Mike A. Harris
Department of Financial Planning Education
The Department of Financial Planning Education maintains our graduate-level CFP Board certified and accredited financial planning education program, preparing students with the knowledge needed to navigate complicated insurance, investments, tax, retirement, and estate planning, in addition to qualifying them to sit for the CFP Board Exam. Our Exam Prep Review test prep courses prepare students to sit for the CFP Board Exam. The Financial Planning Education Department also oversees the development of the core courses in the Master of Science in Personal Financial Planning degree program.
Mike A. Harris, MPASSM, CFP®, CRPC®, CRPS®, is the main retirement planning expert and an associate professor at the College for Financial Planning in Centennial, Colorado.
He has been involved with CFP® education essentially since 1989. He came to Kaplan in 2016. Prior to the merger of the College for Financial Planning and Kaplan Professional, Mike was Kaplan Professional’s subject matter expert for retirement planning and estate planning. In addition, Mike pastored a church in Colorado Springs, CO for 10 years and served 13 years as a Senior Relationship Manager for a major denominational pension board. Before entering the financial planning profession, he served in the Air Force for 7 years and was stationed in Oklahoma, California, Idaho, Upper Heyford, England, and New Mexico. Mike lives in Alto, Georgia with his charming wife. He and Sharri have been married for 40 years. They have two children and three living grandchildren.
Mike earned his master’s degree in Personal Financial Planning (Master Planner Advanced Studies) from the College for Financial Planning and his B.S. in Management from the United States Air Force Academy. He also holds a master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition to his MPASSM and CFP® certification, Mike holds the College’s CRPC®, CRPS®, AWMA®, APMA®, AAMS®, and CMFC® designations, as well as Series 7 and Series 66 licenses and a Group I life and health license. Mike is a long-term member of the Financial Planning Association.