TPCP™
Tax Planning Certified Professional™
Best For
Financial professionals who need comprehensive tax planning knowledge.
Timing
<12 Months
Format
Study the curriculum at your own pace, engage through virtual office hours, and receive support from the nation’s preeminent tax planning leaders. Learn about Personal Pathway®
100% Virtual
Tuition
Enrollment Now Open
Starting at $995/Course.
Save $500 on the three-course package until 12/31 with promo code TAXPLAN24. First course launches 1/6/2025.
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Specialize in Tax-Informed Planning
Tax Planning is Financial Planning
Learn about the TPCP™ Program’s unique features and knowledge offerings in this program demo with Professor of Practice Jeffrey Levine, CFP®, CPA/PFS, ChFC®, RICP®, CWS, AIF, BFA™.
Tax Advisory Services in Demand
2024 Advisory Services Survey
Our latest survey reveals critical insights for all financial professionals, including those engaged in estate planning, retirement planning, and most critically financial and tax planning. Read our biggest takeaways.
TPCP™ at a Glance
Admissions Requirements
There are no prerequisite courses required to begin the TPCP™ Program (other than a high school diploma or equivalent). You can participate in the program and complete the required courses at any time in your career, but at least three years of experience in the financial services industry is required to use this tax planning certification program. We recommend that students take a basic income tax planning course, such as HS 321 Fundamentals of Income Taxation or MSFP 554 Income Taxation, prior to enrollment.
To meet the program’s requirements and receive the TPCP™ designation, you must:
- Successfully complete the three required courses on tax strategy
- Achieve a 70% or higher final grade on each course (unit quizzes will account for 20% of final grade, while the final exam will account for 80%)
- Have at least three years of experience in financial planning
- Agree to comply with The American College Code of Ethics and Procedures
Tuition & Scholarships
Program tuition may be paid on a per-course or package basis. Tuition covers your course fees, course final exams, and course materials, including:
- Virtual access to all course materials and assignments
- Video lectures and expert interviews
- Dynamic case studies and assessment questions
Individual course: $995
Three-Course Package: $2,695 $2,195 until 12/31 with promo code TAXPLAN24
Scholarship opportunities are available for those who qualify. Learn more.
What You'll Learn
The TPCP™ Program equips learners with the skills to identify, evaluate, and implement comprehensive tax strategies for individuals and businesses owners across their lifespan, focusing on maximizing tax benefits while ensuring compliance with current legislation.
Your learning outcomes of gaining specialized knowledge include:
- The ability to navigate complex tax situations, employing tailored tax-informed strategies for estate planning, retirement planning and savings distribution, and investment management to achieve optimized, goal-oriented tax planning solutions
- Familiarity with unique situations, such as: divorce, planning for individuals with special needs, and incorporating philanthropic intentions into estate planning for optimized tax advantages
- Foundational knowledge on key tax implications of various investment vehicles, such as Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and 529 plans
- Understanding of retirement and investment strategies, including Roth conversions, IRC Section 1031 exchanges, and strategies for minimizing state and federal taxes for high-net-worth individuals and business owners
Course Delivery
Complete our three tax planning courses online at your own pace and receive support from the nation’s preeminent academics and thought leaders as well as our academic advising team.
Our program features:
- Elite faculty of nationally recognized academics and researchers
- Up-to-date curriculum covering current trends
- Virtual on-demand, self-study format
Why Become a TPCP™?
80%
Of investors believe their advisors should be focused on minimizing their tax obligations.1
70%
Of consumers with at least $250,000 in investable assets want help with tax and retirement planning.2
50%
Of independent advisors say advanced tax planning is a significant knowledge gap for them.3
The TPCP™ Is Right for You If:
Inside the TPCP™ Program
Courses to Complete
Three
Typical Completion Time
<12 Months
TPCP 101 Tax Planning During the Accumulation Phase
Provides a foundation to support the first stage of the client lifecycle to help improve the likelihood that investment growth will outpace tax liability.
Upon completion of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Select appropriate tax-favored accounts for retirement, health care, and education that can enhance the achievement of a client’s financial goals through greater tax-efficiency
- Determine appropriate tax planning strategies and investments related to taxable accounts that can improve the tax-efficiency of a client’s financial plan
- Assess the tax efficiency of a client’s investment plan during the accumulation phase of the lifecycle using global concepts of investment tax planning
- Evaluate viable tax strategies relevant to small business owners and high-net-worth clients
TPCP 102 Tax Planning During Retirement
Focuses on withdrawal strategies and other considerations for the decumulation stage of the client lifecycle after they start taking income from their investments.
Upon completion of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Evaluate distribution strategies from retirement accounts to help clients take advantage of tax-saving opportunities and effectively avoid distribution errors
- Determine tax-efficient withdrawal sequencing, Roth conversion, and Social Security income strategies that can optimize retirement spending and legacy goals
- Assess tax planning strategies that address common retirement planning scenarios
TPCP 103 Tax Planning for End of Life and Special Situations
Covers ways to minimize client tax liability in various scenarios that may occur at any time and have significant tax implications.
