Fall 2023 Course Registration

Registration for Fall 2023 is closed. Spring 2024 registration will open November 5.

Important Dates for Fall 2023:
August 20: Last Day to Register for Classes
August 21: First Day of Class
December 12: Last Day of Class
December 18: End of the semester

Withdrawal & Refund Schedule:
Date of Withdrawal | Percent of Course Fee Refunded
On or before August 27*: 90%
After August 27 and on/before September 24: 60%
After September 24 and on/before October 29: 30%
After October 29: No refund
* 10% is retained to cover processing costs and course enrollment fees.
To initiate the withdrawal process, you must contact us directly via email. We cannot issue a refund otherwise.

Textbook Information & Course Access:
Textbook information will be emailed to you soon.

The username and password that you select during the course registration process will be the same credentials you use to access the course. The course registration system will automatically place you into the course, but you will not see course content until August 21.

FPCC 435 Financial Planning Fundamentals

This course provides a comprehensive overview of financial planning from a professional perspective. Topics covered include financial analysis, budgeting, credit management, time value of money, investment strategies, income taxes, risk management, retirement, and estate planning. As a result of your participation in this course, you will be able to:

Describe the financial planning process, use goals to establish financial direction, assess the external environment, and analyze a client’s present financial position.
Apply time value of money concepts to various financial planning problems and assess investment strategies using different types of securities.
Estimate the impacts of income tax planning strategies, apply the basic process for retirement planning, and define the considerations for estate planning.
Evaluate the roles of various insurance products in managing risks and appreciate the professional and ethical aspects of financial planning.

FPCC 437 Tax Planning for Professionals

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. The remaining Estate Planning topics are covered in this course. As a result of your participation in this course, you will be able to:

Describe and apply the federal income tax system to the calculation of gross income and tax liabilities for households and small businesses.
Describe the tax implications of property transactions, including depreciation, sales and other dispositions.
Explain the alternative minimum tax and its effects on tax liability, and describe the characteristics and taxation of various legal business entities, such as partnerships, LLCs, and C and S corporations.
Apply the concepts of gift and estate taxation to the development of plans for estate planning planned giving to achieve the benefactor’s goals.

FPCC 438 Investment & Portfolio Management

This course applies investment principles considering families’ goals, time horizons, risk tolerance, and tax implications to build investment portfolios. In this course, you will learn how to manage your investment portfolio as well as develop successful investment programs for personal investors and financial planners using financial planning software. Other topics include attributes of various asset classes, asset allocation and selecting securities. As a result of your participation in this course, you will be able to:

Describe the operations of the securities markets and the basic principles of investing and portfolio planning.
Understand the equity and fixed-income asset categories and their risks and roles in the portfolio.
Explain the use of mutual funds and ETFs in the portfolio and the guidelines for asset allocation and managing your own portfolio.
Identify and evaluate the roles of alternative investments, such as commodities and real estate, in the portfolio.

FPCC 441 Financial Plan Development & Capstone

This course provides an overview of all areas in the financial planning process, data gathering, approaches to financial planning, analysis of financial statements, and client presentation. As a result of your participation in this course, you will be able to:

Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the content found within the Financial Planning curriculum and effectively apply and integrate this information in the formulation of a financial plan.
Effectively communicate the financial plan, both orally and in writing, including information based on research, peer, colleague or simulated client interaction and/or results emanating from synthesis of material.
Collect all necessary and relevant qualitative and quantitative information required to develop a financial plan.
Analyze personal financial situations, evaluating clients’ objectives, needs, and values to develop an appropriate strategy within the financial plan.
Demonstrate logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to a specific problem.
Evaluate the impact of economic, political, and regulatory issues with regard to the financial plan.
Apply the CFP Board Financial Planning Practice Standards to the financial planning process.

You must have completed the following courses before enrolling in Capstone: 435, 436, 437, 438, and 439.
We do allow students to take one course concurrently with 441. We suggest not taking 437 or 439 concurrent with Capstone.

Expected Time Commitment
The Capstone course is the most time intensive course in our program. Only you know how much time you have each week to dedicate to the course requirements. In the Fall and Spring semesters (15-weeks in length), students can expect to spend 8-10 hours per week. In the Summer semesters (10-weeks in length), students can expect to spend 10-12 hours per week.