Program Overview

The School of Accounting's wealth planning badge is designed to prepare you for advanced level tax research and planning for estates, gifts, and trusts, including tasks such as researching and providing tax law conclusions for tax issues posited by various tax fact patterns regarding

• federal income taxation of trusts and estates and the generation-skipping transfer tax, including entity classification, determination of distributable net income, simple trusts, fiduciary accounting income, throwback rules, decedent income, and grantor trust rules; and
• advanced transfer tax issues in estate and gift tax returns, discounts, special valuation rules, irrevocable life insurance trusts, gifting issues, marital deductions, buy-sell agreements, family limited partnerships, and charitable trusts.

Why Earn a Digital Badge at Grand Valley?

• Completing a badge is an opportunity to highlight marketable and desirable skills to potential employers.
• Pursuing a badge, either in continuing education or while completing a degree, enhances your education.
• Digital badges can be displayed on social media, websites, and in emails.
• Badges are an efficient way to obtain a specialization, and can be completed in a year.
• The four taxation badges will create stackable credentials towards earning a master's degree in taxation.

Career Insights

Accreditation

Seidman is accredited by the AACSB International.

Admissions

Completion of a bachelor's degree in accounting is required for admission; you must submit an official transcript from your baccalaureate degree granting institution. (Prerequisites differ by badge, contact a graduate program team member for details.)

Applicants seeking this badge while undergraduate or dual enrolled must specify whether each course will count toward their current undergraduate degree or a future graduate degree.

To start your application:

• Visit gvsu.edu/seidmangrad and select "Graduate Credentials."
• Click the button "Inquire for More Information" and fill out the online form.
• A member of the graduate programs team will contact you to get you started. 

For current GVSU students:

• Declare your badge via myBanner. Login to Banner Self-Service, click on Student, Student Records, Add a Certificate or Badge to your Program, Select the appropriate badge from the drop down list, and click Submit.
• Speak with the appropriate badge coordinator to ensure criteria are being met. You will be able to track your progress toward the badge in myPath as well!
• Once you are done with the requirements, apply to receive the badge via myBanner.
• Once the completion of your badge has been verified, the badge will be posted to your student record and will be viewable on your transcript. In addition, your digital badge will be posted on Credly.com.

Location & Format

Classes for the program are a combination of online and in-seat downtown on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus in L. William Seidman Center in downtown Grand Rapids, MI.

• Hybrid

Coursework

The badge is comprised of two courses, three credits each.

• ACC 628 - Fiduciary Income Tax
• ACC 641 - Advanced Estate, Gift, and Trust

The badge is not a degree or certificate; however, if you choose to continue, completion of this badge and the other three taxation specialization badges will create stackable credentials towards earning a master's degree in taxation.

Admission to the Seidman College of Business and completion of the capstone required to earn the MST, talk to a counselor for details.

Helpful Links

• Scholarships
• Financial Aid
• Tuition & Fees
• The Graduate School
• Taxation Programs
• Accounting Programs
• Business Programs

For More Information

Koleta Moore, Assistant Dean
1033 L. William Seidman Center
(616) 331-7400