CSI Financial Planning I (FP I) study guide with topic weights, chapter and section lessons, review tools, and matching web practice.
Use this page as the main CSI Financial Planning I exam guide. FP I is the first real CSI planning paper in this section. It is where budgeting, borrowing, taxation, investments, retirement, estate basics, and life-insurance planning start working as one planning workflow instead of separate product notes.
Use matching web practice when you want timed mixed review, current progress tracking on Web, and a cleaner handoff from reading into exam-mode repetition. This guide also includes chapter and section lessons for each CSI FP I curriculum area, so you can move from broad topic review into specific learning objectives.
Exam snapshot
Item
Value
Provider
CSI
Exam code
FP I
Question count
80
Time limit
180 minutes
Passing grade
60%
Strongest focus
planning-process discipline plus broad Canadian personal-finance judgment across debt, tax, investments, retirement, estate basics, and life insurance
Practice status
full FP I web practice is live
Where FP I fits
If the candidate mainly needs…
Better first instinct
the first CSI planning paper after CSC or IFC-level product knowledge
FP I
a bridge from wealth-management study into broader planning logic
WME or the WME to FP Canada bridge pages first, then FP I if the planning base still needs to be deeper
a stronger route toward CSI’s planning path and the Personal Financial Planner designation
FP I, then FP II
later-stage integrated planning, business, family-law, and estate strategy
FP II after FP I
certification-style integrated planning under FP Canada
QAFP after the planning base is already strong enough
Exam topics covered
Topic
Weight
What it is really doing
Managing the Financial Planning Process
20
teaches process quality, fact gathering, client statements, and recommendation sequencing
Budgeting, Consumer Lending and Mortgages
15
tests cash flow, debt service, borrowing decisions, and mortgage fit
Taxation
15
builds Canadian personal-tax vocabulary and after-tax planning instincts
Investments
15
tests investment basics, account location, registered plans, and recommendation fit
Retirement
10
introduces RRSP, RRIF, pensions, government programs, and retirement-gap thinking
Wills and Power of Attorney
15
tests estate basics, incapacity documents, executors, probate, and vulnerable-client judgment
Risk Management and Life Insurance
10
tests risk-transfer logic, policy basics, and client-needs analysis
How to use this guide well
Start with the planning process chapter because FP I rewards sequence and documentation discipline before product choice.
Keep cash flow, tax, investments, retirement, estate, and insurance tied to the same client facts instead of solving each domain in isolation.
Use the study plan for the first structured pass, the cheat sheet for faster recall, and practice questions when you are ready for mixed review.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for meeting clients' needs and preparing client financial statements, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for the full service offer and the financial planning process, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for the financial planning process, communication, implementation, and review, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for cash flow, budgeting, and savings fundamentals, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for financial institutions, credit fundamentals, debt service ratios, and personal borrowing options, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for mortgage options, affordability, creditor insurance, and related regulatory considerations, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for the canadian tax system and personal tax returns, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for types of income and tax deductions, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for tax credits and after-tax planning implications, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
Learn how CSI FP I tests investment theory, risk and return, account location, registered plans, and basic recommendation fit in a Canadian planning context.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for investment theory, risk, return, and behaviour, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for types of investments and account location, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for registered education savings plans and tax-free savings accounts, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for investment recommendations and portfolio fit, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for registered retirement savings plans and registered retirement income funds, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for registered pension plans and government retirement income programs, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for calculating retirement needs and retirement income planning, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for writing, changing, and revoking a will, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for powers of attorney for property, personal care, and living wills, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for executors, intestacy, probate, and vulnerable clients, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for the nature of risk, risk management, and types of risk, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for the life insurance industry, policy types, and policy features, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
CSI Financial Planning I study guide for understanding a client's life insurance needs, with learning objectives, Canadian planning decision cues, and exam traps.
High-yield FP I review covering the Canadian planning workflow, budgeting and credit, mortgages, taxation basics, investments and registered plans, retirement planning, estate basics, and risk management/life insurance.
Frequently asked questions for CSI Financial Planning I (FP I), including structure, route fit, topic weightings, study priorities, and how to use this guide.