Financial Planning Certificate Program

Online CFP® Courses

Boston University’s CFP Board-Registered Program fulfills the coursework education requirement for CFP® certification.

The Financial Planning Program online consists of seven courses.

All students start with Introduction to Financial Planning and progress in sequence through the remaining courses concluding with the Capstone Course in Financial Planning.

Introduction to Financial Planning

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This course provides a comprehensive examination of the general principles of financial planning, professional conduct and regulation, and education planning. These topics constitute 30% of the principle knowledge topics tested on the CFP® Certification Examination. The course introduces you to the financial planning process and teaches you how to work with clients to set goals and assess risk tolerance. Learn how to process and analyze information, construct personal financial statements, develop debt management plans, recommend financing strategies, and understand the basic components of a written comprehensive financial plan. The course also covers the regulatory environment, time value of money, and economic concepts.

Modules included in this course:

  • Financial Planning Process
  • Financial Planning Practice Standards
  • Time Value of Money
  • Financial Statements
  • Cash Flow Management
  • Debt Management
  • Financing Strategies
  • Education Planning
  • Planning for Special Circumstances
  • Economic Concepts
  • Consumer Protection Laws
  • Disciplinary Rules and Procedures
  • Financial Services Regulation and Requirements
  • Function, Purpose, and Regulation of Financial Institutions
  • Practice Case

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Insurance and Risk Management

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This course provides students with an understanding of risk management and the tools and techniques available to minimize exposures to risk. You will learn how to conduct an insurance needs analysis for clients and evaluate insurance contracts for life, disability, long-term care, and health insurance. The course also covers how insurance rates are developed, what types of contracts are available, how to read insurance proposals, and how life insurance is used in financial planning. Students also learn about property and casualty insurance, including homeowners’, liability, and auto insurance. Other topics include group life and health insurance plans, business uses of insurance, and annuities.

Modules included in this course:

  • Principles of Insurance
  • Insurance Needs and Evaluating Risk Exposures
  • Insurance Contracts
  • Business Uses of Insurance
  • Insurance Policy and Company Selection
  • Property and Casualty Insurance
  • Liability Insurance
  • Health Insurance
  • Disability Income Insurance
  • Long-Term Care Insurance
  • Life Insurance
  • Annuities
  • Taxation of Insurance

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Investments

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This course explores the securities market, sources of information, risk/return, debt and equities, stocks, bonds, options, futures, and security analysis, and culminates in portfolio construction and analysis. You will learn how to evaluate different asset classes for different investment objectives, and determine their suitability for investors considering investment goals, time horizons, risk tolerance, and tax situations. Quantitative investment concepts, investment theories and strategies, and asset pricing models are also examined.

Modules included in this course:

  • Introduction to Stocks
  • Introduction to Fixed Income Securities
  • Introduction to Pooled Investments
  • Investment Risks
  • Buying and Selling Securities
  • Measures of Investment Returns
  • Portfolio Management and Measurements
  • Formula Investing and Investment Strategies
  • Asset Allocation and Portfolio Diversification
  • Efficient Market Theory (EMT)
  • Asset Pricing Models
  • Time Influence on Valuation
  • Valuation of Stocks and Bonds
  • Futures and Option Strategies
  • Alternative Investments
  • Taxation of Investment Vehicles

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Tax Planning

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Participants in this course study taxation for individuals, sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations, as well as the tax aspects of investments, insurance, annuities, and retirement planning. You will be able to identify the likely tax consequences of personal and business financial activities and select appropriate and lawful tax-minimizing tactics and strategies.

Modules included in this course:

  • Fundamental Tax Law
  • Gross Income
  • Income Tax Fundamentals and Calculations
  • Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)
  • Basis
  • Tax Consequences of the Disposition of Property
  • Like-Kind Exchanges
  • Income Taxation of Trusts and Estates
  • Tax Characteristics of Entities
  • Passive Activity
  • Charitable Contributions
  • Tax Implications of Changing Circumstances
  • Tax Management Techniques

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Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits

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This course teaches you how to conduct a retirement needs analysis for individuals and to recognize the key factors that affect retirement plan selection for business owners. You will be able to evaluate and compare the characteristics of various retirement plans and recommend which plan is appropriate in a given situation. The course covers tax-deferred retirement plans, IRAs, nonqualified plans, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, distribution strategies, taxation of distributions, and regulatory considerations.

Modules included in this course:

  • Retirement Needs Analysis
  • Qualified Retirement Plan Rules
  • Types of Qualified Retirement Plans
  • Nonqualified Retirement Plans
  • Types of Nonqualified Retirement Plans
  • Other Tax-Advantaged Retirement Plans
  • Retirement Income and Distribution Strategies
  • Distribution Rules, Alternatives, and Taxation
  • Plan Selection for Businesses
  • Employee Benefit Plans
  • Business Succession Planning
  • Social Security
  • Medicare and Medicaid
  • Regulatory Considerations

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Estate Planning

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This course provides an introduction to federal gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer taxes and the many planning techniques used to minimize the impact of these taxes on transfers of wealth. It also explores the income-tax effects of gifts and bequests, with particular attention to the limitations on income-shifting to family members. The nontax aspects of estate planning, including the estate planning process, property ownership, planning for incapacity, and planning for business owners are examined as are the need for estate planning documents for individuals, spouses, and unmarried couples. The course stresses the need for balancing tax and non-tax considerations in creating successful estate plans.

Modules included in this course:

  • Overview of Estate Planning
  • Forms of Property Ownership
  • The Probate Process
  • Estate Planning Documents
  • Gifting
  • Calculating the Gift Tax
  • The Gross Estate
  • Calculating the Estate Tax
  • Charitable Gifting
  • Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax
  • Trusts
  • Taxation of Trusts
  • Business Planning
  • Estate Planning Considerations

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Capstone Course in Financial Planning

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This course integrates financial planning topics learned in the previous courses and demonstrates how to apply this knowledge to the development of a comprehensive financial plan. Students will learn how to construct a plan according to CFP Board’s Financial Planning Practice Standards and client objectives. Instructors will guide students through the online course material, quizzes, exercises, and assignments via participation in discussion boards. For the final project, students will prepare and orally present (self-recorded video) a comprehensive financial plan to the faculty for the final project.

  • Students can choose to complete the Capstone course in a self-study format, or instructor-led. Offered 3 times per year, the instructor-guided format coincides with the CFP exam schedule of March, July, and November. This cohort option includes 9 live webinars that are recorded and archived for student reference. The course is completed at least 2 months prior to the chosen exam date.

Modules included in this course:

  • The Financial Planning Process
  • Principles of Non-verbal Communication
  • Principles of Communication and Counseling
  • Establishing the Relationship
  • Gathering Client Information
  • General Principles of Financial Planning
  • Insurance Planning and Risk Management
  • Investment Planning
  • Retirement Planning
  • Tax Planning
  • Estate Planning
  • Developing Financial Planning Recommendations
  • Writing a Financial Plan
  • Presenting the Recommendations
  • Next Steps

To learn more, contact an Enrollment Advisor at 617-502-8822 or complete the form below.

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