Financial Education for Securities, Banking, & Insurance Professionals.

CLU®

Chartered Life Underwriter®

8 Courses: 5 Required / 3 Elective

Advanced Insurance Specialization

How This Program Can Advance Your Career

The Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) is the world's most respected designation of insurance expertise, helping you gain a significant advantage in a competitive market. This prestigious course of study helps advance your career by providing in-depth knowledge on the insurance needs of individuals, business owners and professional clients.



Earn the CLU® Your Way:

 
Self-Study

The comprehensive core of CLU® knowledge is supplemented by a broad selection of elective courses, allowing you to customize the program to the dynamics of your individual practice. Complete your program as fast as you like with leading edge texts and access to extensive online study aides at no additional charge, including:

  • Supplemental readings
  • Online discussion with course professors
  • Sample questions
  • Practice exams
 
Monthly Pay

Designed specifically for independent and self-funded professionals, Accelerated Success is the most convenient and affordable way to complete the CLU® program.

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Live Online Classes (Webinars)

Attend live, instructor-led classes from your home or office PC. These interactive classes offer a convenient, time-saving way to participate in classes without needing to travel.

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Horizons is an advanced learning system incorporating video lectures assigned by various chapters or topics for selected courses. These video segments are ideal tools for enhanced self-study or for holding classes right in your office, all at no additional cost!

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Intensive Review Classes

 
View Classes within the next 90 days
 
HS 330 - June 7 — 9 2013 (Schaumburg, IL)
HS 330 — Fundamentals of Estate Planning
Comfort Suites — Schaumburg, IL
  • 1100 East Higgins Road, Schaumburg, IL 60173
  • Reservations — 847-330-0133
    Hotel Reservation Cutoff Date: 5/23/2013
  • www.comfortschaumburg.com

Click here to register
 
HS 331 - July 12 — 14 2013 (Valley Forge, PA)
HS 331 — Planning for Business Owners and Professionals
The Doubletree by Hilton — Valley Forge, PA
  • 301 West DeKalb Pike, King of Prussia, PA 19406
  • Reservations — 610-337-1200
    Hotel Reservation Cutoff Date: 6/28/2013
  • www.doubletree.com

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HS 321 - July 19 — 21 2013 (Schaumburg, IL)
HS 321 — Income Taxation
Comfort Suites — Schaumburg, IL
  • 1100 East Higgins Road, Schaumburg, IL 60173
  • Reservations — 847-330-0133
    Hotel Reservation Cutoff Date: 7/4/2013
  • www.comfortschaumburg.com

Click here to register
 
HS 328 - August 16 — 18 2013 (Valley Forge, PA)
HS 328 — Investments
The Doubletree by Hilton — Valley Forge, PA
  • 301 West DeKalb Pike, King of Prussia, PA 19406
  • Reservations — 610-337-1200
    Hotel Reservation Cutoff Date: 8/1/2013
  • www.doubletree.com

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CLU® Curriculum

Course Name
Course #
Required
 
Fundamentals of Insurance Planning
HS 311
 

Focuses on the role of planning for insurance needs. Covers basic concepts in risk management and insurance, insurance industry operations, legal principles pertaining to this industry, and regulation of insurers. Examines social insurance, life insurance and annuities, medical and disability income insurance, long-term care insurance and personal property and liability insurance. Concludes with an overview of commercial property and liability insurance and a case study.

 
Individual Life Insurance
HS 323
 

Focuses on life insurance policies and annuities available for the personal needs of individuals and their use in financial planning. Covers individual insurance products and insurance reserves regulation. Also covers insurance company organization, operations and investments.

 
Life Insurance Law
HS 324
 

Examines legal rights and obligations of the policy owner and the insurance company, the way disputes between insureds and insurers are resolved and general principles of the judicial process. Covers legal aspects of life insurance, including basic principles of contract law; policy provisions and the incontestable clause; assignments, ownership rights and creditor rights; beneficiary designations and disposition of proceeds; the law of agency; and advertising and privacy issues.

 
Fundamentals of Estate Planning
HS 330
 

Covers various aspects of estate and gift tax planning, including the nature, valuation, transfer, administration and taxation of property. Provides a basic understanding of the estate and gift tax system, including strategies of estate planning. Discusses gratuitous transfers of property outright or with trusts, wills and powers of appointment; use of the marital deduction; valuation of assets; and buy-sell agreements. Covers the client interview, fact finding, ethical standards and development of personal estate plans.

