Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®) Module Descriptions

Advanced Estate Planning – 257

This course is the culmination of all the courses in the CLU program. The course is designed to help financial advisors hone their skills in working with the client to develop a comprehensive estate plan that addresses all of the client’s objectives and obligations. Learning objectives include: To analyze the client’s financial status and overall estate planning objectives, to explain the advantages and disadvantages of different estate planning strategies and contrast them with one another, to consider planning strategies involving the use of interviews and testamentary trusts, and to assess the need for life insurance in order to support the estate plan and recommend alternative insurance strategies.

The Advanced Estate Planning (257) course is offered on a semester basis. The course is comprised of readings, case studies and assignments followed by the course exam. The registration period has been established to allow candidates the opportunity to reasonably complete all course requirements and prepare for the course exam.

If this registration period is missed, there is a period in which to submit a late registration request after the registration deadline has passed. Candidates can submit their request to info@advocis.ca. A late registration fee of $150 + applicable taxes will be applied. 

Prerequisites are the Financial Planning Fundamentals Program (CLU pre-requisite course) and CLU Designation Courses 255 and 256.

Required Textbooks

1. Estate Planning with Life Insurance, 9th Edition by Steve Meldrum, CFP®, CLU®, FEA. The 9th edition can be purchased directly from Wolters Kluwer; and
2. Wealth Planning Strategies for Canadians 2025 by Christine Van Cauwenberghe, B.Comm., LL.B., CFP, TEP. The 2025 edition can be purchased directly from Thomson Reuters.

Completion Requirements

• Passing grade: 60%
• Two case-based written assignments (40% of overall grade)
• Ethics & Professional Standards module quizzes (20% of overall grade)
• Final online proctored exam (40% of overall grade)*
• The exam will be open book and will consist of a case study or case studies with essay-style questions

*IMPORTANT: All candidates must complete their exam online within the Advocis Learning Environment. In-person exams are not available. 

Features

• Downloadable PDF of Advocis Course Book (Required Textbooks not available in PDF)
• Practice course exam
• Grades tool to keep track of your progress through the course
• ReadSpeaker text-to-speech tool

CE Credits

• The Institute: 30
• Alberta Insurance Council: 30 Life
• Insurance Council of Manitoba: 30
• Insurance Councils of Saskatchewan: 30
• MFDA: 25 PD and 5 BC
• FP Canada: The content is not formally accredited with FP Canada but should be recognized in the Financial Planning category. Please confirm with FP Canada directly.

Candidates seeking CE or PDU credits for professional designations or organizations should contact the governing body for confirmation of CE/PDU qualification.

Pricing

Member price: $685 (add GST/HST)

Non-Member price: $1,370 (add GST/HST)

Late registration price: Course fee ($685 or $1,370 depending on Advocis membership status) + $150 late registration fee (add GST/HST)