Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning

The Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning is designed for students wanting an accredited qualification in financial planning.

The course equips students with the specialist knowledge and skills to apply professional and ethical judgement in the provision of financial planning advice in accordance with the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA) Code of Ethics and the regulatory and legal obligations of the financial planning profession.

Students will undertake authentic learning activities that enable them to apply advanced discipline knowledge and ethical frameworks to client-based financial planning scenarios, simulated activities and design of financial planning documents such as statements of advice.

Graduates will create a portfolio of work demonstrating their professional financial planning knowledge and skills across a range of client-based and financial services contexts.

Graduates will develop their communication, inter-personal, problem-solving and decision-making skills and understanding of behavioural finance to enable the provision of professional and ethical financial planning advice to meet the needs and goals of clients.

Students will be given authentic and simulated client based financial advice scenarios to analyse data and information, and use professional and ethical knowledge and judgement to develop strategies, draft statements of advice and provide financial planning advice appropriate to the level of financial literacy of the client.

Course Aims

The Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning is a flexible, online postgraduate program that will provide students with a specialist qualification in financial planning. Students will develop a comprehensive understanding of the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA) Code of Ethics and Code Monitoring Bodies, and the regulatory and legal obligations within the financial planning profession, to enable the provision of professional and ethical financial planning advice to clients and stakeholders. Students will also obtain knowledge in a broad range of key business areas; such as accounting, economics, ethics, management and marketing, based on a student's individual interests. The course allows students to develop advanced problem-solving and decision-making skills to help diagnose and critically analyse financial information and design strategies to address authentic client-centred scenarios with the provision of financial advice. This will be achieved through drafting of statements of advice in simulated client-based activities that will enhance their ability to communicate effectively and professionally at an advanced level in accordance with the FASEA Code of Ethics with a range of clients and other stakeholders.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge and application of key financial planning, professional ethics and regulatory and legal obligations, and the ability to apply these in various scenarios and client-based situations involving the provision of financial advice; use cognitive and communication skills, tools and digital technologies to engage in professional and ethical communication within the financial planning profession and with a range of clients and stakeholders in compliance with regulatory and legal frameworks, and in accordance with the FASEA Code of Ethics; demonstrate critical thinking and application of professional judgement to analyse authentic financial planning situations and synthesise material for a wide variety of sources to provide professional and ethical financial planning advice through simulation activities, statements of advice and capstone experiences; provide financial planning advice relevant to the needs and goals of clients and stakeholders, with an understanding about targeting such advice at an appropriate level of financial literacy aligned to the knowledge and understanding of the audience; demonstrate professional and ethical judgement in critically evaluating and formulating financial advice in response to complex social, cultural and ethical issues in financial planning; demonstrate preparedness to engage in continuous learning and reflection to help inform professional and ethical practice within the dynamic financial planning profession; and apply professional and ethical standards, to be able to work independently and collaboratively within the financial planning profession and with clients and stakeholders relating to the provision of financial advice in accordance with the legal and regulatory obligations of financial advisers.

Graduate Attributes

Knowledge of a Discipline Knowledge of a discipline is taught, practised and assessed in all units. Graduates will have a comprehensive knowledge of the FASEA Code of Ethics and Code Monitoring Bodies, and regulatory and legal obligations in the financial planning profession, to enable provision of professional and ethical financial planning advice to solve complex scenario and client-based situations and meet client needs. Graduates will also be able to demonstrate a detailed understanding of the global environment in which business and financial planning advice is conducted. As students they will learn through independent research, interaction with unit materials, unit coordinators and fellow students, and simulated activities, and be assessed using case analysis of both hypothetical and authentic financial planning examples, analysing and applying theory to professional scenarios, theory-based assignments and exams, practical problem-solving activities, financial planning simulation activities involving development of statements of advice and professional portfolio development. Communication Skills Communication skills are taught, practised and assessed throughout this course. Graduates will be able to utilise cognitive and communication skills, tools and digital technologies to engage in high-level professional and ethical communication within the financial planning profession and with a range of clients and stakeholders in compliance with regulatory and legal frameworks, and in accordance with the FASEA Code of Ethics. Students will develop advanced oral, written and presentation skills relevant to financial planning contexts through assessments such as essays, oral presentations and drafting of documents required in the provision of financial advice, such as statements of advice. Problem Solving This graduate attribute is taught, practised and assessed throughout the course using financial planning scenarios and simulation activities requiring students to use critical thinking skills and apply professional and ethical judgement to identify key issues in the provision of financial advice, and to critically analyse and evaluate the relevant theories and concepts to construct financial planning solutions to meet the needs and goals of the client, in accordance with the regulatory and legal obligations of financial advisers. Information Literacy Information and financial literacy is taught, practised and assessed through the course as students need to identify, evaluate and synthesise relevant information drawn from a range of sources in order to critically analyse complex issues encountered in the provision of financial advice, and use professional and ethical judgement to devise comprehensive solutions to meet the needs and financial literacy levels of the client. Ethical Conduct and Social Responsibility Throughout the course, ethical conduct and social responsibility is taught, practised and assessed. Students need to reflect on the principles of professional and ethical practice, and social responsibility in financial planning and the provision of financial advice. Graduates will be able to demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the FASEA Code of Ethics and Code Monitoring Bodies, and the ability to apply professional and ethical judgement when providing financial planning advice to clients. Graduates will have developed the knowledge and skills to establish and maintain ethical client-adviser relationships and apply ethical frameworks to a range of client-based scenarios and simulated activities. This is assessed through evaluation and analysis of reflective and scenario based financial planning assessment tasks and exams, simulated activities, drafting assessments such as statements of advice, and capstone experiences. Lifelong Learning Lifelong learning is promoted in this course through reflective tasks that encourage analysis of professional experience, and appreciation of the financial planning profession as a dynamic discipline. Independence and Collaboration This graduate attribute is taught, practised and assessed in this course. Within professional and ethical standards, students are required to work independently and complete learning and assessment activities, at an advanced level, relating to the provision of financial advice. Students are also required to collaborate in a variety of learning and assessment tasks throughout the course developing an in-depth understanding of the regulatory and legal obligations of a financial adviser and the ability to apply such understanding in dealing with various stakeholders and clients.