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Office of Graduate & Professional Studies

Office of Professional Studies

Financial Planning - CFP®

The Certified Financial Planner™ certification has become the national standard of professionalism within the industry.

Merrimack College’s Certificate Program in Financial Planning is designed to meet the needs of all professionals and practitioners who want to expand their personal knowledge of financial planning, enhance their careers, and develop the skills and expertise necessary to serve their clients.

The Certificate Program in Financial Planning is registered with Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. Our program offers six comprehensive courses in all financial planning subject areas, and two additional courses designed to prepare participants for the rigorous CFP® Certification Examination. Merrimack College awards a Certificate of Advanced Study in Financial Planning upon the completion of all seven required courses.

Our program offers the lowest cost/best value of any New England CFP Board registered program. Our personal approach provides small classes and interactive discussions, flexibility in scheduling courses, networking opportunities with other business professionals, career counseling services and continuing education credit for Insurance licensees in MA, NH, and Maine.

Program Requirements

FP 101  Fundamentals of Financial Planning
FP 102  Insurance Planning and Risk Management
FP 103  Investment Planning
FP 104  Income Tax Planning
FP 105  Retirement and Employee Benefits Planning
FP 106  Estate Planning
FP 107  Case Studies & Analysis
FP 107A Financial Plan Development
FP 108  The Comprehensive Review Course

Certification Registration Information

Course Descriptions

FP101 Fundamentals of Financial Planning

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of personal financial planning, which involve risk management and insurance, investment planning, income tax planning, retirement planning and employee benefits, and estate planning. Students will learn how to gather client data to prepare financial statements, to identify client goals and objectives, to analyze financial situations and consider alternatives, and to develop and implement financial plans. This course includes information on budgeting and debt management, educational funding, economic concepts, business law and the regulatory environment, and the time value of money.

Required text(s):

  • Personal Financial Planning:Theory and Practice, 7th Ed.
    ISBN: 978-1-4277-3585-0
    Authors: Michael A. Dalton, et al
  • Understanding Your Financial Calculator 5th Ed.
    ISBN 978-1-4277-4189-9
    Author: Kaplan-Schweser Financial

Additional course requirements:

  • HP12C Financial Calculator

Purchase materials online at the Merrimack College Bookstore

FP102 Insurance Planning and Risk Management

This course covers the principles of insurance and provides students with the background and skills necessary to analyze and evaluate all aspects of risk and exposure. The course will prepare students to work effectively with clients, to identify a client’s exposure to risk, and to select appropriate options to protect the client against loss. Risk exposures addressed in this course include life, health, disability, property and casualty, and business and personal liability.

Required text(s):

  • Fundamentals of Insurance Planning, 4th Ed.
    ISBN 978-1-58293-056-5
    Authors: Kevin M. Lynch and Glen E. Stevick, Jr.

Purchase materials online at the Merrimack College Bookstore

FP103 Investment Planning

This course explores the sources of financial information and investigates the economic cycle and principles of fundamental technical analysis. The course surveys various investment vehicles, securities markets, tax considerations, and analysis of financial risk and return. Students learn portfolio management techniques, asset allocation, and investment strategies to construct client portfolios according to investment objectives and risk. This course also covers the calculation and application of standard deviation, valuation models, Beta, Jensen, Treynor and Sharpe indices, bond yields, present values, compounded rate of return, internal rate of return, realized return, duration and more.

Required text(s):

  • Investments: An Introduction, 10th Ed.
    ISBN 978-0-538-45209-0
    Author: Herbert Mayo

Purchase materials online at the Merrimack College Bookstore

FP104 Income Tax Planning

This course examines the federal income tax system, and the laws, rulings and regulations applicable to individuals, trusts, estates and entities. Students will learn the tax aspects of investments, insurance, and annuities, tax accounting methods, tax consequences of sales and exchanges, and tax management techniques. Emphasis is placed on personal income tax calculations including the AMT, and the tax implications of marriage, divorce and charitable contributions.

