Family Financial Planning
Learning, Leading, Making a Difference
“Financial planning is the process of wisely managing one’s finances to achieve certain goals and dreams, while at the same time helping negotiate the financial barriers that inevitably arise in every stage of life. The financial planning profession exists to help people make those financial decisions and achieve their life goals”
(Financial Planning Association, www.fpanet.org).
The Family Financial Planning program at the University of Georgia prepares students to become client-focused, professional financial planners. The underlying mission of the program is to train professionals that will help individuals create and manage wealth in order to achieve greater personal and family goals.
Graduates with a major in Family Financial Planning at UGA have met CFP Board of Standards’ education requirement and are eligible to sit for the CFP® Exam.
The Family Financial Planning major will challenge your abilities and foster your growth toward becoming a professional financial planner, while preparing you for a rewarding career helping others reach their life goals.
The current requirements for the Family Financial Planning major can be found in the University of Georiga Bulletin at: http://bulletin.uga.edu/bulletin/prg/FamilyFinPlan_bsfcs.html
If you are unsure of any information, please contact your academic advisor.
CFP® Review Course
CFP® Review Course will be offered for the July, 2008 exam. Contact Dr. Lance Plamer at 706.542.4916 or lpalmer@fcs.uga.edu for more information.
Financial Planning is an evolving and dynamic profession. Financial Planners of today must have expertise in a broad range of subject areas and must also be capable to apply this knowledge in servicing clients with different goals, values, and backgrounds. True financial planning always puts the clients’ interests first while at the same time helping them to meet their goals in life.
As an undergraduate majoring in Family Financial Planning, you will be exposed to the breadth and depth of subject areas relevant to the profession of financial planning. Your coursework will be challenging yet rewarding as you learn about the issues relevant to individuals of today. The curriculum is extensive and progressive, including topics such as: financial counseling, financial decision making, values-based planning, planner-client rapport building, risk management, asset allocation, tax planning, retirement planning, employee benefits, estate planning, and practice management. Through this curriculum students are not only qualified to sit for the CFP® Certification Examination, which is integral to the development of their professionalism, but they will also gain a strong foundation from which to build a client-centered financial planning career.
A required internship allows students to apply their studies and to also experience the profession of financial planning in a real-world setting. The growth of the financial planning industry in the past few years has lead to many opportunities for those entering the profession today. In fact, the career of financial planning has consistently ranked in the top 5 professions in popular publications such as Money Magazine and the Jobs Rated Almanac.
The Family Financial Planning program’s advisory board is made up of leaders in the financial planning industry. Our advisory board provides guidance, feedback, and real-world perspective to the student’s and faculty in the program. We are grateful for their service to the program.
- J. Phil Buchanan
Cannon Financial Institute
- Mark Cross
Wachovia Securities
- Daniel M. Dubay, CFP®
PPA Advisory Services, Inc.
- Gregory Garcia
Garcia, Rose & Wiltshire, LLC
- Nelson Holland, CFP®
Holland Financial
- Graham H. Martin
UBS Financial Services
- Amanda Robinson
SFPA Past President
- Peggy Smith
Member
Retirement Plan Administrators LLC
- Greg Joyner
SunTrust Bank
Supporting Family Financial Planning
External support is necessary in order to provide the resources and opportunities that enhance our students’ educational experience and prepare our graduates for successful careers in financial planning. The Family Financial Planning program is grateful for the support it has received from individuals and organizations. We would like to thank those who have contributed time and resources to the program. If you would like to contribute to the Family Financial Planning program please contact Katrina Bowers.
Financial and In-kind Supporters
Morningstar, Inc.
The Triveritas Group
Georgia Federal Credit Union (formerly University Employees’ Federal Credit Union)
Guest Lecturers
Lindsay Elwood, Amicus Financial Advisors
Margo Geller
Nelson Holland CFP®, Holland Financial
Lane Jerdal, The TriVeritas Group
Jared Milbury, The TriVeritas Group
Peggy Smith, Retirement Plan Administrators LLC
Steven Vaughn, GEB Corp
Family Financial Planning
Faculty
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Swarn Chatterjee, Ph.D.
