Overview

Unexpected events can derail even the best financial plans. This course equips you with the knowledge and tools to protect income, assets, and family security through effective insurance strategies. Whether you’re a financial professional or planning for your household, you’ll gain practical insights into health, life, disability, and long-term care coverage—and learn how to integrate them into a comprehensive risk management plan. Through real-world case studies, interactive tools, and expert interviews, you’ll explore advanced concepts and policy features that impact financial resilience. Designed for a broad audience—including aspiring and current insurance and financial planning professionals—this course empowers you to make informed decisions and better serve clients or your own household. This course is part of the College of ACES suite of online programs. To learn more about online programs from the College of ACES and explore ways to apply your Coursera work toward a degree program at the University of Illinois, visit ACES Online @aces.illinois.edu/online.

Syllabus

Orientation & Module 1 | Protecting Health and Wealth – Understanding Insurance Basics

In the course orientation, you will get to know the course, your classmates, and our learning environment, and gain the technical skills needed. Then, we will start exploring the foundations of health insurance. We will learn what health insurance is, why it matters, and how different plans—like HMOs and PPOs—work. We’ll also dive into key provisions of the Affordable Care Act and advanced concepts that shape coverage today. By the end of this module, you’ll understand the types and purpose of health insurance and be able to analyze major policy features.

Module 2 | Planning for the Unexpected

In this module, we will examine how disability and long-term care insurance protect income and assets when life takes an unexpected turn. We’ll start with the basics, explore advanced concepts, and analyze a real-world case study to see how coverage decisions impact financial security. You’ll also hear from experts who share practical insights on planning for the unexpected. By the end of this module, you’ll be able to explain the fundamentals of disability and long-term care insurance and evaluate advanced coverage options.

Module 3 | Life Insurance Essentials – What You Need to Know

In this module, we will focus on life insurance as a cornerstone of financial planning. We’ll learn why life insurance matters, compare different policy types, and calculate how much coverage you need. You’ll use interactive tools and hear from industry experts to connect theory to practice. By the end of this module, you’ll understand the purpose of life insurance, differentiate between policy types, and estimate your own coverage needs.

Module 4 | Bringing It All Together: Integrating Risk Management Strategies & Conclusion

In this final module, we will bring everything together. We’ll integrate health, life, disability, and long-term care insurance into a comprehensive risk management strategy. You’ll review policy features, explore real-world scenarios, and apply concepts to financial planning decisions. After this module, you’ll be ready to complete the final assessment and earn your Coursera certificate!