Course Descriptions

*Note: Courses FPI-FPVI are required to obtain the Certificate of Personal Financial Planning. It is recommended that the courses be taken in order.

Financial Calculator Workshop

This six hour course will cover in detail many statistical and time value of money concepts that are essential to the student's success in future courses in the program and successfully completing the CFP® Certification Examination. The student will develop an understanding of standard deviation, mean returns, Internal Rates of Return, Net Present Value, present values and future values of lump sums, annuities and annuities due, all of which are needed to fully understand your client's financial situation and recommend appropriate courses of action. The student should not proceed to higher level courses until these ideas are mastered and the student is familiar with solving such problems using a financial calculator, which is required for the course.

FP I- Financial Planning Fundamentals

This overview provides the framework for operating in a financial planning environment by introducing the student to the financial planning process which governs the activity for all of the financial planning disciplines. A brief overview of each of the five subject areas is provided to help you evaluate client exposures and weaknesses. Legal, ethical and regulatory matters that affect planners will be covered as well as an introduction to time value of money concepts.

FP II- Risk and Insurance

This course discusses the principles of risk management with particular emphasis on the use of insurance as an effective risk transference mechanism to combat risk. This course presents the basics of life, disability, health, automobile, homeowners and liability insurance and underscores the critical elements found in all of these contracts. Policy comparison, needs analysis and product recommendation are the focal points of discussion in helping clients determine their insurance needs.

FP III- Investment Planning

This course defines and analyzes the investment parameters of your client, investment vehicles used and investment recommendations prescribed to develop a client investment portfolio. Analysis of client parameters include assessing risk tolerance, time horizon, tax considerations, liquidity and marketability concerns and diversification issues. Investment vehicles include stocks, bonds, mutual funds, insurance based investments, futures, options, foreign investments, real estate, and tangible assets are discussed.

FP IV- Tax Planning

This course emphasizes your role in the tax planning process by covering the income tax return and identifying various financial planning exposures that exist and that could potentially affect your client. Underlying the content will be discussions on the fundamentals of individual income taxation, tax implications of various types of businesses, planning for the acquisition disposition of property, tax-advantaged investments and tax planning for the family.

FP V- Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits

This course covers identifying critical issues and providing adequate solutions to meet the varying retirement needs of your clients. Topics include: how much retirement savings your client needs to meet long-term objectives, retirement accumulation, which explains the various retirement plans in the marketplace, and retirement distribution, which focuses on the best ways to minimize income taxes when withdrawing money. Specific topics include personal tax-deferred retirement programs, qualified plan design, government sponsored plans and employee benefits, such as group life, health, disability and non-qualified plans.

FP VI- Estate Planning

This course identifies the process needed to develop an estate plan by identifying the fundamentals of federal gift and estate taxation. Various estate distribution strategies, including intra-family and business transfers, characteristics of wills, the risk of dying interstate, the use of contracts and disclaimers, post mortem planning, and operation of law will be covered with a special emphasis in estate reduction techniques.

Additional Course

FP VII- The Capstone Course

This five-week top level course integrates the material from the core six courses in a case-study format to help you prepare for the CFP® Certification Examination. A different case study is covered enabling the attendance to identify financial planning exposures and develop sophisticated solutions.

***FP VII- The Capstone course and the CFP® Certification Examination Comprehensive Review Course are not required to complete the Certificate Program***

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, Certified Financial Planner™ and in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.