Professional Designation Programs

The Financial Paraplanner Qualified Professional^SM or FPQP^® designation program provides an introduction to personal financial planning. The program covers the financial planning process's six main facets to help you gain basic, practical knowledge. You'll be introduced to product categories, essential terminology, and general concepts.

Course topics:

• The Financial Planning Process
• Business Ownership, Cash Management, and the Use of Debt
• The Time Value of Money
• Insurance Basics and Property Insurance
• Life and Health Insurance
• Investment Basics and Strategies
• Retirement Planning
• Tax Implications of Financial Decisions
• Estate Planning Basics
• Case Study and Master Index

The Accredited Asset Management Specialist^SM or AAMS^® designation program provides a strong fundamental financial knowledge with added focus on asset management. You’ll explore the asset management process through a logical progression of topics, enabling you to think in terms of clients’ total financial situations—not just their investments.

Course topics:

• The Asset Management Process
• Risk, Return, and Investment Performance
• Asset Allocation and Security Selection
• Investment Strategies
• Taxation of Investments
• Investing for Retirement
• Deferred Compensation and Other Benefit Plans
• Insurance Products for Investment Clients
• Estate Planning for Investment Clients
• Fiduciary, Ethical, and Regulatory Issues for Advisors

The Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor^SM or CRPC^® designation program focuses on providing comprehensive retirement advice to individual clients. You’ll be able to define a roadmap to retirement, focused on clients' pre- and postretirement needs, as well as issues related to asset management and estate planning.

Course topics:

• Maximizing the Client Experience During the Retirement Planning Process
• Principles and Strategies When Investing for Retirement
• Understanding Social Security, Military, and Government Retirement Benefits
• Bridging the Income Gap: Identifying Other Sources of Retirement Income
• Navigating Health Care Options in Retirement
• Making the Emotional and Financial Transition to Retirement
• Designing Optimal Retirement Income Stream
• Achieving Income Tax and Estate Planning Objectives in Retirement
• Fiduciary, Ethical, and Regulatory Issues for Advisers

The Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor^SM or APMA^® designation program covers the finer points of financial portfolio creation, augmentation, and maintenance. You’ll gain hands-on practice analyzing investment policy statements, building portfolios, and making asset allocation decisions.

Course topics:

• Investment Risk and Return Analysis
• Modern Portfolio Theory and Performance Evaluation of Equities
• Debt and Fixed-Income Features
• Debt and Fixed-Income Valuation and Analysis
• Mutual Funds and Other Pooled Investments
• Investing in Real Assets
• Derivatives and Structured Products
• Taxation of Investments and the Regulatory Environment
• Ethical Considerations, Investment Strategies, and Retirement Needs Analysis
• Behavioral Finance, Client Suitability, and Constructing Portfolios

The Accredited Wealth Management Advisor^SM or AWMA^® designation program focuses on addressing the unique financial planning needs of high-net-worth clients. The program’s one-of-a-kind curriculum enables you to help clients capitalize on opportunities to preserve, grow, and transfer their wealth.

Course topics:

• Getting to Know Your High-Net-Worth Client
• Investment Risk, Return, and Performance
• Advanced Investment Products and Strategies
• Considerations for Business Owners
• Income Tax Strategies for High-Net-Worth Clients
• Executive Benefits Planning for High-Net-Worth Clients
• Estate Planning for High-Net-Worth Clients
• Fiduciary and Regulatory Issues for Financial Services Professionals