Richard Stebbins, PhD, JD, CFP(R)
Professional Organizations
- Academy of Financial Services
- American Council on Consumer Interests
- Financial Planning Association
- Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education
Courses Taught
CSM 300 Time Value of Money
The focus of this course is to develop a better understanding of the Time Value of Money concept and the types of financial calculations that will be required in courses such as Introduction to Investment Planning, Asset Management, Retirement Planning and the Capstone Course in Financial Planning.
CSM 404/504 Personal Investment Planning and Management
The focus of this course will be on personal investing in marketable securities. We cover the basics of investing, including detailed definitions of investment terms, descriptive materials on how securities are purchased and sold, theoretical models of security valuation and practical examples of how to calculate growth rates. In this course, we will learn and apply investment principles to household goals, taking into account time horizons, risk tolerance, and tax implications. We will learn to create and manage a diversified investment portfolio by using different types of asset classes, asset allocation, and security selection to meet our client’s goals. The big takeaway: a diversified portfolio will allow you to meet specified goals with the minimum amount of risk necessary to achieve the required rate of return. However, the rate of return is never guaranteed.
This course is part of the required curriculum to sit for the CFP(R) Exam and comprises 17% of the exam. For more information about CFP(R) and obtaining your CFP® designation, please visit www.cfp.net.
CSM 410/510 Personal Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits
Retirement planning will provide an overview of the most common retirement plans available, both qualified and nonqualified. Social Security benefits will also be taken into account as we learn strategies for calculating and meeting retirement needs. The big takeaway: Start planning and saving for retirement as soon as you can. Nobody wants to eat cat food in retirement. This class will teach you how to avoid that by maximizing the return on your retirement dollars and taking advantage of employee benefits before you retire.
This course is part of the required curriculum to sit for the CFP(R) Exam and comprises 18% of the exam. For more information about CFP(R) and obtaining your CFP® designation, please visit www.cfp.net.
CSM 420/520 Personal Estate Planning
Estate Planning focuses on the efficient conservation and transfer of wealth, consistent with the client’s goals. It is a study of the legal, tax, financial and non-financial aspects of this process, covering topics such as trusts, wills, probate, advanced directives, charitable giving, wealth transfers, and related taxes. Estate Planning explores the taxation of gifts, estates, and generation-skipping transfers. The course includes the calculation of the gift tax, estate tax, and generation-skipping transfer tax in consideration of applicable exclusions and deductions. Students are exposed to estate planning techniques such as lifetime transfers and gifting, charitable gifting, the utilization of trusts and partnerships, and postmortem planning. The course emphasizes solving a client’s estate planning problems by providing students with the tools to develop practical strategies that focus on a client’s goals and objectives and apply current tax law in order to develop an effective estate plan.
This course is part of the required curriculum to sit for the CFP(R) Exam and comprises 10% of the exam. For more information about CFP(R) and obtaining your CFP® designation, please visit www.cfp.net.
CSM 459/559 Financial Counseling
This course explores the indicators, causes, and impact of financial stress and problems on individual’s and family’s well-being. The course emphasizes the fundamentals of counseling, communication, and ethics for those working in professional settings to help individuals from different backgrounds achieve personal financial goals as well as the workplace in general. Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
This course is part of the core curriculum for the University of Alabama’s AFCPE Registered Education Program with the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE®). For more information about AFCPE and obtaining your Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC®) designation through the AFCPE Registered Education Program pathway, please visit www.afcpe.org.
Course Syllabi