MSFP 554 - Income Taxation
This course explores the strategies used by financial planners to help clients achieve greater tax efficiency. Topics include income tax concepts and calculations, income tax research methods, gross income realization, exclusions and deductions, passive activities, alternative minimum tax, tax considerations of business forms, taxable and non-taxable property transactions, compensation planning, family tax planning, audit risk, and dealing with the IRS.
MSFP 555 - Fundamentals of Insurance Planning
This course introduces students to the application of insurance planning and risk management in personal financial planning. It is designed to provide students with an understanding of the concepts of identification of risk exposure, legal aspects of insurance, property and liability policy analysis, life insurance policy analysis, health insurance policy analysis, employee benefits, social insurance, insurance regulation, and principles of insurance taxation. Topics include career issues; contractual and agency legal issues; insurance distribution systems (including Internet); evaluating insurers; personal risk assessment; risk strategies; alternative risk transfer approaches; life insurance programming and product analysis; key-person insurance; business continuation applications; life insurance use in income & estate tax planning; applicability of other insurance products (e.g., health, disability, general liability, property, and casualty); HMOs, group insurance plans; workers compensation; relevant aspects of social security; negligence issues; errors & omissions policies; & professional ethics.
MSFP 557 - Retirement Planning
This course covers retirement planning and employee benefits. Retirement planning addresses accumulation and distribution phases and covers the various types of retirement plans, including employer-provided retirement plans (pension, profit-sharing, stock bonus, ESOP, 401(k), 403(b), 457, SEP and SIMPLE plans as well as nonqualified deferred compensation and stock option plans), Social Security, and IRAs. Employee benefits covers medical plans, group term life and disability plans, cafeteria plans and flexible spending plans. This course explores the advantages and disadvantages of the various types of plans and provides the understanding and skills necessary to assess the costs and benefits of such plans from the perspective of clients, whether employers or employees. This highly participative course will help students evaluate client-specific goals, identify key issues, and recommend appropriate solutions.
MSFP 558 - Investment Planning
This course provides two major areas of investment planning in security analysis and portfolio management. The portfolio management examines a) financial markets; b) the concept of risk/return; c) modern portfolio theory, including market efficiency and behavioral finance; d) integrate investor objectives, their risk tolerance, e) asset allocation decisions and f) performance evaluation. The security analysis examines a) selection and timing of financial and real securities; b) selection and trading of common stock, bonds, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds; c) issues concerning macroeconomics, industry and sector analysis; d) alternate (qualitative and quantitative) methods of valuation; e) timing of buy/sell decisions; e) portfolio hedging; and f) alternative investments.
MSFP 615 - Advanced Estate Management and Planned Giving
An advanced gift and estate planning course which presents an overview of basic gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer tax law and tax computation processes. This course also discusses the ownership and taxation of transfers of property during a lifetime and at death in addition to marital, charitable giving, and life insurance planning. Family business entity planning, and buy-sell agreements are also addressed in the course.
MSFP 631 - Advanced Retirement Planning Issues
This course addresses current issues relevant to helping clients save for retirement and ensure that adequate retirement income lasts a lifetime. The first half of the course focuses on retirement savings issues including the retirement savings crisis, determining retirement needs, motivating clients to save, and maximizing savings through tax strategies. The second half of the course primarily addresses the issue of choosing an appropriate retirement income strategy but also addresses a very practical issue, when to claim Social Security benefits.