Version 1 and 2: Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: explain the strategic value of excellent customer service; evaluate customer service systems; and apply proven customer service techniques. Version 3: Upon succesful completion of the course, students will be able to: explain the value of exceptional customer service; describe the organization, systems, and processes for customer service in a financial services organization;and describe the knowledge and skills that employees need to deliver exceptional customer service.

Upon successful completion of course, students will be able to: explain the importance of the compliance function in a life insurance company and distinguish between state and federal regulation of the life insurance industry; describe the impact of regulations such as the McCarran-Ferguson Act, Gramm-Leach-Bliley, and various anti-trust initiatives have on insurance regulation; distinguish among the roles of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of state government in regulating insurance; explain the basic economic concepts that underlie U.S. antitrust laws, the types of activities prohibited by federal antitrust laws, and the roles of the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission in enforcing antitrust laws; identify the types of annuity and life insurance products classified as securities and thus subject to federal securities regulation, as well as the registration requirements federal securities laws place on security products and their issuers; describe the requirements that FINRA imposes on registered members regarding suitability, advertising, compliance inspections, and dispute resolution; explain the federal tax treatment of individual life insurance policies, including policy dividends, policy loans, policy surrenders, and policy death benefits; describe the federal tax treatment of individual annuities, including annuity premiums and surrenders; and an immediate annuity, a deferred annuity, a variable annuity, and a fixed annuity; describe the regulatory requirements imposed on an insurer’s reserves, investments, capital, and surplus, and explain how enterprise risk management (ERM) helps insurers assess and control risks; and describe the tools available to state insurance departments to monitor the solvency of insurers and actions state insurance departments may take when an insurer becomes financially impaired.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: define economics and explain the primary sectors that make up local, national, and global economies, as well as the different types of financial institutions and the roles they play in the economy; describe the three types of insurance companies – stock, mutual, and fraternal benefit societies – and how their products can satisfy one or more of the four basic financial needs of customers; explain how changes in price levels due to inflation, deflation, or increasing / decreasing market interest rates can affect insurance or financial services institutions; explain the steps in the control process and describe the important control mechanisms insurance companies use to measure, evaluate, and improve their operational performance, including risk management, profitability, and solvency; understand key financial concepts such as simple and compound interest, minimum reserve requirements, minimum capital standards, required and risk-free rates of return, risk premium, the rule of 72, and future and present value calculations; describe the major components of a product's financial design, such as the cost of benefits, operating expenses, and investment earnings; describe how insurers can use benchmarking, total quality management (TQM), Six Sigma, lean management, and business process reengineering (BPR) to improve operating efficiency, and how they use outsourcing, enhanced information technology, and remote work accommodations to reduce operating expenses; explain how insurers use information technology to manage information and improve business processes and relationships with customers; describe the three primary elements of a financial model and explain how insurers can use modeling to forecast future financial conditions; recognize essential information contained in the income statement and the balance sheet, as well as the purpose of cash flow and owners' equity statements and Annual Reports; and describe the ratio-based systems used by regulators and rating agencies to monitor and evaluate insurance company solvency and profitability.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: describe the basic features of the legal environment in which financial services companies operate; identify the three primary types of business organizations and describe how corporations are organized and managed; explain how businesses are regulated by antitrust laws, consumer protection laws, electronic commerce laws, and employment laws; describe the general rules of contract law, agency law, and property law; explain the legal rules that govern contracts for the sale of goods, negotiable instruments, credit and secured transactions, and bankruptcy; describe how financial services companies are regulated; identify and explain the legal issues that arise in the sale and ownership of financial services products; identify and explain the legal issues that arise in the sale and ownership of financial services products; explain how insurance contracts are performed and recognize situations in which insurers have the right to avoid paying a claim for insurance policy proceeds; and describe the regulatory requirements that govern group life insurance contracts and group retirement plans.