 
Planning for Business Owners and Professionals
HS 331
 

Focuses on tax and legal aspects of organizing a business; compensation planning for the business owner; business succession planning; buy-sell agreements; estate planning and estate freezing techniques; methods for transferring a family business; lifetime disposition of a business interest

 
Financial Planning: Process and Environment
HS 300
 

Provides an overview of the financial planning process, including communication techniques, ethics, risk tolerance, time-value-of-money concepts, financial planning applications, regulatory issues and the legal and economic environment for financial planning. Offers an understanding of the role and responsibilities of a financial planner, along with some analytical skills to aid in financial decision making.

 
Individual Health Insurance
HS 313
 

Provides an overview of individual health insurance that is designed to meet the needs of individuals, families and certain business situations. Covers medical expense insurance, disability income insurance and long-term care insurance. Discusses types of policies, contractual provisions, regulation and underwriting. Consumer-directed health plans are also covered.

 
Income Taxation
HS 321
 

Examines the federal income tax system with particular reference to the taxation of individuals. Covers such concepts as gross income, exclusions from gross income, deductions, tax credits, capital gains and losses, taxation of life insurance and annuities and income taxation of partners, partnerships, corporations and shareholders.

 
Group Benefits
HS 325
 

Analyzes group insurance benefits including the governmental environment, contract provisions, marketing, underwriting, rate making, plan design, cost containment and alternative funding methods. Covers the various private programs related to the economic problems of death, old age and disability. Discusses cafeteria plans, as well as consumerdirected health plans, such as HSAs and HRAs.

 
Planning for Retirement Needs
HS 326
 

Focuses on selecting the right retirement plan for the business and on individual retirement planning. Covers qualified plans, SEPs, SIMPLEs and 403(b) plans and nonqualified deferred compensation plans. Emphasizes the practical knowledge needed for choosing the best retirement plan, especially for the small business, and designing a plan that will meet a client’s needs. Also covers individual retirement planning including IRAs and Roth IRAs, Social Security benefits, saving for retirement and planning for retirement plan distributions.

 
Investments
HS 328
 

Covers various aspects of the principles of investments and their application to financial planning. Discusses risk analysis and risk and return computations. Looks at stocks, bonds, investment companies, options and futures contracts. Includes an extended discussion of tax issues in investing and issues in the practice of portfolio management, including strategic and tactical asset allocation. Provides many examples of ethical and practical issues in managing a client’s portfolio.

 
Estate Planning Applications
HS 334
 

Covers estate and gift tax principles with an emphasis on life insurance planning applications. Discusses forecasting the gross estate, life insurance trusts, valuation principles, the use of charitable contributions as an estate planning technique, planning opportunities stemming from the marital relationship, the taxation of trusts, implications of employee benefits and estate freezes. Includes a case study reflecting procedural aspects of estate planning.

* Students who have already taken HS 318 may not take HS 300 or HS 311 for credit toward the CLU® designation.


Additional Information:

 
Highest Standard of Knowledge and Trust

If you earn the CLU® designation, you can also earn the ChFC® designation by completing a minimum of three additional courses. For the ChFC®, you must complete the remaining core courses and select from the electives list for that program if additional courses are still needed; electives in the CLU® program may not be used as electives in the ChFC® program.

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Additional Study Support

Cost-effective supplementary study materials, developed in partnership with Kier Educational Resources, are also available for select CLU® courses.

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CLU® Course Policies:

 
Program Completion Requirements

To receive the CLU® designation, you must successfully complete all courses in your selected program, meet experience requirements and ethics standards, and agree to comply with The American College Code of Ethics and Procedures.

 
Experience

Three years of full-time business experience is required for all Huebner School designations. The three-year period must be within the five years preceding the date of the award. An undergraduate or graduate degree from an accredited educational institution qualifies as one year of business experience. Part-time qualifying business experience is credited toward the three-year requirement on an hourly basis, with 2,000 hours representing the equivalent of one year full-time experience. The following activities meet the required business experience qualifications included in the CLU® certification process.

Insurance and health care

  • Field underwriting and management, including sales and service activities, supervision and management of persons involved in sales or services, or staff support of persons in these activities.
  • Company management and operations in positions involving substantial responsibility.

Financial services and employee benefits

  • Client service and related management, including direct contact with clients, supervision and management of persons involved directly in the process of providing financial services or employee benefits, or staff support of persons in these activities.
  • Financial institution management and operations in positions involving substantial responsibility.

Other

  • University or college teaching of subjects related to the Huebner School curriculum on a full-time basis at an accredited institution of higher education.
  • Government regulatory service in a responsible administrative, supervisory, or operational capacity.
  • Activities directly or indirectly related to the protection, accumulation, conservation, or distribution of the economic value of human life; these include the work of actuaries, attorneys, CPAs, investment advisers, real estate investment advisers, stockbrokers, trust officers, or persons in other similar occupations.
 
