Certified Financial Planner®

Summary Description:

CSU Los Angeles’ Certified Financial Planner® program, one of our newest programs, meets the needs of professional advisers in the fields of retirement and investment planning to achieve the CFP® designation by sitting for the qualifying CFP Board examination. The non-credit program is structured around the student’s completion five intensive of 10-week modules in the areas of:

1. Retirement Planning;
2. Investment Planning;
3. Estate Planning;
4. Income Tax Planning; and
5. Risk Management and Insurance Planning.

A Certificate of Completion is provided at the end of each module.

Who Can Enroll?

While there are no prerequisites for these courses, participants will be expected to have basic knowledge of such financial concepts as: the time value of money; basic statistics and accounting principles; and basic economic principles. ( Note: that part of the “Education” requirement to take the CFP Board exam is the holding of a bachelor’s degree, in any field. This course does not assist a candidate in meeting this independent requirement of the CFP Board.)

Course Descriptions:

I. Module 1: Retirement Planning.

Retirement planning focuses on a client’s advance preparation for retirement. The course will introduce the importance of pre-planning for retirement; describe the process of evaluating a client’s present financial status and future financial needs; review the Social Security and Medicare systems, toward understanding how these programs affect retirement needs; and discuss the characteristics of qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, other forms of deferred compensation, and Individual Retirement Accounts and other forms of individual savings plans. Consideration will also be given to the legal and tax requirements that determine the “qualification” of retirement accounts as well as the regulation of contributions and distributions from such plans. Issues of selecting a retirement plan and choosing an investment option within the plan will also be explained.

II Module 2: Investment Planning.

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(e.g., This course focuses on investment strategies that a client might pursue to improve his or her financial situation in anticipation of retirement or in order to build and transmit an estate. The course will explore the process of evaluating investments based on a profiling of the client’s desire to own assets for growth, production of income, or preservation of capital, anticipated holding period, and aversion to risk. Financial concepts such as internal rate of return and the “ Rule of 72” will be explained. Consideration will be given to stock market investing, through equities, mutual funds, or bonds and other debt instruments. Concepts such as dive rsification and asset allocation will be explored, and discussion will be had of taxable vs. non-taxable forms of investment. Consideration will also be given to real estate investing, directly or through RE ITs or Limited Partnerships; to less traditional investment such as deferred annuities, pooled income funds, and Charitable Remainder Trusts).

III Module 3: Estate Planning.

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IV. Module 4: Income Tax Planning.

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V. Module 5: Risk Management and Insurance Planning.

(reserved)

Program Cost:

The tuition cost for each 10-week module is $900. Students may enroll in one module only, or in any number of the series of five modules.

Course Schedule:

At least one module of the program will be scheduled quarterly, including Summer quarter, on the dates corresponding to the CSULA quarter schedule. Students may take the modules in any order, and may repeat modules at their discretion. Courses will meet once per week from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., exact day to be determined each quarter according to the availability of the instructor. Classes will meet in university classrooms on the campus of CSULA. Contact 323-343-4900 for classroom location.

Job Prospects and Potential Salary :

Very good. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics cites that nearly 160,000 personal financial planners held jobs as of 2004, and the demand for financial planners continues to grow at a faster rate than that of almost any other occupation. This is due to the increasing number of investment alternatives and continuing changes in tax laws to spur investments of different kinds. Further, potential clients of financial planning services are increasingly aware of the importance of certification of professionals to assure their expertise, experience, and ethics. In the opinion of many, anyone seeking to work in the field of financial advising should seek the CFP ® designation to keep pace with this trend . (Source: careers.stateuniversity.com).

Instructors:

All courses are taught by adjunct faculty and special lecturers who are financial planning practitioners holding, at least the CFP® designation. Some are in private practice, such as John R. Calvert III, and some work for major financial services companies, such as Fidelity Investments, Wells Fargo Bank Trust Services Division, or The John Hancock Insurance Company.

Contact Us:

For more information please contact the Division of Extended Education at California State University, Los Angeles, at 323-343- 4916; www.calstatela.edu/exed .

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Course Schedule

Retirement Planning
Course No.	C091222
Course Fee	$900
Date	Mondays & two Tuesdays, January 5, 12, 20, 26, February 2, 9, 17, 23, March 2 and 9, 2009 (10 meetings)
Time	6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Location	Cal State L.A. Call (323) 343-4904 for classroom location.
Instructor	John R. Calvert III, CFP®
Textbooks

 

Note: Click here to download the Accounting and Tax brochure.