| Spring 2023 | Summer 2023 | Fall 2023 | Spring 2024 | |
| AGLS 435 Financial Planning for Professionals |  |
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| AGLS 436 Insurance & Estate Planning | |
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| AGLS 437 Tax Planning | |
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| AGLS 438 Investment Planning | |
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| AGLS 439 Retirement Planning | |
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| AGLS 441 Financial Planning Capstone | |
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Academic credit is limited to students who have applied to Texas A&M University through Apply Texas and admitted into a degree program at the university. Our Academic Credit program consists of six courses with a total of 18 credit hours. The Financial Planning Program is in the Department of Agricultural Economics.
If you do not need academic credit, then you may be interested in our Extended Learning Certificate Program.
Course Format
- All courses are available online. Some courses are also available through traditional classroom delivery.
- Please be advised the majority of this minor is only offered online.
- Online courses at the University will sometimes incur additional fees on your tuition statement.
Course Sequence
- Students should start with AGLS 435 Financial Planning for Professionals. This course requires a pre-requisite course of: AGEC 330 or FINC 409 or FINC 341. The pre-requisite course can be taken concurrently with AGLS 435.
- Students should take AGLS 441 Financial Planning Capstone last since it applies concepts from the previous five courses. Students are allowed to take one course from the minor concurrently with AGLS 441.
- The remaining courses in the minor 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.
Course Workload
For a 15-week semester (fall and spring), the amount of time a student can expect to spend working on coursework is:
- AGLS 435: 4 hours per week
- AGLS 436: 5-6 hours per week
- AGLS 437: 4-5 hours per week
- AGLS 438: 4 hours per week
- AGLS 439: 5-6 hours per week
- AGLS 441: 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.
