Certificate Program in Personal Financial Planning
Market research indicates that the financial planning field is one of the fastest growing and rewarding professions this decade. Financial planners help people define and meet their life goals through smart management of financial resources. The Certificate Program in Personal Financial Planning meets Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. educational requirements to qualify for the CFP® Certification Examination. The program educates and trains individuals to analyze and provide advice on all areas of financial planning including investment management, income taxation, insurance/risk management, employee benefits, retirement and estate planning.
This CFP® Board-Registered Program is designed to cover the body of knowledge needed to prepare for the CFP® Certification Examination.
Program Prerequisites
To qualify for admission to the program, we recommend that you have:
- A minimum of a bachelor's degree or upper division college-level courses in economics, financial accounting, financial management, business law and business ownership;
- A functional knowledge of mathematics techniques for financial decision making and the basic concepts of economics; and
- At least one year of professional experience in a financial services industry or consent of director.
Suggested Prerequisite course: Business and Financial Mathematics. Equivalent knowledge may be substituted.
A bachelor's degree, in any discipline, is required to attain the CFP® certification. For detailed information, go to www.cfp.net.
Program Objectives
- Meet the educational requirements of Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.
- Prepare you for practicing within the profession of financial planning
- Provide practical as well as academic experience
Students should apply for candidacy after completing Fundamentals of Personal Financial Planning with a grade of "C" or better. A nonrefundable $45 application fee is required.
Program Director
Jeffrey Lambert, CFP®, is the principal of Lighthouse Financial Planning and has more than 20 years of investment and financial industry experience. He has been the program director since the inception of the program in 1996. His background includes financial planning, portfolio management, education, securities wholesaling, real estate investment, venture capital and consulting to financial services companies. He has won many awards, including Sacramento Certified Financial Planner of the Year, and has been featured in Mutual Fund magazine as one of the "100 great financial planners" in the United States.
Who should enroll
The Certificate Program in Personal Financial Planning is designed for professionals already in the financial services industry such as bankers, accountants, stockbrokers and attorneys who want to enhance their skills and build on their experience in the field. The program is also appropriate for people interested in beginning a new career as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner or those who like to augment their knowledge of financial planning. Professionals needing updated information, skills, and continuing education units are invited to take individual courses.
The public's growing need for objective financial planning advice, combined with the rigorous standards demanded of CFP® certificants, has placed the CFP® certification at the forefront of the financial planning profession.
UC Davis Extension does not certify individuals to use the CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and 
® 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 ethics, experience and examination requirements.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and ®, which it awards to individuals who successfully complete initial and ongoing certification requirements.
Certificate Requirements
Courses may be taken individually or as part of a certificate program. Participants will be awarded a certificate in Personal Financial Planning upon the successful completion of 23.5 required units. Tuition for the entire Personal Financial Planning Certificate Program is $4,715 to $5,065, depending on when you enroll. The certificate application fee ($45), textbooks and parking are not included in the tuition fee.
Suggested Prerequisite: Business and Financial Mathematics
| UNITS | F | W | SP | SU | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | Quantitative Tools for Personal Financial Planning | 2.5 | 
|
|
||
| Fundamentals of Personal Financial Planning | 3.5 |
|
|
|||
| Income Taxation in Personal Financial Planning | 3.5 |
|
||||
| Investments in Personal Financial Planning | 3.5 |
|
||||
| Risk Management in Personal Financial Planning | 3.5 |
|
||||
| Estate Planning | 3.5 |
|
||||
| Employee Benefits in Personal Financial Planning | 3.5 |
|
||||
|
Classroom format |
||||||
Required Courses
Quantitative Tools for Personal Financial Planning
2.5 quarter units academic credit, X420.21. .
Gain the mathematical foundation necessary for successful financial planning. Learn fundamental cash flow concepts and analyses and their functions in a variety of financial decision and investment situations. Examine commonly used performance indices such as present value, net present value, internal rate of return, discounted cash flow, return on investment and equity.
Discover the particulars of valuations
of bonds and preferred stock, annuitization, capital budgeting and
investor
behavior. Learn practical problem solving methods. An HP-12C
financial
calculator is required.
Prerequisites:
Business and Financial Mathematics, Or a financial background
This course is not currently scheduled.
Fundamentals of Personal Financial Planning
3.5 quarter units academic credit, X420.2. .
Explore the practice of financial planning as you examine the generic financial planning process model; central financial planning subject areas; the business of financial planning; regulatory, legal and ethical considerations; the macroeconomic environment; financial modeling techniques; and money psychology and counseling skills.
