFC®program?
During course 2, you’ll complete a total of 24 live training hours and approximately 10 hours of self-study growth work. If you enroll in all three APFC® Program courses, you’ll complete a total of 177.5 training and experience hours.
With APFC® certification, am I eligible for the ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential?
Yes! APFC® certification meets the Level 1 ICF-accredited training requirement. To apply for ACC, submit your Level 1 ICF application with your APFC® certificate as proof of the training you completed. After your application is reviewed and approved, you’ll take the ICF Credentialing Exam for the ACC credential.
How do I maintain my APFC® certification?
To keep your Accredited Personal Finance Coach® certification active, you’ll need to complete 35 hours of continuing education over three years. You can meet this requirement through our 5-hour refresher courses or by submitting certificates from approved programs, including those from the CFP® Board, Financial Planning Association, ICF, and other similar professional organizations. These courses should cover personal finance fundamentals, coaching methodologies, therapeutic approaches to financial behavior, and professional ethics to ensure you stay well-rounded and equipped to coach effectively.
What if I miss a live session? Can I make up for it?
We understand that things come up! If you know you’ll miss more than two hours of live instruction, please reach out to your trainer in advance to discuss your options. We want to make sure you stay on track and get the most out of your experience.
Course Content
Live Mentoring Session 1 -5
Final Coaching Session Submission
Experience Log
Certification Review
About Instructor
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Course Includes
- 12 Lessons
- Course Certificate
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