Family Financial Planning program set to begin in Fall 2007

Fall 2007 will mark the inaugural of the Family Financial Planning (FFP) certificate program in the College of Agricultural Family and Consumer Sciences. The Family Financial Planning Program consists of six classes designed to prepare candidates to meet the Certified Financial Planners (CFP) Board’s educational requirements and to pass the CFP certification examination.

The classes are completely online and open to current students and post-baccalaureate students. The six courses include Fundamentals of Family Financial Planning, Insurance Planning for Families, Retirement Planning for Families, Investment Planning for Families, Income Tax Planning for Families, and Estate Planning for Families.

Family financial planning should be in great demand in coming years as economic conditions change. Research has shown that the number of minority CFP professionals does not reflect the racial composition of the U.S. population. There is only one CFP Board registered program at an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), according to the CFP Board of Standards, Inc.

The Family Financial Planning program is the first to be offered by the 1890 Family and Consumer Sciences Distance Instructional Alliance (1890 FCS-DIA). The Alliance was created by Family and Consumer Sciences administrators at eight 1890 Land-Grant institutions. The Alliance is making history because it represents the first online collaboration of its kind for HBCUs. Member institutions are Alabama A&M University, Fort Valley State University, North Carolina A&T State University, South Carolina State University, Southern University and A&M College, Tennessee State University, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore.

For more information on the Family Financial Planning Online Certificate program or the 1890 FCS-DIA, contact Dr. Doze Y. Butler or Johnita Scott in the Division of Family and Consumer Sciences at (225)771-4660.