Upon successful completion of course, students will be able to: identify the types of insurance products supported by general account and separate account assets; describe the movement of funds in and out of general and separate accounts; define and describe different ways that investors can measure investment returns; explain how investors use volatility and standard deviation to estimate investment risks and returns; explain how interest-rate risk affects bond investments, interpret interest-rate sensitivity using bond duration, and explain how market interest-rate changes can result in margin compression or margin expansion for insurers; explain some of the investment objectives and the investment constraints of life insurance companies; describe insurer investment strategies related to asset-liability management (ALM); explain how investment professionals create a portfolio's strategic asset allocation (SAA); describe diversification and hedging and explain how institutional investors can use each strategy to manage specific risks in portfolios; explain how investment professionals use certain metrics to measure the level of risk that a portfolio has accepted and the portfolio's risk-adjusted returns; explain how capital adequacy requirements, asset and liability valuation standards, and accounting and financial reporting standards contribute to insurer solvency regulations; and describe the effects that the Investments of Insurers Model Acts, investment reserve requirements, and restrictions on general account holdings have on insurers' investments.

Version 3 and 4 : Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: describe the organization of insurance companies and the environments in which they operate and define the function of specific company operations such as marketing, actuarial, underwriting, and financial activities. Version 5 and 6: Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: describe how life insurance companies operate in today’s global environment, how they are organized and managed, and the roles specific functional and support units play in developing, distributing, issuing, and administering life insurance and annuity products; explain traditional ways that insurers organize operations and organizational concepts such as authority, responsibility, accountability, chain of command, delegation, centralized organizations, and decentralized organizations; describe types of customer-related confidential information and how insurance company employees should handle such information to comply with privacy and confidentiality requirements, as well as ethics and regulatory guidelines; understand the differences between legal functions and compliance functions, including how each is organized, resolves disputes, and conforms to market conduct protocols; describe how human resources (HR) organizations are typically organized and their primary responsibilities, notably planning and staffing, training, performance evaluation standards, and oversight of compensation and benefits programs; identify the main elements in information management, including databases, database management and data warehouses, and workflow management systems; discuss the changing role of technology, including big data, automation of administrative tasks and new methods of engaging customers; describe how business intelligence, business analytics, and expert systems are used in insurance companies; describe common risks life insurance companies face and the risk management techniques deployed, i.e., diversification, hedging, expense, and enterprise risk management; describe the different types of financial accounting, premium accounting, investment accounting, general accounting, and tax accounting, and distinguish among Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), statutory accounting practices, and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS); discuss the product development process, generating and screening ideas for new products, product implementation, and monitoring, evaluating, and using feedback to improve product offerings; identify the benefits to insurers of providing effective customer service, including typical customer service department organization, and the tools that automate and simplify customer service delivery; and explain why effective claim administration is critical to an insurer’s success in guiding claim practices, as well as the steps taken in evaluating a typical claim, and any “red flags” that indicate potentially fraudulent claims.

Upon successful completion of course, students will be able to: define marketing and the elements of the marketing mix and describe factors in the marketing environment that interact with and affect the marketing mix; describe the steps in a customer’s purchase decision process and explain how companies use customer relationship marketing to manage the customer relationship; identify how companies use internal databases, marketing intelligence, and marketing research to acquire marketing information; explain the marketing management process and how companies use market segmentation and target marketing; identify characteristics of financial services that are unique from consumer products and describe the concepts of product development and product pricing as they apply to financial services; describe the marketing communication process and the promotion tools of personal selling, advertising, and publicity; describe the characteristics of direct (company-controlled) distribution channel and an indirect distribution channel that uses intermediaries and explain factors a company considers when selecting a type of distribution channel; describe the personal selling process financial professionals use to identify, contact, and qualify prospects and explain how they generate proposals, make sales presentations, answer objections, and close sales; and describe the four types of fraudulent, misleading, or unethical sales activities that financial professionals are prohibited from engaging in and specific regulatory oversight, from entities such as FINRA, the SEC and NAIC, aimed at preventing these practices.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: identify how an insurance company operates in accordance with a mission statement, stakeholder demands, value chain strategies, and in response to a changing environment; describe the management cycle and the importance of control systems in maintaining a strategically aligned insurance company; describe approaches for leading and motivating employees that will create empowered and productive employees and a culture of operational excellence; describe business process, project management, and quality management techniques that will assist employees in monitoring, improving, and innovating operations; explain the decision process and how to use the right data, statistical analysis, and modeling to make decisions in conditions of uncertainty; and describe the innovative thinking process for creating incremental or breakthrough innovation in an environment of disruptive change.