In a concluding case study exercise, learn what a planning engagement entails and how the various aspects of the discipline are integrated in practice.
Prerequisites:
Quantitative Tools for Personal Financial Planning, or a finanical background.
Sections of this course open for enrollment:
- Fundamentals of Personal Financial Planning starts June 17
Income Taxation in Personal Financial Planning
3.5 quarter units academic credit, X420.6. .
Learn to recognize the many opportunities for
successful income tax planning, as well as the occasional dilemmas that arise
in personal financial planning. Focus on the interrelation of the more common
income tax rules, regulations and planning techniques applicable to
individuals, tax shelters and corporations. Topics include income, deductions,
real estate and tax shelters; retirement plans; rates and credits; sales
and exchanges; corporations and planning vis-à-vis the individual shareholders;
and employees, partnerships and sub-chapter S corporations.
Prerequisites:
Fundamentals of Personal Financial Planning, Quantitative Tools for Personal Financial Planning, or consent of the instructor
Sections of this course open for enrollment:
- Income Taxation in Personal Financial Planning starts June 25
Investments in Personal Financial Planning
3.5 quarter units academic credit, X420.4. .
Examine various investment categories utilized by financial planning practitioners. Gain knowledge of security laws and regulations, time value of money, risk analysis, common stock valuation and expected rates of return. Learn about market indicators and monetary policy.
Acquire the ability to apply fundamental and technical
analysis, and discover what financial planners need to know about the
bond
market, yield curves, preferred stock, convertible bonds, options,
warrants,
futures, mortgages, mutual funds, portfolio construction and
management, and
capital market theory.
Prerequisites:
Fundamentals of Personal Financial Planning, Quantitative Tools for Personal Financial Planning.
This course is not currently scheduled.
Risk Management in Personal Financial Planning
3.5 quarter units academic credit, X420.7. 35 DOI Hours.
Gain
an understanding of risk management, primarily in the areas of life annuity,
health, casualty and liability insurance. Learn how to determine insurance
needs, evaluate various insurance plans and evaluate contract selection
criteria from a cost/benefit standpoint. Topics include alternative methods of
funding insurance premiums, the role of insurance in retirement and estate
planning, and the role of property and casualty insurance in the business
environment.
Prerequisites:
Fundamentals of Personal Financial Planning, Quantitative Tools for Personal Financial Planning.
This course is not currently scheduled.
Estate Planning
3.5 quarter units academic credit, X420.9. MCLE Hours, DOI Hours.
Learn
what all accountants, trust officers, attorneys, life insurance
underwriters
and financial planners need to know to solve estate planning problems.
Examine tax
objectives, business interests, the unlimited marital deduction and
saving the
"second tax." Acquire the knowledge to advise on holding title to
property, lifetime gifts and trusts, wills and living trusts, life
insurance
and annuities and post-death tax and legal problems. Review recent tax
law
changes.
Prerequisites:
Fundamentals of Personal Financial Planning, Income Taxation in Personal Financial Planning, Quantitative Tools for Personal Financial Planning.
This course is not currently scheduled.
Employee Benefits in Personal Financial Planning
3.5 quarter units academic credit, X420.8. 35 DOI Hours.
Gain an understanding of fiduciary responsibility requirements in connection with retirement plans, as well as how to evaluate taxation of benefits received and alternatives in choosing the appropriate plan. Learn to evaluate qualified plans including pension and profit sharing, 401(k), 403(b), Employee Stock Ownership Plans, individual retirement alternatives including traditional and Roth IRA, SEP and SIMPLE IRA programs as well as group medical plans, cafeteria, disability, stock options and non-qualified deferred compensation.
Topics
include options available to business clients; benefits
provided to employees; significant planning opportunities for tax
deferral and capital accumulation; and the advantages and
disadvantages of the various alternatives.
Prerequisites:
Fundamentals of Personal Financial Planning, Quantitative Tools for Personal Financial Planning.
This course is not currently scheduled.
Free info Sessions
Attend a Personal Financial Planning Certificate Program Information Session to learn more about this program.
For More Information
Download a Personal Financial Planning Certificate Program brochure for a list of current quarter courses and enrollment information. 
(242 KB)
Download a Personal Financial Planning Certificate Program fact sheet for an overview of the program. (240 KB)
testimonials
"The UC Davis Personal Financial Planning was an obvious choice for me. I was looking to change careers and going to school one night a week was manageable. I had considered online programs, but UC Davis offered more. Not only were the instructors experienced financial professionals, but so were many of my fellow students. The internship was an outstanding experience, too. Working with a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER allowed me to apply classroom concepts to real work situations."
Elaine Webb, EA
