Spring 2024 Course Registration

Registration for Spring 2024 will be open November 5 – January 15.
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 below, add the course to your cart, and then checkout. Links open in a new window.

Important Dates for Spring 2023
January 16: Last Day to Register for Classes
January 17: First Day of Class
May 12: Last Day of Class

Withdrawal & Refund Schedule:
Date of Withdrawal | Percent of Course Fee Refunded
On or before January 22: 90%
After January 22 and on/before February 19: 60%
After February 19 and on/before March 26: 30%
After March 26: No refund

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.

Financial Planning for Professionals

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:

Describe the personal financial planning process as defined by the Financial Planning Practice Standards
Construct statements of financial positions and cash-flow statements as applied to clients consistent with sound personal accounting standards
Calculate savings required to meet financial goals
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
Apply the basic process for retirement planning
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
Evaluate how a client’s values, including cultural and religious values and attitudes will affect his/her goals and a planner’s recommendations

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. Topics include risk management, how insurance works, legal aspects of insurance, life and disability insurance, annuities, health and long term care insurance, property and liability insurance, and the estate planning process and legal documents. As a result of your participation in this course, you will be able to:

Explain the risk management process
Define and communicate key insurance policy terms, coverage, conditions, and exclusions
Explain the factors that affect policyholder premiums and recommend appropriate methods for reducing household insurance costs
Identify the critical planning elements related to life, disability, health, and long-term care insurance and annuity products
Identify appropriate insurance coverages for property, automobile, liability, and business insurance products
Explain the characteristics of an annuity including contribution and distribution options and differentiating between immediate and deferred annuities
Explain the role of personal and business liability insurance in comprehensive financial planning
Describe the estate planning process, the essential documents, the probate process, and other property ownership and transfer considerations.
Identify characteristics and consequences of property titling
Describe the components of estate planning documents, such as wills and trusts that are used to facilitate the transfer of one’s assets
Define and describe the uses of the four types of trusts including revocable, irrevocable, living, and testamentary trusts

Retirement Planning

This course covers the considerations involved in preparing for those important retirement years. There are both qualitative (i.e. retirement age decisions, retirement income management) and quantitative (i.e. calculating retirement needs and plan limits) aspects to this planning process. Your employer will offer retirement programs, which you will need to evaluate. And, what can you expect from Social Security and Medicare. As a result of your participation in this course, you will be able to:

Identify potential sources of income during retirement including social security, employer plan benefits, personal savings and investments, individual retirement plans, and employment income
Use statistical and probability techniques in calculating retirement funding and income distribution plans
Calculate a retirement needs analysis using time value of money and make fiduciary retirement portfolio recommendations
Develop a comprehensive knowledge of the Social Security and Medicare system
Explain how a client may qualify for Social Security benefits, given their payroll taxes and available benefits structure
Identify the four parts of Medicare coverage, the benefits provided by each, common out-of-pocket costs required for insured individuals, and alternative insurance options to cover the gaps associated with Medicare
Describe the Medicaid program structure and funding sources
Distinguish between qualified, government, non-qualified, and private tax advantaged retirement plans
Describe the basics of retirement plan design while accounting for taxes and IRS/ERISA regulations
Describe the plan protections provided by ERISA, the PBGC, Department of Labor policies and other applicable regulations
Explain the rules and penalties regarding retirement plan distributions
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, including the ability and motivation of a successor and the degree of idiosyncrasy in the business

Financial Planning Capstone

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 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
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, including information based on research, peer, colleague or simulated client interaction and/or results emanating from synthesis of material
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

You will need to complete the following courses before enrolling in Financial Planning Capstone: Financial Planning for Professionals, Insurance and Estate Planning, Tax Planning, Investments, and Retirement Planning. We do allow students to take one course concurrently with Financial Planning Capstone. We suggest not taking Tax Planning or Retirement Planning concurrent with Financial Planning 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.