Required text(s):

  • Income Tax Planning for Financial Planners, 5th. Ed.
    ISBN 978-1-936602-07-0
    Authors: Thomas P. Langdon, E. Vance Grange, Michael A. Dalton

Purchase materials online at the Merrimack College Bookstore

FP105 Retirement and Employee Benefits Planning

This course explains the essential elements of retirement planning and employee benefits, and explores the options available to create customized retirement plans. Personal retirement planning including Social Security and Medicare are covered. Additionally, the characteristics of IRAs, 401 (k), 403 (b), 457, SEP, SIMPLEs, and Keogh plans are thoroughly examined. The course also introduces methods of selecting appropriate retirement options for employers from qualified defined benefit, and defined contribution plans. Nonqualified deferred compensation plans including the use of stock options are also discussed.

Required text(s):

  • Retirement Planning & Employee Benefits for Financial Planners, 8th Ed.
    ISBN: 978-1-936602-05-6
    Author: Michael A. Dalton

Purchase materials online at the Merrimack College Bookstore

FP106 Estate Planning

This course provides students with a comprehensive overview of estate planning and the various techniques and strategies used in developing effective estate plans. The aspects of estate planning covered in this course include wills, probate, powers of appointment, property ownership, trusts, charitable gifting, planning for incapacity, estate planning for business owners, and techniques to minimize the impact of gift and estate taxation.

Required text(s):

  • Estate Planning for Financial Planners, 6th Ed.
    ISBN 978-1-936602-01-8
    Authors: Michael A. Dalton and Thomas P. Langdon

Purchase materials online at the Merrimack College Bookstore

FP107 Case Studies & Analysis

This required course is designed to help students integrate their knowledge of the six financial planning subject areas into case formats tested by CFP Board. This class differs from the traditional lecture class structure since students take an active role in analyzing cases and working them under time pressure. The cases are real-life and simulate those included in the CFP® Certification Examination, and students will learn how to approach these cases and select the best possible answer given the facts and circumstances of each case.

Required text(s):

  • Kaplan Case Book Vol. 7
    Authors: Kaplan Schweser
    Note: Cost of text is $125 if purchased individually from Kaplan Essential Review Set supporting FP108)

Purchase materials for this course at the Financial Planning office at O’Reilly Hall, room 209, by calling 978-837-5182, or via the online registration form.

FP107A Financial Plan Development (FPD)

 This course is required only for students starting in a CFP program in January 2012 or later.  Students who have taken CFP courses prior to that date are exempt from this requirement.  The FPD course applies the six-step financial planning process in the completion of a comprehensive personal financial plan to real life situations.  Cases will be used for planning purposes.  A written and oral presentation of the plan will conclude the course.

FP108 The Comprehensive Review Course

This Review Course is designed to review the 89 topics that comprise the body of knowledge required for the CFP® Certification Examination. This intensive review focuses on mastering key concepts and topics, solving problems and questions, learning study tips and exam taking tips, and reviewing CFP® Certification Examination questions, to give students the final training, preparation and confidence they need to pass this rigorous 2 day national exam. Self study of review materials for 150-200 hours is recommended prior to taking this course.

Required text(s):

  • Kaplan Essential Solution Review Set
    Set package includes: Vols. 1 - 6 Study Guides, Vol. 7 Case Book, Mock Exams, Q-bank, and access to other online tools.
    Cost: $400
  • Note: Kaplan Essential Solution Review Set is available without Kaplan Case book Vol. 7 for $350.

Purchase materials for this course at the Financial Planning office at O’Reilly Hall, room 209, by calling 978-837-5426, or via the online registration form.

Certification Registration Information

Merrimack College does not certify individuals to use the CFP®, Certified Financial Planner™, and the CFP® certification marks. CFP certification is granted only by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards INC. to those persons who, in addition to completing an educational requirement such as this CFP Board-Registered Program have met its examination, experience and ethics requirements.

The CFP Board requires candidates for CFP(r) certification to earn a bachelor’s degree before they can hold the CFP mark. Refer to the CFP Board’s website at www.CFP.net for more information.

If you have any questions, please contact Normand Langlois at profed-cfp@merrimack.edu or 978.837.5426.