The FPA’s Financial Planning Week is in full swing with numerous events and services all designed to create awareness of the importance of financial planning to the financial health and security of Australians.
This initiative from the FPA, held during the last full week of May each year, is marked by a range of activity in all states and territories, including seminars on topics such as:
- Financial panning for women
- Property investments
- The quality of advice
- Teaching children how to save and behave
The theme of this year’s Financial Planning Week is Global Crisis, Local Help, and in addition to state-based seminar activity, the FPA has opened a free online advice service, called Ask an Expert. This service offers free (general) advice by FPA members to questions submitted by consumers via the FPA’s Ask an Expert website, located at www.goodadvice.com.au.
Consumers select an adviser from their local area, and submit their online query on topics that include:
- Superannuation
- Setting financial goals and budgeting
- Savings and investments
- Protecting your family with insurance
- Managing tax
- Retirement planning
- Managing debt
- Other issues
The FPA reports that during last year’s Financial Planning Week, the Ask an Expert service received 354 questions from consumers, and it is open this year from 25 May to 19 June.
To help Australians achieve their financial goals, the FPA is also offering a ‘Tip of the Day’ during Financial Planning Week. Consumers are asked to consider various aspects of their financial position, with each tip encouraging the reader to access the Ask an Expert site, to obtain more information on topics that are important to them. The daily tip subjects for the week are:
- Monday: Review your financial goals and objectives
- Tuesday: Budgeting
- Wednesday: Consider the economic climate
- Thursday: Does your estate planning require attention?
- Friday: Protecting your wealth
- Saturday: Planning for retirement
- Sunday: Understand your investments
