ChFC® Program Curriculum

Required Core Courses (7)

HS 300 Financial Planning: Process and Environment
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.

Tuition: $585
Includes: text by Taylor and Lemoine, eds., Financial Planning: Process and Environment; student supplement; audio review; sample exam questions; online enhancements. Supplemental study tools available for an additional cost. See TheAmericanCollege.edu/Keir for additional information.


HS 311 Fundamentals of Insurance Planning
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.

Tuition: $585
Includes: text by Beam and Wiening, Fundamentals of Insurance Planning; student supplement; audio review; sample exam questions; online enhancements. Supplemental study tools available for an additional cost. See TheAmericanCollege.edu/Keir for additional information.


HS 321 Income Taxation
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.

Tuition: $585
Includes: text by Ivers, Fundamentals of Income Taxation; student supplement; audio review; sample exam questions; online enhancements. Supplemental study tools available for an additional cost. See TheAmericanCollege.edu/Keir for additional information.


HS 326 Planning for Retirement Needs
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 deferredcompensation 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.

Tuition: $585
Includes: text by Littell and Tacchino, Planning for Retirement Needs; student supplement; audio review; sample exam questions; online enhancements. Supplemental study tools available for an additional cost. See TheAmericanCollege.edu/Keir for additional
information.


HS 328 Investments
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.

Tuition: $585
Includes: text by Woerheide, Fundamentals of Investments for Financial Planning; student supplement; audio review; sample exam questions; online enhancements. Supplemental study tools available for an additional cost. See TheAmericanCollege.edu/Keir for additional information.


HS 330 Fundamentals of Estate Planning
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.


Tuition: $585
Includes: text by Fontaine, Fundamentals of Estate Planning; student supplement; audio review; sample exam questions; online enhancements. Supplemental study tools available for an additional cost. For more information, go to TheAmericanCollege.edu/Keir

HS 332 Financial Planning Applications
Uses case analysis to integrate planning techniques, tools and products covered in prior courses. Provides practical experience in analyzing and solving realistic financial problems of individuals and businesses. Includes cases that range from simple fact patterns and basic documents to complex situations involving not only personal financial problems, but also financial problems associated with businesses, business ownership and estate planning.
Elective Courses (Select 2)

HS 322 The Financial System in the Economy
Presents an overview of the global financial system and its influence on the financial services industry. Examines financial markets, their principal institutions and their economic functions, products and services. Examines the rapidly changing regulatory and competitive environment and major trends that shape the industry.

Tuition: $585
Includes: text by Rose and Marquis, Money and Capital Markets; study guide; audio review; sample exam questions; online enhancements.

HS 334 Estate Planning Applications
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.

Tuition: $585
Includes: text by Kurlowicz, Estate Planning Applications; study guide; audio review; sample exam questions; online enhancements, including key term exercise. Supplemental study tools available for an additional cost. See TheAmericanCollege.edu/Keir for additional information.


HS 342 Executive Compensation
Analyzes the many types of programs used to provide benefits for executives of business firms. Discusses plan design and installation and reviews ERISA, tax and other compliance issues that apply to each type of program. The course includes cash-compensation planning, nonqualified deferred-compensation plans, funded deferred compensation and restrictedproperty plans, stock options, split-dollar life insurance plans, disability income benefits, executive fringe benefits, health reimbursement arrangements and limits on golden parachute payments.

Tuition: $585
Includes: text by McFadden and Schneider, Executive Compensation; audio review; sample exam questions; online enhancements. Available October 1, 2009

HS 352 Financial Decisions for Retirement
Focuses on financial decisions clients face as they approach, reach and pass retirement age and on the tools and techniques financial advisors may employ to assist their clients with these decisions. The course covers source of income, retirement calculations, investment considerations both during the accumulation and distribution phases, annuities, housing decisions and estate planning concerns. Especially valuable for practitioners helping clients move retirement assets from employer sponsored to individual retirement plans. Provides perspectives on dealing with aging and retired clients and their families.


Tuition: $585
Includes: text by Littell and Tacchino, Financial Decisions for Retirement; study supplement; audio review; sample exam questions; online enhancements. Supplemental study tools available for an additional cost. For more information, go to TheAmericanCollege.edu/Keir.