Certified Financial Planning Minor

This course comprehensively examines the general principles of financial planning, professional conduct and regulation, and education planning. Students are introduced to the financial planning process and working with clients to set goals and assess risk tolerance. Students will also learn to process and analyze information, construct personal financial statements, develop debt management plans, recommend financing strategies, and understand the basic components of a comprehensive financial plan. Prerequisites: Sophomore status.

This course provides a comprehensive examination of the general principles of risk management and insurance planning for individuals and families. Students will learn how to work with clients to analyze and evaluate risk exposures. Core insurance lines of coverage are explored in detail, including health, disability, long-term care, life, and personal property and casualty. Students will also learn to analyze insurance needs, select the most appropriate policy, and understand a business owner's use of insurance. Prerequisites: Sophomore status.

This course explores the securities market, sources of information, risk/return, stocks, bonds, options, futures, and security analysis, and culminates in portfolio construction and analysis. Students will learn how to evaluate different asset classes for different investment objectives and determine their suitability for investors considering investment goals, time horizons, risk tolerance, and tax situations. Prerequisites: Sophomore status.

This course covers taxation for individuals, sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations, as well as the tax aspects of investments, insurance, annuities, and retirement planning. Students will be able to identify the likely tax consequences of personal and business financial activities and select appropriate and lawful tax-minimizing tactics and strategies. Prerequisites: Sophomore status.

This course provides students with the foundation to conduct a retirement needs analysis for individuals, understand different types of retirement plans, and recognize key factors affecting retirement plan selection for business owners. Students will address client suitability and provide plan recommendations. The course covers tax-deferred retirement plans, IRAs, nonqualified plans, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, distribution strategies, taxation of distributions, and regulatory considerations. Prerequisites: Sophomore status.

This course introduces federal gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer taxes and the many planning techniques used to minimize their impact on transfers of wealth. It also explores the income-tax effects of gifts and bequests. The non-tax aspects of estate planning, including the estate planning process, property ownership, planning for incapacity, and planning for business owners are examined as are the need for estate planning documents for individuals, spouses, and unmarried couples. Prerequisites: Sophomore status.

This course provides students an opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge learned through the prerequisite six-course CFP® curriculum. Students will participate in developing a complete financial plan, through the use of case studies and interviewing mock clients. Presentations of a formal financial plan, demonstrating the ability to set client expectations and communicate with clients by answering questions and concerns, are also required. Prerequisites: CFP 301-306.