In this episode of The Blueprint | FPA NexGen® Podcast, hosts Mike Zarrelli, CFP, EA and Deshawn Peterson, CFP sit down with Matt Goren, PhD, CFP®, Chief Strategy Officer at Danko Education and a leading voice in CFP® exam education.

Matt shares how his background in social psychology and financial education has reshaped how future advisors should prepare for the CFP® exam — and why traditional, lecture-heavy study methods are failing today’s younger candidates. With the average age of CFP® candidates dropping rapidly, the way advisors learn, retain information, and manage test anxiety must evolve.

This conversation goes far beyond exam tactics. Matt breaks down how to study smarter (not longer), why “mastering 80%” beats chasing perfection, and how early-career planners can navigate burnout, anxiety, and identity shifts while building long-term careers in financial planning.

 What You’ll Learn

• Why engagement is the prerequisite to learning
• How to study for the CFP® exam without burnout
• The “80% rule” that leads to higher pass rates
• How to manage test anxiety using psychology-backed techniques
• Why CFP® exam success doesn’t automatically equal real-world readiness
• How early-career advisors can thrive in a rapidly changing industry

Key Takeaways 

• You can’t learn or retain information if you’re not engaged first. Modern CFP® exam prep must adapt to shorter attention spans and more interactive, multimodal learning styles.
• Why most CFP® candidates fail has little to do with intelligence
• Many capable advisors struggle due to overconfidence, poor study strategy, or unmanaged test anxiety—not lack of knowledge or ability.
• The “80% mastery” strategy leads to higher CFP® exam pass rates
• Focusing on mastering the most testable 80% of material is often more effective than chasing 100% perfection and burning out.
• Test anxiety is one of the biggest barriers to passing the CFP® exam
• Ethics is the most underestimated CFP® exam topic
• Many candidates underprepare for CFP® ethics, despite it representing a significant portion of the exam and being based on CFP Board rules—not intuition.
• Passing the CFP® exam does not equal real-world advising success
• The CFP® exam tests technical knowledge, while real financial planning requires communication, empathy, and relationship-building skills.
• Early-career financial planners must balance studying with self-care
• Sleep, nutrition, exercise, and maintaining social connections are essential to avoiding burnout during CFP® exam season.
• AI is reshaping the future of financial planning careers
• The next decade presents massive opportunity for NexGen advisors
• Financial planning is entering a growth phase where early-career advisors who invest in skills and experience now will benefit long-term.

 Episode Chapters

• 00:00 – Why engagement comes before learning
• 05:10 – Matt’s journey into financial education
• 12:45 – The changing CFP® candidate
• 19:30 – How teaching methods must change
• 27:40 – Pass the exam vs. learn everything
• 36:00 – Test anxiety & psychology-based strategies
• 47:20 – Ethics: the most underestimated CFP® topic
• 56:30 – Work-life balance during exam season
• 1:05:15 – CFP® knowledge vs. real-world advising
• 1:15:40 – The future of financial planning & AI
• 1:24:10 – Career adversity and long-term success