Financial Planning Course Descriptions

Course descriptions are listed numerically. Prerequisites, if any, are indicated in italics above the course descriptions. These prerequisites have been established to assure an adequate and uniform background for students in advanced classes. Franklin University reserves the right to alter course offerings or course content without notice. Not all courses are offered every trimester.

FPLN 300
Principles of Financial Planning (4 cr. hrs.)

Prerequisite(s): None. Not open to students with credit for FINA 430. 
An introduction to personal financial planning. Topics include the financial planning process, money management and investments, insurance needs, income tax planning, retirement planning and estate planning. Cases are used to illustrate important planning concepts, techniques and issues.

FPLN 405
Investments (4 cr. hrs.)

Prerequisite(s): Principles of Finance (FINA 301), Statistics I (MATH 230) or Statistical Concepts (MATH 215), Introduction to Spreadsheets (COMP 106), and Managerial Accounting (ACCT 225). Not open to students with credit for FINA 405.
An examination of investment markets, transactions, planning and information. Topics include investment risk and return measures, debt and equity instruments, evaluation techniques, hybrid and derivative securities, mutual funds, real estate investments, tax planning and the investment process, and portfolio management.

FPLN 410
Financial Planning Internship (1-4 cr. hrs.)

Prerequisite(s): None.
This course provides qualified students with an opportunity to receive academic credit for supervised professional training and experience in an actual work environment. This Internship is an ongoing seminar between the student, the faculty member and the employment supervisor. It involves an Internship Application and Learning Agreement, periodic meetings with the faculty representative, professional experience at a level equivalent to other senior-level courses and submission of material as established in the Internship Application and Learning Agreement. Participation cannot be guaranteed for all applicants.

FPLN 430
Income Tax Planning (4 cr. hrs.)

Prerequisite(s): Principles of Financial Planning (FPLN 300) or Personal Financial Planning (FINA 430). Not open to students with credit for FINA 355.
An introduction to federal income taxation and the role of the tax code in financial planning for individuals, businesses, and business owners. Topics include the tax environment, fundamentals of income tax planning, the measurement of taxable income, the taxation of business income, individual income taxation, and the tax compliance process.

FPLN 440
Insurance Planning (4 cr. hrs.)

Prerequisite(s): Principles of Financial Planning (FPLN 300) or Personal Financial Planning (FINA 430). Not open to students with credit for FINA 432.
An introduction to the techniques and issues of risk management and insurance for businesses and individuals. Topics include legal principles in risk and insurance, insurance contracts, personal property and liability risk, life and health risks, social insurance, insurance companies and product markets, insurance pricing, insurance taxation, government regulation of insurance, and professional ethics and market conduct.

FPLN 450
Retirement Planning (4 cr. hrs.)

Prerequisite(s): Principles of Financial Planning (FPLN 300) or Personal Financial Planning (FINA 430). Not open to students with credit for FINA 434.
An introduction to retirement planning concepts, procedures, and issues for individuals, businesses, and business owners. Topics include understanding and evaluating client retirement objectives, qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, tailoring retirement plans to client needs, funding retirement plans and investing plan assets, retirement planning for individual clients, post-retirement monetary needs, tax considerations in retirement planning, and retirement plan distributions.

FPLN 460
Estate Planning (4 cr. hrs.)

Prerequisite(s): Principles of Financial Planning (FPLN 300) or Personal Financial Planning (FINA 430), Investments (FINA/FPLN 405), Income Tax Planning (FPLN 430) or Income Taxation for Financial Planning (FINA 355), Insurance Planning (FPLN 440) or Insurance and Financial Planning (FINA 432), and Retirement Planning (FPLN 450 or FINA 434). Not open to students with credit for FINA 436.
An introduction to the principles and techniques in estate planning. Topics include the use of living and testamentary trusts, joint ownership of property, life insurance, charitable dispositions, inter vivos gifts, and the marital deduction to efficiently conserve and transfer wealth, consistent with the client’s goals.

FPLN 495
Financial Planning Seminar (4 cr. hrs.)

Prerequisite(s): Principles of Financial Planning (FPLN 300) or Personal Financial Planning (FINA 430), Investments (FINA/FPLN 405), Income Tax Planning (FPLN 430) or Income Taxation for Financial Planning (FINA 355), Insurance Planning (FPLN 440) or Insurance and Financial Planning (FINA 432), and Retirement Planning (FPLN 450 or FINA 434). Not open to students with credit for FINA 490.
This course is designed to provide a capstone experience, challenging students to apply financial planning techniques, procedures and practices to actual problems and cases.

FPLN 499
Independent Studies in Financial Planning (1-4 cr. hrs.)

Prerequisite(s): Minimum of 2.00 cumulative GPA, at least 16 hours completed at Franklin, related coursework completed with a minimum grade of “B”, and permission of the Program Chair.
Independent studies courses allow students in good academic standing to pursue learning in areas not covered by the regular curriculum or to extend study in areas presently taught. Study is under faculty supervision and graded on either a Pass/No Credit or a letter grade basis (See the “Independent Studies” section of the Academic Bulletin for more details).