You should have met the prerequisite studies before commencement of this course. The required courses are: BAFI 1096, ECON 1111, BAFI 1097, JUST 1076 and JUST 1075.
The development of appropriate and relevant financial advice for clients requires the integration of a range of skills and a substantial body of current knowledge and understanding. This course is divided into two parts: a core and two specialist modules. The core will be covered in the first seven weeks and the two modules will commence in week eight.
Overall, the course adopts a case study approach, designed to apply the expertise and knowledge gained in the other courses of the Masters program. It aims to develop your ability to identify and research issues, consider and evaluate possible alternatives and produce detailed reports in the form of personal financial advice suitable for presentation to clients. The course will guide students to a number of relevant resources, including Internet websites, but the list will not be inclusive and students will be encouraged to complement these with extensive investigation of their own. The course may be viewed as "guided research" and as a precursor to the Research Topic course by development and acquisition of research skills.
The course has been registered with ASIC for the purposes of Policy Statement 146 to meet generic knowledge and skills and specialist knowledge of superannuation, managed investments and financial planning. The Insurance module has been registered for those students who wish to satisfy PS 146 for specialist Insurance knowledge.
discuss ethical issues which concern the financial planning industry.
In the core section, there are three case studies to be considered over the first seven weeks of this semester. You will be required to prepare detailed answers in response to the issues contained in each case study as directed. Where you do not have any direct knowledge of an issue, it will be your task to undertake research in order to address those issues to a professional financial planner standard.
It is important to apply yourself to a fairly tight time schedule in order to complete the assigned tasks. You should not hesitate to ask questions or seek direction.
During the period of the core studies, students will be asked to select two of the available modules. These will be conducted on a case study approach similarly to the core case studies. The electives may be conducted by external consultants.
To study this course, the Master in Financial Planning program has been prepared for independent study, and uses methodology appropriate for distance learning. The main study resources in this course are the materials in earlier courses, the recommended texts, supplemented with recommended Internet references. Students are expected to undertake substantial further investigation. You are encouraged to use the Discussion Board to discuss ideas with other students. This approach is designed to develop both research and presentation skills, as well as equip you for the practice of financial planning.
Although you will be required to consider all the issues in each case study, you may be required to only write detailed notes about certain items as directed by the lecturer. Students will receive a copy of a suggested answer/report and comments from the lecturer and/or other consultants by way of the student Discussion Board or on return of written assignments.
leadership: by giving presentations and discussing issues with fellow students and fellow professionals via Internet activities during the course, you can develop confidence, leadership and articulation skills. These skills will be developed through the presentation of the case study reports.