DESCRIPTION:

Through a study of the financial planning process, students will learn to respond to each client’s unique financial concerns, directing clients toward the most effective financial techniques and solutions. You will also learn to recognize your client’s need for the special skills of other professionals - such as accountants and attorneys.

Successful completion of the program fulfills the educational requirement for taking the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Certification Exam. Although the Nineveh Business School center program is not designed specifically for the CFP Certification, all of the courses include materials that are covered by the CFP Professional Education Program designed by the CFP Board. This Program has defined the financial planning profession since 1972. The program is a recognized standard among professionals seeking the knowledge and skills necessary to objectively assess their clients’ current financial status, identify problem areas, and recommend appropriate actions - in essence, to provide comprehensive, client-based financial planning.

Students who wish to take the professional exam in the United States after completing the Nineveh Business School center Certificate Program in Financial Planning are urged to familiarize themselves with the established procedure. Nineveh Business School center staff will be glad to provide additional information about the steps needed to apply for the exams, mentioned above. 

  REQUIREMENTS:

The curriculum for this certificate consists of the Foundation Module (six required courses listed below) and the Advanced Module of specific Case Studies  All coursework must be completed within 18 months (including up to 12 months for Module 1). 

  REQUIRED COURSES:

FP002 Financial Planning Process  

FP003 Insurance Products and Services 

FP004 Investment Planning 

FP005 Portfolio Management  

FP006 Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits 

FP007 Estate Planning and Taxation Basics

  Course description:

The course begins with a presentation of the basics that will form the foundation of knowledge you need as a working financial service professional. The financial planning process as well as the legal, ethical, and regulatory issues affecting financial planners and time value of money concepts are covered. The course continues with a discussion of the principles of risk management and insurance, allowing you to identify a client’s risk exposure and select appropriate risk management techniques. 

   COURSE OUTLINE:

Unit 1: Introduction to the Financial Planning Process  

Unit 2: Regulatory and Ethical Considerations for Financial Planners  

Unit 3: Introduction to the Time Value of Money  

Unit 4: Introduction to Risk Management and Related Legal Issues 

Unit 5: Introduction to Financial Services Issues  

Unit 6: Introduction to the Variety of Financial Products and Markets 

Unit 7: Introduction to the Financial Basics and Industry Definitions  

   Course description:

In this course, you will learn about the variety of insurance products that may be offered for a client’s financial protection. Having the knowledge to choose the right insurance is essential for implementing your clients’ long-life plans - and ensuring their confidence in you as a Financial Planner. 

Unit 1: Introduction to the Insurance Industry 

Unit 2: The Life Insurance Selection Process 

Unit 3: Term Life and Accidental Insurance 

Unit 4: Insurance Investment Products: Universal Life Policies, Annuities and Pension Plans  

Unit 5: Health Care Plans  

Unit 6: Disability Income and Long-Term Care Insurance  

Unit 7: Property and Liability Ins

   Investment Planning  

  Course description:

In this course, you will learn about the wide variety of investment vehicles that may be included in a client’s portfolio, as well as client assessment, tax considerations, economic factors, valuation methods, asset allocation techniques, portfolio performance reviewing and evaluating, and more. Having the knowledge to choose the right investments is essential for implementing your clients’ financial plans - and ensuring their confidence in you as a Financial Planner. 

Unit 1: Security Markets and Economic Environment  

Unit 2: Investment Risk and Return  

Unit 3: Common Stock Valuation and Performance Measurement  

Unit 4: Security Analysis  

Unit 5: Features of Fixed-Income Securities  

Unit 6: Valuation and Analysis of Fixed-Income Investment

Unit 7: Derivatives  

Unit 8: Real Assets 

Unit 9: Introduction to Mutual Funds and other Investment Vehicles 

   Investment Management 

  Course description:

This course covers all the major investment management issues - products and markets, financial analysis, portfolio diversification, assets allocation, risk management, and more. In addition, some guidelines to investment activities and commonly provided investment services are examined. 

Unit 1: Global Industry Overview: Investment Products, Markets and Players 

Unit 2: Mutual Funds and Other Investment Vehicles 

Unit 3: Allocation of Assets and Investment Behavior 

Unit 4: Portfolio Diversification and Risk Management Basics 

Unit 5: Guidelines to Ratio Comparisons and Fundamental Issues 

Unit 6: Determination of Portfolio Policies for Individual Investors 

Unit 7: Portfolio Management for Institutional Investors 

Unit 8: Trading Concepts and Active Management  

Unit 9: Capital Growth and Investment Income Tax Aspects 

  Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits 

  Course description:

With more and more people expressing concern about how they can be financially comfortable in retirement, it is crucial to your business that you know how to serve their needs in this area. This course covers all the major retirement-related issues - retirement savings need analysis, qualified retirement plan design, and more. In addition, group life, health, and disability insurance; nonqualified deferred compensation; and other commonly provided employee benefits are examined. 

Unit 1: Planning for Retirement

Unit 2: Introduction to Retirement Plans  

Unit 3: Defined Contribution Plans for the Private Sector  

Unit 4: Defined Benefit Plans for the Private Sector  

Unit 5: Retirement Plans for Non-profit & Governmental Entities  

Unit 6: Plan Design, Installation & Administration Issues Retirement Plan Distributions  

Unit 7: Other Employee Benefits  

Unit 8: Nonqualified Executive Benefit Plans 

   Estate Planning and Taxation Basics 

  Course description:

Estate planning is vital to a total financial plan, especially in your work with high-net-worth clients. This course introduces you to the process of developing an estate plan. Topics covered include estate and gift taxation, techniques that reduce the size of a gross estate, wills, intestacy, probate, trusts, and more.  

Unit 1: Estate Planning Process and Goal

Unit 2: Methods of Estate Transfer

Unit 3: Estate Taxation in US

Unit 4: Estate Planning Issues and Methods of Estate Transfers 

Unit 5: Income Tax Concepts, Basic Terminology and Tax Calculations 

Unit 6: Tax Accounting and Forms of Business 

Unit 7: Estate Planning for Special Situations: Incapacity, Family Arrangements and Selecting Fiduciaries 

Unit 8: Trusts, Foundations and Offshore Entities 

Unit 9: Estate Liquidity and Post-mortem Actions 

Unit 10: Income Tax Aspects of Property Acquisitions and Introduction to Property Dispositions 

Unit 11: Passive Activity Losses and Related Topics 

Unit 12: Income Tax Aspects of Securities  

   CFP Review Course 

After completing all the Program courses, you automatically receive the CFP Program Review Course. The content in this course contains both multiple-choice and open-ended questions, divided among the CFP Program topic areas. This course also includes all test questions released to date by the CFP Board, so you can get a feel for the structure, presentation, and nature of questions included in past CFP Board exams. Please note that these questions are provided to help you become familiar with the format of the exam they should not be interpreted as a preview of actual exam questions.