Your Guide to Externship 2025 | Amplified Planning

Summer will be here before you know it, so now’s a great time to start making plans. You might be focusing on personal plans, like a vacation or family reunion… but what about setting aside some time this summer to grow your financial planning career?

It’s easy with The Externship. Entering its sixth year, this one-of-a-kind online training program welcomes financial planners at all stages of their careers.

Whether you’re pursuing (or just earned) your CFP® certification, have decades of career experience, or are simply curious about what this profession holds, you’ll benefit from The Externship. And yes, we welcome you back if you’ve completed The Externship in previous years! We have hundreds of Alumni return every year and we hope you’ll join us again!

Registration for Externship 2025 opens on April 1, 2025, so let’s dive into the details of this financial planner training program.

The Externship Basics: What You Need to Know

Before we get into all the benefits you can expect as an Extern, let’s cover the essentials:

What: The 2025 Externship
When: June 2 – August 1, 2025 (8 weeks + 1 bonus week for catch-ups and Independence Day)
Time: Whenever! (Virtual, asynchronous learning)
Where: Anywhere! (All you need is an internet connection to a U.S.-based IP address [you might need a VPN if you’re out of the U.S.!])
Who it’s for: Anyone interested in a career in financial planning
What it costs: $397

Now, let’s move on to the specifics!

The Externship Perk #1: Sharpen Your Skills

One of the main goals of The Externship is to help financial planning professionals develop the technical abilities and soft skills they need to better serve their clients.

It can be difficult to strengthen your financial planning skills without hands-on practice. If you land an internship, that’s a good place to grow those skills, but not everyone has the chance to participate in an internship.

The Externship solves that challenge with an innovative virtual training approach that incorporates all the best parts of a traditional internship.

Real client meetings

As an Extern, you’ll get the chance to watch video recordings of real client meetings — and we’re introducing a new client couple this year! This is your chance to see expert financial planners at work, supporting clients with diverse needs and unique financial challenges.

With these videos and the “behind-the-scenes” commentary provided by our expert planner, Hannah Moore, CFP®, you’ll learn the nuances of leading discussions, asking vital questions, and offering personalized guidance.

Professional software

Technology plays a big role in modern financial planning. Software can help you analyze financial data, make predictions, and manage risk, but you might not have access to these programs as a student.

The Externship provides you with access to some of the top financial planning software platforms, like eMoney, Morningstar, and EncorEstates. You’ll learn how to use these powerful programs (and hear about even more!) so you can confidently walk into your next role with a full set of tools at your disposal.

Hands-on assignments

As an Extern, you’ll get to do more than just watch client meetings and learn the basics of software. You’ll get to practice hands-on financial planning work — using those programs to solve intriguing client challenges and develop comprehensive financial plans.

These assignments feature complex scenarios drawn from real clients. No boring textbook examples or overly simplified solutions — you’ll develop comprehensive plans that address modern challenges you’ll face with your own clients.

But don’t be scared — you’re not just going it alone. You’ll have the chance to discuss these assignments with your peers, ask questions during live sessions, and your quizzes will be graded so you know you’re on track.

The Externship Perk #2: Deepen Your Knowledge

As an Extern, you’ll hear from dozens of experts from every corner of the financial planning world. You’ll be exposed to different perspectives and learn new information that you can apply in your financial planning education and career.

This profession is always evolving, and clients’ needs constantly change. The best way to prepare yourself for success is to always be open to learning something new — especially if it comes from someone with a different background than yours.

If you’re ready to challenge your assumptions and gain essential skills you’ll use on the job, The Externship is the place to be.

Returning Externs: We have some returning Experts from 2024, but we also have a whole new roster of fresh voices and expertise!

The Externship Perk #3: Build Your Network

Even though The Externships is a virtual, asynchronous program, you won’t be alone. You’ll join thousands of other financial planners who know exactly what it’s like to build a career in this profession.

The Externship Alumni network is extensive (over 4,000 Alumni now!) and it’s filled with people of all backgrounds and experience levels. In this program, you’ll meet new planners, seasoned experts, firm owners, and notable leaders — all ready to share their knowledge and learn right along with you.

Between live discussions, interactive forums, and ongoing Externship Alumni events, this program helps you expand your professional network now and in the future.

The Externship Perk #4: Earn Your CFP® Certification Faster

If you’re working toward your CFP® certification, The Externship is a great way to earn those required experience hours. Completing the program gives you 500 CFP Board Standard Pathway experience hours — all from just 8 weeks of work!

And yes, you can earn experience hours from this year’s Externship even if you attended in previous years! As long as you complete the work by August 31st, 2025 and receive your Certificate of Completion, you’ll earn 500 hours toward your Standard Pathway requirements.

Note: The 2025 Externship can also earn you 180 AFCPE experience hours upon completion.

The Externship Perk #5: Discover Your Financial Planning Path

It’s easy to think that “financial planning” is limited to working in a traditional office, helping wealthy retirees manage their investments. But there’s so much more to this profession!

The Externship is designed to help you experience all the possible ways you can have a career in financial planning.

Our professional contributors represent a wide range of niches serving different types of clients. You’ll hear from professionals who have developed new approaches to serve unique demographics and gain the perspective you need to decide how you want to shape your financial planning career.

The Externship Perk #6: Advance Your Career (on Your Terms)

The Externship is all about providing educational support to everyone — especially those who don’t have the time or opportunity to participate in a traditional internship or in-person training program.

We started The Externship to adapt to the challenges of COVID-19 lockdowns, but we quickly realized that virtual training isn’t just an emergency workaround. It’s a powerful approach that accommodates students, career changers, interns, parents, and full-time employees.

You can complete every part of The Externship online from anywhere, at any time. Whether you’re balancing work, family responsibilities, or a busy personal schedule, you can make The Externship work for you.

Registration for The Externship Opens Soon!

If you want to invest in yourself and your career this summer — without giving up all your free time or taking time away from work or school — The Externship is the answer.

You’ll hone your skills, deepen your knowledge, and grow your confidence in your financial planning capabilities. Plus, if you’re still working toward your CFP® certification, you’ll earn 500 CFP Board Standard Pathway experience hours, all in just 8 weeks!

This year’s Externship is shaping up to be the best one yet, so don’t miss it! Registration opens April 1, but you can join the Insider List now! Sign up for the inside scoop on registration, early bird perks, and more!