For almost all of you reading this blog, that date will seem positively innocuous to you. For me, it was a day that confirmed the culmination of about 2 ½ years of “extra” work. Don’t get me wrong, we all have busy lives – family, work (and I include retirement in that), sport, special interests and the like. For me I’ve also had some study commitments for those 2 ½ years on top of ‘life’!
On October 19 2021 I got the result of my final assignment in my final subject ………… AND I PASSED!!
It’s fair to say that the ear-to-ear grin that enveloped my face as I read that last result did not subside for a long while. A combination of joy and sheer relief!!
From 1 January 2019 the education standards changed for professional Financial Planners. For existing planners, like myself, it meant passing a compulsory exam (which I did), competing a compulsory Ethics subject (which I did) and having sufficient tertiary qualifications to continue to be a planner. It was this last requirement that I did not have – the Diploma of Financial Planning that I completed in 1999 did not meet the requirements.
This meant undertaking an 8-subject course – Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning. The Ethics subject formed part of this, and my Certified Planner designation gave me ‘recognition of prior learning’ for two subjects. So, for the past 2 ½ years I’ve barrelled through the remaining 5!!
Personally, I think the changes to the education standards are excellent. New Financial Planners must have an undergraduate degree and complete a professional year before being able to provide advice to clients. Upskilling, such as I have done, can only improve the professionalism, knowledge, and skills for all Financial Planners.
