Our History
The Denver-based nonprofit College for Financial Planning was established in 1972 as the nation’s first educational institution providing financial planning coursework to professionals. At that time, the College created the standard-setting CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification, which helped define the concept of financial planning and establish it as a profession.
Over the next two decades, the College expanded, diversified and advanced its interaction with the public. In 1984, the first financial education program launched, and in 1992, NEFE was formed as the parent entity of the College.
In 1997, the Board of Trustees recognized the importance of focusing the foundation’s efforts on financial education—particularly those segments of the population whose needs were not being met by others. NEFE transferred ownership, sold its assets—including all of the College’s professional education programs—and established NEFE as an independent, nonprofit foundation solely dedicated to personal finance education. The proceeds financed our endowment, which funds our work today.
In 2020, under the leadership of Dr. Billy Hensley and the Board, the decision was made to shift our focus from personal finance education to an institute that advances high-impact scholarly research and facilitates collaboration with practitioners, advocates and policymakers.