Version 3 and 4: Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: identify basic principles of insurance; describe the process of becoming insured and the policy-owner's contractual rights; describe basic features of life insurance, health insurance, and annuity products. Version 5 and 6: Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: explain how life and health insurance help people manage risk; describe the features of individual and group life and annuity coverages, riders, policy provisions, and settlement options; identify and describe the major types of managed care coverages and compare plan features with features of traditional indemnity health plans; and distinguish among various types of retirement income and pension plans.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: describe the primary stakeholders, processes, activities and documents involved in the administration of retail and institutional retirement business; discuss the impact of regulation, quality control measures, risk management, and information technology on retirement administration; explain how companies organize resources for retirement administration activities; describe how annuities and IRAs are established and administered; explain the recordkeeping processes for participant accounts in retirement plans; describe the ongoing compliance requirements for retirement plans; and discuss the reporting and disclosure activities associated with annuities, IRAs, and retirement plans.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: describe the primary stakeholders in the retirement marketplace and the role each plays in providing retirement solutions; explain the marketing principles and the strategies companies use to segment markets, differentiate their brand or products to gain competitive advantages, and position themselves in the retirement market; describe the product development process and primary product development strategies; describe how provider companies design and install retirement plans in retail and institutional markets; explain the regulatory requirements for the design of qualified retirement plans; describe annuity product design and annuity new business processing; describe the business acquisition process in both institutional and retail markets, including the roles and actions of major participants in the distribution process; describe the personal selling process, its benefits, disadvantages, and unethical sales practices, compensation methods, contract negotiation, and contract implementation; identify the steps involved in measuring product/plan performance and evaluating customer satisfaction; and explain how successful customer experience management (CEM) programs help create, maintain, and manage long-term relationships with retail and institutional customers.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: educate customers about post-retirement risks and recommend specific solutions; describe the different sources of retirement income, such as Social Security retirement. benefits, tax-advantaged retirement plans, IRAs, investments, and nonqualified annuities; explain important decisions that individuals generally must make with regard to each source; explain the importance of Medicare insurance, Medigap policies, and Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI) policies in a retirement income plan; evaluate an individual’s or couple’s retirement readiness and recommend solutions to a potential retirement shortfall; explain how this evaluation can be performed with and without the use of retirement planning calculators; describe income-generating strategies used in the decumulation phase, such as the systematic withdrawal strategy, the bucket strategy, and the flooring strategy; explain the importance of asset allocation and periodic rebalancing during retirement; explain why a retiree would want stocks, bonds, and/or mutual funds in his or her retirement investment portfolio and describe the risks each poses; and discuss the requirements an individual retirement account and an individual retirement annuity must meet to qualify for favorable federal tax treatment, including contribution requirements and minimum distribution requirements.

Version 1 and 2: Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: explain the importance of annuities; describe the key provisions of an annuity contract; distinguish among fixed, equity-indexed, and variable annuities; apply investment principles to annuities; describe the different types of individual and group annuities; explain how annuities are taxed and regulated; and describe the marketing of annuities.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: describe the marketing implications of the different roles a customer plays (user, payer, and buyer); explain how to identify, measure, and create market values for customers; explain how personal characteristics of customers influence customer behavior; describe how perception and learning affect customer decision making; discuss the motivational process and identify the needs, emotions, and moods that motivate customers; define attitudes and explain how they influence customer behavior; identify the steps of the decision-making process for household and business customers; and  identify the challenges, rewards, and needs of intermediary customers.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: define customer relationship management (CRM); identify the key benefits and challenges associated with implementing CRM; identify the steps that financial organizations take to prepare for CRM; describe the role of customer information in CRM, and describe the privacy concern associated with the collection and use of this information; explain how financial organizations develop customer strategies and channel strategies, and describe typical elements of these strategies; explain the steps involved in implementing a CRM initiative and measuring return on investment; describe the importance of data governance and integration; list technologies used to automate CRM business processes; and list practical applications of CRM for financial services companies.

