The American College of Financial Services has redesigned its coursework for the Chartered Financial Consultant designation to reflect the growing complexity of today’s families, the Bryn Mawr, Pa.-based nonprofit educational institution announced Monday.
New courses will address the financial issues of divorce; blended families; special needs children; the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community; retirement income planning, and behavioral finance.
“Families and financial situations are more diverse and complex than ever, and there is clearly no one formula for financial advisors to follow when providing guidance,” says Craig Lemoine, Chartered Financial Consultant program director at The American College, which provides academic accreditation for the financial services industry. “The new ChFC designation offers applied knowledge to address real world family and business planning issues, from helping a small business owner plan for the future to providing strategic financial advice to an LGBT couple.”
The ChFC requires nine college-level courses. Seven of the courses focus on fundamental financial planning curriculum, and two new required courses concentrate on practical planning applications to help advisors transition from simply creating a financial plan to actually executing it against the complexities of the real world, The American College says.