Financial Planning

Financial Planning

Plan your financial future.

Certificate Coursework

The Extended Learning Certificate Program is registered with the CFP Board of Standards. Students who wish to qualify for the CFP® Exam will need to complete all six courses and earn a ‘C’ or better in each course. Coursework completed through Texas A&M University satisfies the CFP Board’s financial planning coursework requirement. Texas A&M does not award the CFP® marks.

To learn more about the courses and what topics are covered, please visit the Learn more about the courses section.

Extended Learning Certificate Coursework

Spring 2023 Summer 2023 Fall 2023 Spring 2024
FPCC 435 Financial Planning for Professionals Course is Available Course is Available Course is Available Course is Available
FPCC 436 Insurance & Estate Planning Course is Available Course is Available Course is Available
FPCC 437 Tax Planning Course is Available Course is Available
FPCC 438 Investment Planning Course is Available
FPCC 439 Retirement Planning Course is Available Course is Available Course is Available
FPCC 441 Financial Planning Capstone Course is Available Course is Available Course is Available Course is Available

Extended Learning Certificate Credit is available to students who do not wish to enroll in a degree seeking program. Courses taken for extended learning credit do not count towards a degree at Texas A&M and are not transferrable to an academic program. 

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Course Sequence

Students should start with FPCC 435 Financial Planning for Professionals. FPCC 441 Financial Planning Capstone should be taken last since it applies concepts from the previous five courses. Students are allowed to take one course from the certificate concurrently with FPCC 441. The remaining courses in the program can be taken in any order. Not all courses are offered every semester. Students should check our website for the most up-to-date schedule.

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Course Workload

For a 15-week semester (fall and spring), the amount of time a student can expect to spend working on coursework is:

  • FPCC 435 Financial Planning for Professionals: 4 hours per week
  • FPCC 436 Insurance & Estate Planning: 5-6 hours per week
  • FPCC 437 Tax Planning: 4-5 hours per week
  • FPCC 438 Investment Planning: 4 hours per week
  • FPCC 439 Retirement Planning: 5-6 hours per week
  • FPCC 441 Financial Planning Capstone: 8-10 hours per week

Summer courses are compressed into 10 weeks. The expected time for each course will increase by 1-2 hours per week.

Learn more about the courses:

435 Financial Planning for Professionals +
This course provides a comprehensive overview of financial planning from a professional perspective. Students will learn how to apply basic financial, economic, and institutional concepts to advise individuals, families, and small businesses in achieving their financial goals. Topics covered in this course include the financial planning process, financial analysis, cash flow management, credit and debt management, time value of money, investment strategies and education planning. We will also cover a broad overview of income tax planning, risk management, and retirement and estate planning.

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436 Insurance and Estate Planning +
This course covers the core Risk Management and Insurance Planning topics outlined by the CFP Board as well as a portion of the Estate Planning topics. The main focus is on insurance and estate planning for individuals, families, and small businesses. Students will learn how to apply risk management principles to evaluate various insurance products, including life, disability, long term care, health, homeowners, auto, and liability. The estate planning process, as well as tools and considerations, are also covered in this course.

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437 Tax Planning +
This course walks students through how to apply the principles of income tax planning to enhance household income after taxes. Emphasis is placed on understanding tax laws, concepts, and rules, as well as opportunities for planning. Students will learn how to identify and implement useful tax planning strategies while focusing on practical application for tax professionals and financial planners. The remaining Estate Planning topics are covered in this course.

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438 Investment Planning +
This course teaches students how to apply investment principles while considering families’ goals, time horizons, risk tolerance, and tax implications to build investment portfolios. Other topics covered in this course include attributes of various asset classes; asset allocation, selecting securities, and portfolio management; developing successful investment programs for personal investors and financial planners. This course covers the Investment Planning topics outlined by the CFP Board of Standards.

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439 Retirement Planning +
This course provides students with an overview of retirement planning basics. Topics covered include: retirement plans (both qualified and nonqualified), Social Security provisions, and government healthcare plans along with the basics of employee benefits. We focus on both quantitative (i.e. calculating retirement needs and plan limits) and qualitative (i.e. retirement age decisions, retirement income management) aspects of retirement. This course covers the Retirement Savings and Income Planning topics outlined by the CFP Board of Standards.

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441 Financial Planning Capstone +
This course pulls together all of the concepts from the previous coursework and walks students through the creation of a comprehensive financial plan for a real client. Students need to have a firm grasp of education planning, tax planning, retirement planning, investment planning, risk management, and estate planning before enrolling into this course. Core areas we focus on in this course include all areas in the financial planning process, data gathering, approaches to financial planning, analysis of financial statements, and client presentation. We also incorporate case analysis, ethics and professional conduct, use of financial planning software, advanced financial calculator usage, and usage of Microsoft Excel. This class is required for anyone who wishes to qualify for the CFP® Exam.

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