Code of Ethics

To underscore the importance of ethics standards for Huebner School designations, the Board of Trustees adopted a Code of Ethics in 1984. Embodied in the Code are the Professional Pledge and eight Canons.

Professional Pledge

"In all my professional relationships, I pledge myself to the following rule of ethical conduct: I shall, in light of all conditions surrounding those I serve, which I shall make every conscientious effort to ascertain and understand, render that service which, in the same circumstances, I would apply to myself."

The Canons

  • Conduct yourself at all times with honor and dignity.
  • Avoid practices that would bring dishonor upon your profession or The American College.
  • Publicize your achievements in ways that enhance the integrity of your profession.
  • Continue your studies throughout your working life so as to maintain a high level of professional competence.
  • Do your utmost to attain a distinguished record of professional service.
  • Support the established institutions and organizations concerned with the integrity of your profession.
  • Participate in building your profession by encouraging and providing appropriate assistance to qualified persons pursuing professional studies.
  • Comply with all laws and regulations, particularly as they relate to professional and business activities.
 
Continuing Education

All CLU®s who matriculated after June 30, 1989 are subject to the PACE Recertification Program. If you are a CLU® who falls into any of the following specified categories, you are required to earn 30 hours of CE credit every two years:

  • Licensed insurance agent/broker/consultant
  • Licensed security representative/registered investment advisor
  • Financial consultant, attorney, accountant, employee benefits specialist, and any other individual who provides insurance, employee benefits, financial planning, or estate planning advice and counsel to the public

If you have earned all 30 CE credits through The American College, you do not have to sign and file a statement of compliance. The College will record CE credits you earned at The College and notify you when you have met the requirements.

If you are a CLU® subject to PACE but do not fall into one of the above categories, you are exempt from the CE requirements. You will be required to notify The College of your exempt status every reporting period, as long as the exemption applies.

 
PACE Recertification

A Recertification Fee is applied to First-Time PACE-Required Designees after February 1, 2007. A fee of $250 (recurring every two (2) years) covers multiple designations and is not retroactive for prior PACE-required designees.

*Approximately 90% of PACE recertification fees will be used for public awareness of the designations.

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Refund Requests

All requests for refunds must be made in writing to the Office of Professional Education, The American College, 270 S. Bryn Mawr Ave., Bryn Mawr, PA 19010. We will refund your course tuition less a $170 cancellation fee for 30 days into the quarter for which you are registered. Textbooks do not need to be returned and no refund will be given for these textbooks.

 
Textbook Revisions

Textbooks are regularly revised to reflect recent tax code changes, new legislation, and industry trends so that you can stay current. Revised textbooks are shipped to students on the first day of the month of your selected testing quarter. Textbooks that are not under revision are shipped as soon as the registration is processed. Please contact a Professional Education counselor if you have questions about textbook revisions.

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Register Today

Online: Click Here to Begin

PDF: Mail or Fax a PDF Application

Phone: 888-263-7265

Hours: M–F 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. ET

Tuition & Fees

Tuition: $640 (per course)

Admission Fee: $145*

Shipping: $25 (per course)

Your tuition includes all required study materials, access to convenient online learning tools, and your examination. Supplementary study materials are also available for an additional cost.

*One-time, nonrefundable fee for new enrollees at The College.

The 5-Year Rule

In order to facilitate timely completion of a student's designation and as part of The College's pledge to offer the most up-to-date material and course offerings, all courses are subject to the 5 Year Rule.

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Contact Us

Call: 888-263-7265
(M–F 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. ET)

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Centers of
Excellence

Resources
Insurance Education
 
RHU®

Registered Health Underwriter®

(Health Insurance)

 
 
ChHC®

Chartered Healthcare Consultant®

(Healthcare Specialty)

 
 
REBC®

Registered Employee

Benefits Consultant

(Employee Benefits)

 
 
CLF®

Chartered Leadership Fellow®

(Field or Agency Leadership)

 
 
LUTCF

Life Underwriter Training

Council Fellow

(Insurance Skills)

 
 
CLU®

Chartered Life Underwriter®

(Insurance Specialty)

 
 
Financial Planning
 
ChFC®

Chartered Financial Consultant®

(Advanced Financial Planning)

 
 
CFP®

Certification Education

(Financial Planning)

 
 
CASL®

Chartered Advisor for

Senior Living®

(Retirement Income Education)

 
 
FSS

Financial Services Specialist

(Financial Services Basics)

 
 
CAP®

Chartered Advisor

in Philanthropy®

(Philanthropy)

 
 
RICP

Retirement Income

Certified Professional

(Retirement Income)

 
 
Graduate Degrees
 
MSM

Master of Science in Management

(Executive Leadership)

 
 
MSFS

Master of Science in

Financial Services

(Advanced Financial Planning)