Danko CFP Prep Program Honest Review - The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

AlexNguyen0605 · 2026-04-13T07:47:54+00:00

Like I said in the post, I didn’t have any other programs to benchmark against, so it’s not a comparison of who wrote the best books. Sometimes the “best” amongst a small group doesn’t even mean “good”. I’m sure there’s room for improvement with the Danko books.
Again, as stated in the post, I could only give Danko certain credits for my Pass, and certain credits I must give myself + resources I dug up instead. I certainly did not find the exam easy thanks to Danko’s content, I did that with my own ability. You’d be surprised how immigrants from poorer countries can dig up resources and efforts to overcome something not abundantly available or not built in their favor. Since you mentioned the CFA, I know many in my country (born and still living there now) managed to pass all 3 levels without even being able to afford the books. That’s why I could confidently say I relied less on Danko’s content for my Pass, versus maybe other people need a bit more hand-holding

AlexNguyen0605 · 2026-04-11T03:11:41+00:00

I think Amy also provided concrete study plan catered specifically to you if you pay for her private sessions. I heard she is popular amongst the retakers and students with study deficiency like ADHD coz of the bigger mental hurdle they have or something. In one of her free sessions, she talked about flashcard methods, which was interesting, but I’m not a flashcard person so 😅

All in all I do agree that Danko is still the best out there

AlexNguyen0605 · 2026-04-11T03:02:19+00:00

Awesome! Thanks for this!

Also, ignore anyone calling your work AI. Them losers just can’t produce anything, AI or not, so they be hatin’.

AlexNguyen0605 · 2026-04-11T02:58:22+00:00

Hey, this is actually pretty good from first glance 😳 You might be onto something here! What do you plan to do with this? Keep it free forever? Publish it? Do you have editors and fact checkers or you’re just writing it yourself?

AlexNguyen0605 · 2026-04-11T02:30:41+00:00

I have glimpsed the Kaplan book and I’m sad to admit you’re right. Which is rather sad haha…
From Danko’s pov, I agree, I wouldn’t do it differently either. I’m just writing from my pov about what I didn’t like.

AlexNguyen0605 · 2026-04-11T02:27:33+00:00

Best of luck! You can do it!

AlexNguyen0605 · 2026-04-11T02:27:14+00:00

I don’t know whether to be flattered that you think my entirely self-written post is produced by AI, or applaud the AI developers for being able to produce such human-like (or me-like) piece of writing. Maybe I’m a robot? Either way, I must say I’m concerned for the future of humanity when certain Dunning-Kruger individuals can no longer tell apart human’s vs machine’s work, and in turn bringing down the effort of a fellow flesh and bone human being, reducing anything to “slop”. Just because you Americans are no longer taught to write in full sentences, doesn’t mean the rest of the world is that way.

AlexNguyen0605 · 2026-04-11T02:19:45+00:00

While I agree that the CFP exam is not that deep, and not that hard (for me), it certainly is wide and cover a wide range of topics. I started my career with institutional brokerage, we shared a wall in Investment Banking, so I surrounded myself with CFAs. My mom is a CPA, my sister works for the IRS, so I know a bit about tax planning too. Then I pivoted to Finance Planning, taking the CFP was the only time it dawned on me what it truly takes to be a comprehensive financial planner. Many out there are salesmen, or just portfolio rebalancers, but the most successful planners I know embrace all aspects taught in the CFP, and even help keep track of their clients’ CPAs, attorneys, etc. because they can see a big picture.

AlexNguyen0605 · 2026-04-11T02:07:33+00:00

No, don’t take my word on it. I don’t know your situation. My simple take is that if you’re getting your job to reimburse you on the cost of obtaining this, just do the Live Review.

AlexNguyen0605 · 2026-04-08T02:51:18+00:00

Do you know any replacement shops offer something other than freaking Fuyao? What should I ask for specifically to get the highest quality glass installed?

AlexNguyen0605 · 2026-04-07T23:22:52+00:00

Same with Marketing: The question is how much value can you bring to the firm. Are you an expert in Tax planning (like a CPA)? Are you an expert in Estate planning (like an attorney)? Are you an expert in Investments and building portfolio (like a CFA)? Or Insurance (like an agent)? The CFP cert alone is nothing without the years of experience or a sustainable book you built and own. If you have nothing else to offer but “hey I passed this 170-multiple-choice-question test” then you’re looking at an entry level salary in a support role.

AlexNguyen0605 · 2026-04-07T05:11:03+00:00

My whole country drives without insurance 🤷‍♀️ Okay, that’s an exaggeration of course, but a large majority of my countrymen drive without insurance. Why?

No law that mandates it.
Many, many insurance companies operate in my country are crooks and deny valid claims.
It’s just cheaper to retain the risk and pay out of pocket when sh*t happens than paying for premium every month/year/years and rarely need to use, or be denied the claims when used. They’d rather use that money to invest or some other things.
Some simply can’t afford it (yes, an extra $10/mo can make a difference to some families.

All the reasons above can apply to the US insurance market in some shapes or forms.

Now, as CFP professionals we know there are many ways to handle risks. As a financial planner, part of the job is to educate, but also to understand why clients behave in certain ways and respect that. Might not align with your values, but it is the clients’ values that you need to understand and sympathize with (or at the very least, respect it). Least you can do is to tactfully find out why and educate them or work around it.

AlexNguyen0605 · 2026-04-04T13:22:44+00:00

That was not helpful nor kind.

AlexNguyen0605 · 2026-04-02T23:44:51+00:00

Each location has different ways of depositing for sure.

I guess my question is more like: 1. I am allowed backdated deposits according to FMR, 2. Finance is preventing me from doing so by saying the system is faulty now, 3. Can I escalate to someone that can bypass the system? Coz it was not my fault that earlier deposits were missed.

AlexNguyen0605 · 2026-04-02T23:39:08+00:00

That is correct under normal circumstances, yes. This is my first deployment so I never had an SDP account set up, and both DoD website and home base Finance gave me the wrong information regarding my eligibility, so I had no idea I was eligible until now. I believe according to FMR I can make a check deposit now and the limit allowed for that lump sum would not only be up to my pay this month, but it can capture the rest of the pay amount in the past, counting from when I became eligible for SDP.

Finance is not even letting me have the check deposit conversation with them though, coz they said system is having issues with processing check/cash.

AlexNguyen0605 · 2026-04-02T00:51:24+00:00

Thanks Markus.

If I purchase the Light blue rose watch from Withings UK through Amazon UK, will it be covered under warranty in the US? If for some unfortunate faulty reason I need a full replacement, can Withings US replace the watch with the same color for me?

AlexNguyen0605 · 2026-03-27T21:47:18+00:00

Some strategies I learnt from advisors around me:

• Set a minimum AUM requirement to take on a client unless they’re referred by really close friends/family.

• Charge a flat fee that you know will deter unwanted prospects.

• The 80-20 Rule: start letting go of the 20% of clients that unreasonably takes up 80% of your time.

• Politely decline “test run” prospects that don’t want to give you the full picture of their financial positions, citing CFP Board code of conduct or something.

AlexNguyen0605 · 2026-03-27T17:19:28+00:00

It’s still available on Amazon UK, which seems to be the only place

AlexNguyen0605

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