Version 1 and 2: Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: describe the market for annuity sales in terms of size, demographic characteristics, and growth potential; discuss the most common uses of annuities; describe the development and financial design of an annuity product; describe promotional activities undertaken by insurers; discuss the advantages and disadvantages of alternative distributors of annuity products; and discuss the regulation of annuity marketing. Version 3: Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: explain the major factors that affect the market for annuities; describe the marketing process, marketing exchanges, and the steps in marketing management; describe the concepts of risk and return and the time value of money; explain how annuities can be used to accumulate, protect, and distribute assets; explain how a company segments the consumer and organizational annuity markets and selects target markets; describe the development and financial design process for an annuity product; describe the types of distribution systems used for annuities and the factors that affect a company's selection of distribution channels; describe promotion tools and strategies and promotional activities for annuity marketing; describe the purchase decision process and the sales process for an annuity; and explain the state and federal regulation of annuity products, distribution, and marketing.

Version 1 and 2: Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: distinguish between the rules of the state government and the federal government in regulating the life and health insurance industry; describe how the NAIC and the NCOIL affect state regulation of insurance; identify types of activities state insurance departments engage in to conduct their regulatory review of insurers; identify an insurer's compliance responsibilities regarding agent licensing and agent conduct; identify stages in the product development process when an insurer must evaluate whether materials comply with state insurance laws and regulations; identify the types of market conduct examinations conducted by state insurance departments; identify activities that are prohibited by federal anti-trust laws; and recognize the duties of an insurer that markets products subject to federal regulation as securities.

Version 1 and 2: Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: describe statutory accounting requirements for insurance companies; differentiate between statutory accounting, GAAP, and tax basis accounting; understand the insurance accountant's role in planning, budgeting, and management reporting; and explain cost allocation, treasury management, and asset/liability matching operations within insurance companies.

Version 1: Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: apply basic microeconomic and macroeconomic concepts to understanding consumer behavior and financial services operations; interpret graphs illustrating demand and supply; distinguish among the major types of money market and capital market instruments used by individuals and businesses; describe the origin, behavior, and structure of interest rates; describe the major types of financial institutions, including the products they offer and typical assets and liabilities of each; comprehend the problem of asymmetric information and describe its impact on the financial services environment; discuss steps that financial institutions can take to manage the risks they face; describe how financial institutions create money and how central banks control the supply of money in an economy. Version 2: Students will be able to: explain basic microeconomic and macroeconomic concepts; interpret graphs illustrating demand and supply; distinguish among the major types of money market and capital market instruments used by individuals and businesses; describe the origin, structure, and behavior of interest rates; describe the major types of financial institutions, including the products they offer and typical assets and liabilities of each; discuss steps that financial institutions can take to manage the risks they face; describe how financial institutions create money and how central banks control the supply of money in an economy.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: discuss the primary types of employee benefits typically offered in the United States and the regulation of such benefits; describe how organizations plan and administer their employee benefits programs; describe the financial services products that provide the following types of employee benefits: health insurance, including supplemental health benefits such as dental and prescription coverage, disability insurance, and group life insurance; describe defined benefit, defined contribution, and hybrid retirement benefit plans; and discuss the various types of retirement benefit plans available to groups and individuals. 

Version 2: Students will be able to: explain the importance of information systems for managerial end-users; identify components and functions of an information system; explain fundamental concepts of management science and the application of management science tools and techniques to the decision-making process; explain the principles and uses of basic statistics and the role of statistics in decision-making. Version 3: Students will be able to: explain the importance and functions of information systems in insurance companies; describe the processes involved in creating and maintaining databases and inferential statistics that can be applied to analyzing work processes; explain basic descriptive and inferential statistics and basic management models to use in decision making.

Version 3: Students will be able to: describe and apply the legal principles pertinent to life and health insurance company products and life and health insurance company operations. Version 4: Students will be able to: explain the functions of insurance regulations, administrative rules, and statutory requirements; define contract law and the concept of agency; describe the legal basis for essential insurance functions, including beneficiary designations and changes, settlement agreements, wills, trusts, assignments, policy contests, and reinstatement; identify common errors in policy handling and customer relationships.