FPA at the forefront of professional development Download PDF
The Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA) today launched an ‘Estate Planning' professional
designation program to meet a growing demand in specialised skills for financial planners.
The program was launched at the FPA 2009 Annual National Conference in Melbourne today and it was
developed because FPA members have expressed a great deal of interest in improving their knowledge
base to better service their clients.
Jo-Anne Bloch, FPA CEO said today "Interest in Estate Planning is on the rise because client are aging
and are thinking about intergenerational financial planning services. The FPA recently conducted
research of 400 practitioner members, revealing that 84% believe that there is a need for specialist skills
and knowledge in estate planning. 60% of the sample also said that they would undertake studies in
estate planning if offered.
"Both the FPA and the Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB) recognise Estate Planning as a
specialist practice focus for financial planners and understand the need for specialised training in this
field." Ms Bloch added.
The program has been developed in collaboration with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and
Est Plan. It has also been structured to meet the Society of Trust and Estate Planning (STEP)
practitioners' criteria. The professional designation comprises three stages:
1. Workshops - run in conjunction with Est Plan
2. UTS program - A joint venture between the FPA and the University of Technology Sydney
3. FPA professional certification - certification as a specialist in Estate Planning.
FPA Members are able to complete the high level workshop designed by the FPA and Est Plan as a precursor
to the UTS program. This workshop will help identify opportunities, and it will help practitioners
determine whether they want to or need to develop further skills.
The UTS program involves a joint venture with the FPA that allows enrolment into the specialist
University short course and potential exemption for further studies in Law should participants choose to
expand their qualifications.
The FPA will be providing more detailed information to members about the work shops and UTS
program in January 2010.
"Earlier this year, the FPA launched Life Risk for specialist risk advisers or CFP practitioners wanting to
improve their qualifications.
"As the peak professional body, the FPA understands the need for quality, specialised financial planners
and is committed to providing its members with professional continuing education and training."
Professional alignment
Just as with all FPA professional designations, the Estate Planning specialist designation can only be
issued after the satisfaction of our 4 E's certification process.
The FPA views the professional development of the individual adviser in four core dimensions:
Ethics - completion of CFP1 - Ethics, Professionalism and Compliance and attestation of adherence to the Code of Professional Practice.
Experience - evidence of 3 years proven face to face in area of specialty.
Education - completion of the formal academic program currently offered through UTS.
Examination - satisfaction of UTS assessment process + peer review of practitioner.
ENDS
Media Contact
Daniela De Lucia - Jackson Wells P: 02 9904 4333 | M: 0421 792 765 | E: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Note to journalist
The Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA) is the peak professional body for financial planning in Australia. It has a network of 31
Chapters across the country, which provides business and professional development activities for more than 12,000 members. FPA practitioner members manage the financial affairs of more than 5 million Australians whose investments are valued at $630 billion.
CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM are certification marks owned outside the US by the Financial Planning Standards Board Ltd (FPSB). Financial Planning Association of Australia Limited is the marks licensing authority for the CFP marks in Australia, through agreement with FPSB.
