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Family Financial Planning

Graduate Certificate Summary

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Students in the Family Financial Planning program cover a wide area of topics from the fundamentals for family financial planning to estate and retirement planning.

Family Financial Planning

Great Plains IDEA Campus Coordinator
Lisa King
135 Mabel Lee Hall
Lincoln NE 68588-0236
Phone: 402-472-7787
Fax: 402-472-9170
Lking2@unl.edu

On the Web
Child, Youth and Family Studies
Great Plains IDEA

Description

What it is

The Family Financial Planning Certificate prepares students for further graduate work or for work in human services, cooperative extension, the private sector or the public sector and focuses on the subject matter required for the Certified Financial Planner® Certification Examination. This program focuses on the efforts of households to improve their economic well-being through effective use of resources, and on the economic and social systems that enhance or constrain these efforts. It could lead to professional certification by the CFP® Board of Standards.

Who it's for

Job opportunities for individuals with CFP® certification include:
  • Real estate
  • Tax and estate planning
  • Financial advising
  • Retirement planning
  • Income management
  • Employee benefits and compensations

Delivery

All courses are completed online through Great Plains IDEA, a consortium of 11 universities. Students admitted to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Family Financial Planning certificate program will take courses delivered via distance technologies by Nebraska and the other participating institutions.


How to apply

If you are already admitted to a degree program, please see your advisor to set up a plan of study for the certificate program.

Otherwise, you will first need to be admitted as a non-degree student.

Required by Office of Graduate Studies
  • Application for Graduate Admission as a non-degree student
  • $45 non-refundable application processing fee
  • One set of official transcripts showing conferral of a bachelor's or higher degree
Required by Child, Youth and Family Studies
Submit the following materials to:
Department of Graduate Support Services
College of Education and Human Sciences
135 Mabel Lee Hall
University of Nebraska
Lincoln NE 68588-0236

Application Deadline
Fall: June 1       Spring: October 1       Summer: January 15



Courses

Sample Timeline

Fall Semester Start
Fall - CYAF 824, CYAF 833
Spring - CYAF 821, CYAF 823
Summer - CYAF 828
Fall - CYAF 840
 Spring Semester Start
Spring - CYAF 821, CYAF 823
Summer - CYAF 840
Fall - CYAF 824, CYAF 833, CYAF 840
 Summer Semester Start
Summer - CYAF 828
Fall - CYAF 824, CYAF 833
Spring - CYAF 821, CYAF 823
Fall - CYAF 840

The graduate certificate program consists of 18 semester credit hours.

Unless stated otherwise, all courses are three credit hours and require admission to the Child, Youth and Family Studies graduate program or permission.


CYAF 821 - Insurance Planning for Families
Distance delivered by University of Nebraska.
Prerequisite: Admission to Child, Youth and Family Studies or permission
Risk management concepts, ethical considerations, tools, and strategies for individuals and families. Life insurance; property and casualty insurance; liability insurance; accident, disability, health, and long-term care insurance; and, government-subsidized programs. Case studies provide experience in selecting appropriate insurance products.

CYAF 823 - Estate Planning for Families
Distance delivered by Montana State University.
Prerequisite: Admission to Child, Youth and Family Studies or permission
Fundamentals of the estate planning process, including estate settlement, estate and gift taxes, property ownership and transfer, and powers of appointment. Tools and techniques used in implementing an effective estate plan, ethical considerations, and new and emerging issues in the field. Case studies provide experience.

CYAF 824 - Fundamentals of Financial Planning
Distance delivered by Kansas State University.
Prerequisite: Admission to Child, Youth and Family Studies or permission
Issues and concepts related to the overall financial planning process and establishing client-planner relationships. Services provided, documentation required, and client-CFP licensee relationships. Competencies related to gathering of client data, determining goals and expectations, and assessing the client’s financial status. Emerging issues and the role of ethics.

CYAF 828 - Retirement Planning, Employee Benefits and the Family
Distance delivered by University of Nebraska.
Prerequisite: Admission to Child, Youth and Family Studies or permission
Micro and macro considerations in retirement planning for individuals and families. Various types of retirement plans, ethical consideration in providing retirement planning services, assessing and forecasting financial needs, integration of retirement plans with government benefits, and current research and theory. Case studies provide experience.

CYAF 840 - Personal Income Taxation
Distance delivered by Montana State University.
Prerequisite: Admission to Child, Youth and Family Studies or permission
Income tax practices and procedures including tax regulations, tax return preparation, tax audits, appeals, preparation for an administrative or judicial forum, and ethical considerations. Family/individual case studies provide practice in applying and analyzing information.

CYAF 883 - Investing for the Family's Future
Distance delivered by Iowa State University
Prerequisite: Admission to Child, Youth and Family Studies or permission
An in-depth study of investment options for families, this course will include common stocks, fixed income securities, convertible securities, and related choices. Relationship between investment options and employee/employer benefit plan choices will be studied. Current and emerging issues and ethics will be an integral part of the course.