Upon completion of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Determine strategies for optimizing the step-up in basis for property in order to maximize after-tax wealth transfer to beneficiaries
- Assess strategies used to minimize estate taxes, including post-mortem tax planning
- Evaluate strategies for maximizing the transfer of retirement, health care, and education accounts
- Evaluate planning strategies designed to address the estate planning needs of business owners and other special situations
See Where We Stand
As the first and only tax planning designation, see why the TPCP™ Program is an unparalleled advanced planning designation.
Scroll left to right to compare
See Where We StandAs the first and only tax planning designation, see why the TPCP™ Program is an unparalleled advanced planning designation. |
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CURRICULUM 100% FOCUSED ON TAX PLANNING |
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ONLY THREE COURSES AND COURSE FINAL EXAMS TO COMPLETE |
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FINISH IN <12 MONTHS |
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Learn From the Leaders in Tax Planning
Jeffrey Levine
CFP®, CPA/PFS, ChFC®, RICP®, CWS, AIF, BFA™, MSA
Professor of Practice in Tax Planning
Connect on LinkedIn
Read Bio
Sophia Duffy
JD, CPA, AEP®
Associate Professor of Business Planning and Program Director, Tax Planning Certified Professional™ (TPCP™) Program
Connect on LinkedIn
Read Bio
Michael Finke
PhD, CFP®
Professor of Wealth Management, WMCP® Program Director, Director for the Granum Center for Financial Security, Frank M. Engle Distinguished Chair in Economic Security
Connect on LinkedIn
Read Bio
Joellen Meckley
JD, MHS, ChSNC®
Associate Vice President, Centers Strategy and Operations
Managing Director, Center for Special Needs
Read Bio
01 / 00
Jeffrey Levine
CFP®, CPA/PFS, ChFC®, RICP®, CWS, AIF, BFA™, MSA
Professor of Practice in Tax Planning
Connect on LinkedIn
Read Bio
Sophia Duffy
JD, CPA, AEP®
Associate Professor of Business Planning and Program Director, Tax Planning Certified Professional™ (TPCP™) Program
Connect on LinkedIn
Read Bio
Michael Finke
PhD, CFP®
Professor of Wealth Management, WMCP® Program Director, Director for the Granum Center for Financial Security, Frank M. Engle Distinguished Chair in Economic Security
Connect on LinkedIn
Read Bio
Joellen Meckley
JD, MHS, ChSNC®
Associate Vice President, Centers Strategy and Operations
Managing Director, Center for Special Needs
Read Bio
There’s Even More to Explore
Why Become a TPCP™?
Read more about the TPCP™
Access the Program Demo
Take a tour of the TPCP™
View a Competitive Analysis
See where the TPCP™ stands compared to other designation programs
TPCP™ Program FAQs
The TPCP™ Program began individual and three-course package enrollment on November 4, 2024, and students can begin coursework on January 6, 2025.
The course delivery method is an on-demand, self-study, e-learning format. Finding time to meet in a mandatory live classroom setting can be difficult for working professionals, so this interactive, self-paced delivery method allows greater flexibility. Students can complete courses when the time is convenient for them and earn the designation in 12 months or less!
From the time they enroll, students will have three months to work through each course’s material, which consists of videos and text lessons, knowledge checks, case studies with application questions, and unit quizzes. A student can expect to have about 25-35 hours of coursework per course. Once students complete the course, they will have another month to take their final course exam.
The TPCP™ Program is focused on tax strategies rather than on technical explanations of the law and offers more applied comprehensive, lifecycle, tax planning knowledge rather than a hybrid of foundational tax knowledge and application. The TPCP™ Program builds on tax knowledge because it is focused on strategies to improve an advisor's ability to provide tax-informed financial planning. For example, TPCP 101 goes deeper and expands further than HS 321 (Fundamentals of Income Taxation) on income taxation topics. TPCP 102 and 103 goes into retirement distribution taxation strategies and estate planning strategies that go well beyond typical retirement and estate planning courses.
The Tax Planning Certified Professional™ (TPCP™) designation is a comprehensive tax planning designation that differs greatly from an Enrolled Agent (EA) or Certified Public Accountant (CPA). EAs and CPAs are focused on tax compliance and tax reporting, not tax planning, whereas the TPCP™ is exclusively focused on comprehensive tax-informed planning. EA status, which is a credential awarded by the IRS, is an intermediate level certification when compared to the TPCP™ designation and CPA.
Yes! If you are recertifying designations earned through The College, the new TPCP™ Program courses can be used toward your CE requirement. Each course will earn you 30 PRP credits.
We are in the process of applying for CFP Board CE credit. Please visit here or contact ce@theamericancollege.edu with questions and for more information.
Final exams will be taken through Pearson Vue testing centers. You will visit the Pearson VUE website to schedule your exam and will be able to choose whether you’d like to take the exam at one of many in-person testing centers or remotely via Pearson VUE’s online testing system. Click here for more information on scheduling and taking your exam.
Be Among the First
As a TPCP™, you’ll be one of the first professionals to differentiate yourself with the ability to offer tax-informed planning services as part of holistic financial planning. You’ll be able to identify, evaluate, and implement comprehensive tax strategies while ensuring compliance with current legislation.
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1 Orion Study. 2021
2 Herbers and Company Service Market Growth Study. 2023.
3 RIA Growth and Specialized Knowledge Survey. The American College of Financial Services. 2022.