Dr. Chatterjee is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Housing and Consumer Economics. He teaches the Family Financial Planning core courses and introductory Consumer Economics course at the Griffin Campus. His research interests are in the areas of behavioral finance, household finance, housing and real estate. He has a BS in Engineering, MBA in Finance and Ph.D. in Consumer Economics and Financial Planning. He is a member of the Financial Planning Association, Academy of Financial Services, American Council on Consumer Interests, American Finance Association and Financial Management Association. |
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Gregory A. Garcia, CPA
Greg Garcia is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Housing and Consumer Economics. He teaches Family Estate Planning in the fall and maintains a busy law practice. His firm’s practice is limited to the areas of tax planning & returns, business planning & transactions and estate planning & probate. He has an accounting degree from the University of Florida (1977), a law degree from the University of Georgia (1980), and a Masters of Laws in Taxation from Emory Law School (1989). He is a certified public accountant as well as an attorney and has been in private practice in Athens, Georgia since 1982. He enjoys traveling with his wife, Kay, and their two college-age children. He's also a motorcycle enthusiast and rides every chance he gets. |
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Joseph W. Goetz, Ph.D., AFC®
Dr. Goetz is an assistant professor in the Family Financial Planning program. He teaches the introductory and case studies/capstone courses in financial planning as well as a course in financial counseling. He received his bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. His educational background also includes two master's degrees from Texas Tech University in the areas of Personal Financial Planning and Psychology, as well as a Ph.D. in Consumer Economics and Financial Planning. He holds the Accredited Financial Counselor® designation and is a member of the Financial Planning Association, Academy of Financial Services, American Council on Consumer Interests, Association for Financial Counseling and Planning. |
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Lance Palmer, Ph.D., CPA(UT)
Dr. Palmer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Housing and Consumer Economics. He teaches Family Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits, Family Tax Planning, Survey of Family Financial Planning, the computer lab for Survey of Family Financial Planning, and other courses in the Family Financial Planning program and HACE department. His research interests include bankruptcy/foreclosure, retirement planning, and financial practices. He has a BS in Accounting, MBA, and Ph.D. in Consumer Sciences. Dr. Palmer enjoys spending time with his wife, LeAnn, and their four daughters. He also enjoys yard work and playing racquetball. |
Peer Financial Counseling
Financial Management for College Students
Did you know that about 70% of undergraduates at four-year colleges have at least one credit card? A credit card can be a useful tool to manage your finances. But research by Robert Manning indicates that there can be serious social consequences of student credit card debt, including diminished academic performance, loss of scholarships and other financial aide, emotional distress, depression, and suicide. The financial consequences of credit card abuse include difficulty getting loans, finding a job, and buying insurance.
In the Peer Financial Counseling Program, college students teach other college students about:
Making It On a College Budget
Credit/Debt
Student Loans
Savings and Investment
To learn more about the program on UGA's campus, contact the Office of Student Financial Aid at 542-6147, send an email to pfc@uga.edu, or contact UGA's Peer Financial Counseling Web site. You can also review more materials at UGA's PFC web site .
You can take college courses on Family Financial Management in the Department of Housing and Consumer Economics. Visit our Web site at www.fcs.uga.edu/hace/undergraduate (click on Family Financial Management) or call 706-542-4857.
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Student Financial Planning Association
The Student Financial Planning Association (SFPA) welcomes all students who share an interest in financial planning. Not only do SFPA’s members gain valuable leadership experience and knowledge about the profession by participating in this association, they are also given numerous opportunities to network with financial planners of various backgrounds, often times resulting in employment positions after graduation. In addition, SFPA members strive to make a difference both in their peers’ lives as well as in the community by volunteering their time and/or financial planning expertise to various projects throughout the year.
Visit the SPPA website http://fcs.uga.edu/sfpa/ for organization information, job announcements, and student resumes.
Upcoming Events
Regional Conference, February 26, 2009 at Cobb Galleria 7:00 am – 4:00 pm
FPA of Georgia is the meeting place for CFP® practitioners in the state of Georgia. FPA of Georgia meets regularly and welcomes student participants at their conferences. Students interested in financial planning careers in the Atlanta area should plan to attend these regular meetings. Discounted registration prices are available to student members.
Anaheim, CA October 10 – 13, 2009
FPA National is the meeting place for CFP® practitioners from throughout the country and around the world. This is a great opportunity for students to meet with some of the nation's top planners and advisors and also develop relationships that could lead to internships and jobs. Students have the opportunity to network with planners at all stages of their careers. Students also receive a significant registration discount, making the conference an even bigger value.
Austin, TX September 12 – 16, 2009
Many, if not all, government employees have the opportunity to contribute to defined contribution plans in preparation for retirement. The NAGDCA conference brings together the government agencies and administrators of the plans with the private sector plan custodians. This conference is a great way to meet professionals in both the public and private worlds of government defined contribution plans. Students attending the conference will also have a terrific opportunity to be paired with a professional mentor during the conference.
National Harbor, MD June 3 – 6, 2009
Interested in fee-only comprehensive planning, then the Southern Region NAPFA conference is a must attend. This conference brings together the top fee-only financial planners in the region. An added benefit is that NAPFA provides a competitive scholarship to undergraduate and graduate students. Talk with Dr. Palmer to learn more about the scholarship.
San Diego, CA September 13 – 16, 2009
The Schwab Impact Conference caters to RIA and students. Schwab has been very generous to students attending this conference in providing excellent networking and mentoring opportunities for students ready to take advantage of them. The conference is designed for RIA who utilize Schwab’s RIA platform and business services and the conference provides financial planners with leading information, techniques, and tools used in the industry.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the marks CFP®, Certified Financial Planner™, and CFP (with flame design) ® in the US, which it awards to individuals who successfully complete initial and ongoing certification requirements.
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Majors and Emphases: Family Financial Planning
