CFP® Module 1 — Investment Planning Specialist
FPSB India's foundation — investment vehicles, asset allocation, portfolio construction, performance measurement. The first specialist module on the path to CFP certification.
Quick info
- Layer
- Professional Certifications
- Track
- CFP® (FPSB India)
- Estimated hours
- 60 hrs
- Chapters
- 10
- Exam body
- FPSB India
- Cost on Trustner
- Free
Every chapter below has Foundation, Deep Dive, and Advanced material — read in any order, expand each chapter to see the full content.
About this course
CFP Module 1 — Investment Planning Specialist — is the first FPSB India specialist module on the path to the Certified Financial Planner® designation. It builds the analytical foundation every certified planner needs: investment vehicles available to Indian households, quantitative techniques for valuing them, risk and return measurement, asset allocation models, the Investment Policy Statement, and the regulatory and ethical context. Master this module and the rest of the CFP path becomes manageable.
Who this is for
- CFP candidates beginning the FPSB India pathway.
- Working financial professionals upgrading credentials.
- CAs, MBAs, and engineers transitioning into financial planning.
- Bank relationship managers and AMC distributors moving up to advisory.
- NISM 10A/10B candidates who want CFP-grade foundation.
What you'll learn
- Investment vehicles available to Indian households across asset classes — strengths, weaknesses, costs, taxation
- Quantitative techniques — TVM, NPV, IRR, returns (arithmetic, geometric, money-weighted, time-weighted)
- Asset allocation models — strategic, tactical, lifecycle, goal-based
- Portfolio construction with real Indian instruments and constraints
- Performance evaluation, attribution, and the Investment Policy Statement
- Behavioural overlays and the Indian regulatory environment
Course material — 10 chapters
Each chapter offers three tiers — Foundation for the core concept, Deep Dive for worked examples and practitioner depth, and Advanced for edge cases and exam tips. Click any chapter to expand.
- 1Module 1.1
Investment fundamentals
- Investment vs speculation
- Asset classes available in India
- Liquidity, return, risk trade-offs
✓ Full chapter — read, examples, FAQ, MCQs - 2Module 1.2
Investment vehicles
- Equity, debt, mutual funds, structured products
- Real estate, gold, alternatives, NPS, insurance-investment hybrids
✓ Full chapter — read, examples, FAQ, MCQs - 3Module 1.3
Quantitative techniques
- Time value of money, NPV, IRR
- Returns — arithmetic, geometric, money-weighted, time-weighted
✓ Full chapter — read, examples, FAQ, MCQs - 4Module 1.4
Risk and return measures
- Standard deviation, beta, alpha
- Sharpe, Sortino, Treynor, Jensen
✓ Full chapter — read, examples, FAQ, MCQs - 5Module 1.5
Portfolio theory
- Diversification and correlation
- Modern Portfolio Theory and the efficient frontier
✓ Full chapter — read, examples, FAQ, MCQs - 6Module 1.6
Asset allocation
- Strategic vs tactical
- Lifecycle and goal-based allocation
✓ Full chapter — read, examples, FAQ, MCQs - 7Module 1.7
Investment Policy Statement
- Drafting an IPS for an Indian household
- Reviewing and updating
✓ Full chapter — read, examples, FAQ, MCQs - 8Module 1.8
Performance evaluation
- Benchmark selection
- Attribution and reporting
✓ Full chapter — read, examples, FAQ, MCQs - 9Module 1.9
Behavioural finance overlay
- Common biases in advisory work
- Designing portfolios that survive client behaviour
✓ Full chapter — read, examples, FAQ, MCQs - 10Module 1.10
Regulation and ethics
- SEBI IA framework
- FPSB code of ethics and conduct
✓ Full chapter — read, examples, FAQ, MCQs
About the exam
- Provider
- FPSB India
Note: Specialist Module 1 — required for CFP® certification path. Foundation for Modules 2-5.
The exam is administered by FPSB India. Trustner Academy is not affiliated with FPSB India; we provide independent preparatory educational material. See our disclaimer.
More from CFP® (FPSB India)
CFP® Module 2 — Retirement & Tax Planning Specialist
Retirement planning and Indian taxation in depth — NPS, EPF, annuities, capital gains, deductions, and the case-driven planning that CFP candidates must master.
CFP® Module 3 — Risk Management & Insurance Specialist
Identifying risk, sizing protection, structuring life and non-life cover, and the integration of insurance into a household financial plan.
CFP® Module 4 — Estate Planning Specialist
Wills, trusts, succession laws across faiths, intestate distribution, gift planning, and the complex inter-generational structures that high-net-worth Indian families need.
CFP® Module 5 — Integrated Financial Planning (Capstone)
The capstone case-study module. A complete financial plan from cash-flow analysis to estate transfer, integrating every prior specialist domain. Required for full CFP® certification.