Financial Planning Program

Financial Planning Program

Plan your financial future.

College of Agriculture & Life Sciences

Fall 2024 Course Registration

Registration for Fall 2024 is open through 11:59PM, August 18.

Important Dates for Fall 2024

August 18: Last day to register for classes
August 19: First day of class
December 1: Last day of class
December 5-10: Final exams
December 16: Final grades posted

Withdrawal & Refund Schedule
Date of Withdrawal | Percent of Course Fee Refunded
On or before August 25: 90%
After August 35 and on/before September 22: 60%
After September 22 and on/before October 27: 30%
After October 27: No refund

Fall 2024 Textbook List:

Course Access:

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 19.

View the courses offered by expanding the drop down menu

Each course has an individual registration link and those links are provided below. If you are registering for multiple courses, you will have to click each individual link, add the course to your cart, and then checkout. Links open in a new window.

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

  • Analyze a client’s present financial position.
  • Calculate present value and future value of single amounts, annuities, annuities due, uneven, and serial payments.
  • Assess investment strategies using different types of securities.
  • Estimate the impacts of income tax planning strategies.
  • Evaluate how a client’s values, including cultural and religious values and attitudes will affect his/her goals and a planner’s recommendations.

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.

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.
  • Describe 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.

This course covers the considerations involved in preparing for those important retirement years. In addition to Social Security and Medicare, we will explore qualitative aspects such as retirement age decisions and retirement income management, as well as quantitative elements (calculating retirement needs and plan limits). As a result of your participation in this course, you will be able to:

  • Explain the rules and penalties regarding retirement plan distributions.
  • Calculate a retirement needs analysis using time value of money and make fiduciary retirement portfolio recommendations.
  • Use statistical and probability techniques in calculating retirement funding and income distribution plans.
  • Recognize the special topics of retirement such as gender retirement issues, baby boomer retirement needs, social welfare, and Defined Benefits vs Defined Contributions decisions.
  • Identify factors a business owner should consider when creating a succession plan.

This course gives a comprehensive overview of the financial planning process, including data collection, techniques for financial planning, examination of financial statements, and presenting to clients. 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 to formulate a written financial plan for a client.
  • Collect all necessary 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.
  • Evaluate the impact of economic, political, and regulatory issues with regard to the financial plan.
  • Effectively communicate the financial plan, both orally and in writing.
  • Demonstrate logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to a specific problem.
  • Apply the CFP Board Financial Planning Practice Standards to the financial planning process.

Important information about this course:

  • Before enrolling in this course, you will need to complete: Financial Planning Fundamentals, Insurance & Risk Management, Tax Planning for Professionals, Estate Planning, Investment & Portfolio Management, and Retirement Planning.
  • We allow students to take one course concurrently with the Capstone course. We do not recommend taking Tax Planning or Retirement Planning 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.
  • For Fall and Spring semesters (15-weeks in length), students can expect to spend 8-10 hours per week.
  • For Summer semesters (10-weeks) students can expect to spend 10-12 hours per week.

Disclaimer
Courses taken for Extended Learning Credit do not count towards a degree at Texas A&M University and are not transferrable to an academic program. These courses are considered continuing education and fulfill the CFP Board’s financial planning education verification requirement to qualify for the CFP® exam. Texas A&M does not award the CFP® marks.

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