Online Course
Capstone Course
Developing Financial Plans
Overview
The Capstone course prepares financial planning students to effectively and appropriately develop, communicate, and monitor financial plans.
Students recall, integrate, and apply knowledge and skills from the eight core domains of financial planning to create a plan for a specific client, including recommendations, an implementation strategy, and a monitoring plan. Students also practice communicating recommendations, meeting professional standards, and acting in accordance with professional ethics.
The course draws on skills developed in other courses and professional experience through completion of a comprehensive personal-finance case.
During the course, students are expected to:
- Review the key points of financial planning.
- Complete case-analysis and development activities that integrate core financial-planning concepts.
- Write an original targeted financial plan.
- Simulate presentation of a specific section of the plan to a client.
- Evaluate the plan and make changes as necessary.
Traditional Schedule
April & October
Fast Track
Self-Paced
Prerequisites
Capstone Eligibility
To be eligible to take the Capstone course, students must meet one of the following criteria:
Successfully complete the six courses that satisfy the CFP® Board topic requirements.
Be exempt from completing the coursework.
Take the CFP® Board Examination under challenge status.
Academic Preparation
There are no special degree requirements to participate in the FSU Certificate in Financial Planning program, although instruction is presented at the level of an upper-division college course.
A bachelor’s degree is a condition of CFP® certification, but it is not required in order to sit for the Certification Examination.
Computer Skills
Students should have basic computer literacy, including the ability to:
- Connect to the internet and navigate the web.
- Use email and online discussion tools.
- Send and receive email attachments.
- Save, open, and manage files using common software.
Online Fast Track Program
Year-Round: January–December
The Fast Track program offers a condensed approach for professionals seeking to complete the CFP® educational requirement more quickly while maintaining the depth of the traditional curriculum.
Course Materials
Cases in Financial Planning
Cases in Financial Planning: Analysis and Presentation — 4th Edition
Authors: Michael A. Dalton, James F. Dalton, Katheleen F. Oakley
ISBN-13: 978-1-946711-68-7
Publisher: Money Education
FSU students receive a 20% publisher discount. The discount code is emailed with the Registration Confirmation after registration. Students needing the code before registration should contact the Program Director.
Writing a Financial Plan
The Fundamentals of Writing a Financial Plan — 2nd Edition
Authors: John Grable, Michelle Kruger, Megan Ford
ISBN: 978-1-954096-57-8
Publisher: The National Underwriter Company
The live FSU course page lists both a digital PDF option and print/e-book purchasing options through the publisher.
Financial Calculator
The following models are among those listed by FSU as complying with CFP® Board calculator policy:
- Hewlett Packard 12C
- Hewlett Packard 17BII Plus
- Hewlett Packard 10B II / Hewlett Packard 10B II PLUS
Instructor
Donna Jordan, AIF®, CLU®, RHU®
Financial Planner Practitioner and Investment Advisor
Donna Jordan holds a Master’s degree and professional designations including Accredited Investment Fiduciary®, Chartered Life Underwriter®, and Registered Health Underwriter®. She has more than 30 years of experience across banking, mortgage banking, insurance, investments, and employee benefits.
She is also a state-designated continuing-education instructor for life and health insurance professionals in Florida and has taught consumer education courses in financial planning. At FSU, she has taught Introduction to Financial Planning and Retirement Planning and has served as a guest lecturer for the Life and Health portions of Insurance Planning.
She has also served on the textbook selection committee for the CFP® Board of Standards.
Ready to Get Started?
Let us guide you toward your financial planning education and career goals.