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The curriculum of the Financial Planner Program contains six core courses: Fundamentals of Financial Planning, Insurance Planning & Risk Management, Income Tax Planning, Investment Planning, Retirement & Employee Benefits Planning, and Estate Planning. The curriculum also includes a 3-session "Capstone" course after completion of the 6 courses. Each core course is 10 to 11 weeks in length. (See Course Schedules).
Students typically complete the program in about 18 months with the "Traditional Program". Some students choose to accelerate their pace and finish sooner with the 11-month "Fast Track Program". We have designed the curriculum and course schedules for maximum flexibility. Students have up to 36 months to complete the program. Students attend one 3-hour class each week. Most courses are offered class two days each week for the student's scheduling flexibility.
All courses are based on the "Topic List for CFP® Certification Examination" published by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, although our courses do not specifically "teach to the test." All of our instructors have financial planning practice experience and ensure that all CFP Board Topics are covered for understanding and application to real financial planning requirements.
FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCIAL PLANNING
- Introduction to the Financial Planning Process
- Introduction to Ethics and Financial Planning Practice Standards and Regulations
- Personal Financial Statements, Cash Flow Management and Financing Strategies
- Introduction to Financial Strategies and the Purpose of Financial Institutions
- Education Planning and Financial Planning for Special Circumstances
- Economic Concepts and Time Value of Money Concepts and Calculations
- Business and Consumer Protection Laws
INSURANCE PLANNING & RISK MANAGEMENT
- Principles of Risk and Insurance
- Analysis and Evaluation of Risk Exposures
- Property, Casualty and Liability Insurance
- Health Insurance and Health Care Cost Management (Individual)
- Disability Income, Long-term Care, and Life Insurance (Individual)
- Income Taxation of Life Insurance
- Business Uses of Insurance
- Insurance Needs Analysis
- Insurance Policy and Company Selection
- Annuities
INCOME TAX PLANNING
- Fundamentals of Income Tax Law and Tax Compliance
- Income Tax Fundamentals and Calculations
- Tax Accounting
- Characteristics and Income Taxation of Business Entities
- Income Taxation of Trusts and Estates
- Tax Basis Concepts
- Depreciation-Recovery Concepts
- Like-Kind Exchanges and Disposition of Property
- Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)
- Tax Reduction and Management Techniques
- Passive Activity and At-Risk Rules
- Tax Implications of Special Circumstances
- Charitable Contributions and Deductions
INVESTMENT PLANNING
- Characteristics, Uses, and Taxation of Investment Vehicles
- Types of Investment Risk
- Quantitative Investment Concepts
- Measurement of Investment Returns
- Bond and Stock Valuation Concepts
- Investment Theory
- Portfolio Development and Analysis
- Investment Strategies
- Asset Allocation and Portfolio Diversification
- Asset Pricing Models
RETIREMENT & EMPLOYEE BENEFITS PLANNING
- Retirement Needs Analysis
- Social Security Benefits (Old Age, Survivor and Disability Insurance, OASDI)
- Types of Retirement Plans and Qualified Plan Rules and Options
- Other Tax-Advantaged Retirement Plans
- Regulatory Considerations and Factors Affecting Plan Selection for Businesses
- Investment Considerations for Retirement Plans
- Distribution Rules, Alternatives and Taxation
- Group Life, Disability and Medical Insurance
- Other Employee Benefits
- Employee, Incentive and Non-qualified Stock Options
- Stock Plans and Non-qualified Deferred Compensation
ESTATE PLANNING
- Characteristics and Consequences of Property Titling
- Methods of Property Transfer at Death
- Estate Planning Documents
- Gifting Strategies, Tax Compliance, and Tax Calculation
- Incapacity Planning
- Estate Tax Compliance and Tax Calculation
- Sources for Estate Liquidity
- Powers of Appointment
- Types, Features and Taxation of Trusts
- Qualified Interest Trusts and Charitable Transfers
- Use of Life Insurance in Estate Planning
- Valuation Issues and Marital Deduction
- Deferral and Minimization of Estate Taxes
- Intra-Family and Other Business Transfer Techniques
- Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax (GSTT)
- Fiduciaries and Income in Respect of a Decedent (IRD)
- Postmortem Estate Planning Techniques
- Estate Planning for Non-Traditional Relationships
CAPSTONE
Upon successful completion of the Financial Planner Program, students have the option to take the Capstone Review, a practical application of previous class material reviewed using a cast study format. There is no extra charge for this course, and it is not necessary for a student to take this course in order to receive a Program Certificate and Letter of Completion. The 3-week Capstone Review begins one to two weeks after the Estate Planning final examination, and usually meets on the same night as the previous six courses of that Cohort.
CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and  marks are certification
marks owned by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards
Inc. These marks are awarded to individuals who successfully
complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification
requirements. Oglethorpe University does not certify individuals to
use the CFP® , CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERT™ and certification marks. CFP certification is granted only by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards
to those persons who, in addition to completing an educational
requirement such as this CFP Board-Registered Program, have met its
ethics, experience and examination requirements. |
