Proposed Education Standards Need to Recognise Life Advisers

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The AFA has cautiously welcomed the new proposed education guidelines for existing advisers released by FASEA but will continue to call for better recognition of risk specialist advisers and ‘sensible solutions’ for older adviser close to retirement.

AFA Chief Executive, Phil Kewin

In a note to members, AFA Chief Executive, Phil Kewin said while the new guidelines provided clarification for some members the Association wanted to see further changes and will push for the final transition plan to have a high priority on retaining existing advisers as well as raising education standards.

As part of this push, Kewin said the AFA would maintain that advisers should be able to study in areas that will add value to their business and recognises their areas of expertise.

“One of the most common pieces of feedback that we have received is that advisers who are specialists, do not see the relevance in undertaking units of study and assessments in areas that are not their specialisation and they do not give advice on,” Kewin said.

…the AFA would maintain that advisers should be able to study in areas that will add value to their business and recognises their areas of expertise…

The Association would “…also continue to seek a sensible solution for older advisers who are close to retirement and cannot justify doing an eight subject Graduate Diploma” and will be advocating for additional grandfathering arrangement for this group of advisers.

Kewin said the AFA would also seek to have professional designations recognised under the new proposed guidelines and would advocate for consideration of its FChFP designation to have greater credits awarded towards the graduate diploma required by some advisers under the guidelines.

In welcoming the proposed guidelines as providing “…a level of clarity for some members, particularly those who have a relevant degree”, Kewin told members that it was important to note the guidelines were still only proposals and were subject to consultation.

He encouraged members to become involved in the consultation process by communicating their concerns directly to FASEA and to the AFA which would “…continue to advocate for a more pragmatic package that does more to retain as many advisers as possible in the financial advice sector”.

“The requirement to increase education standards is law,” Kewin said, adding “The increase in education standards is going to happen.  This consultation is about the form that it takes.”

“The role of the AFA is to advocate for the most sensible options for our members that enables practical pathways that recognise your previous study and experience and that enables you to study subjects that will be beneficial for your business, aligned to your interests and relevant to the advice you provide.”



1 COMMENT

  1. This is heading in the right direction now, though should have been forcibly stated from the beginning.

    It is not rocket science.

    The AFA and FPA should have been on the front foot from the word go.

    The education Industry lobbies hard for everyone to be educated at degree level, that is how they get paid, by making all of us pay for, at times, irrelevant subjects that have little bearing in the real world.

    They are in Business and have a vested interest. The trick is to not negotiate, you need to intelligently attack all vested interest groups, which includes stupid ministers in Government, that are going to cause a negative result for all Australians.

    I am continually amazed at how naive our associations have been, when dealing with and fighting off Vested Interest groups and uninformed Government regulation.

    Bending over and feebly trying to appease a bully, never has and never will work,
    You fight fire, with more intense fire and beat the bully at their own game.

    The sooner the AFA and FPA realise this, the better all of us, including all Australians will be.

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