Advisers embracing more education



Financial advisers are embracing education reform and the quality of further qualification, Kaplan Professional believes.
Speaking about Kaplan's first Master of Financial Planning graduates, Kaplan Professional chief executive, Brian Knight, said he was delighted so many individuals were undertaking the qualification.
"The groundswell in number of enquiries and those currently studying only affirms that advisers really believe in backing up their practical experience with formal education to strength their reputation and ultimately deliver better advice to their clients," Knight said.
The first nine graduates of the program started in early 2014 and there are 350 individuals currently enrolled in the program.
"It is an exciting time for our industry because consumers, regulators, and the majority of advisers support the push for higher education standards and we're proud to be a part of that," Knight said.
"…the consumer of the future will want to know the education level of the adviser they entrust to help achieve their financial future."
Strategic Wealth Planners senior financial planner and Master of Financial Planning graduate, Robert Dekkan, said his 15 years of experience alone did not impress or amount to the ever-changing world of financial planning.
"Kaplan Professional has provided me with the framework to learn, question, implement, and advise through the master's degree that has not only significantly expanded my knowledge, but made me a far greater thinker and strategist, which has ultimately benefited by 1,800 or so clients," Dekkan said.
Recommended for you
Former wealth firm director Joshua Fuoco has been convicted of contempt of court, sentenced and permanently banned from being involved in financial services after breaching a 10-year ban.
In its first FY26 action, ASIC has cancelled the AFSLs of two Sydney advice firms over their failures to pay industry funding levies.
The Federal Court has made interim travel restraint orders against two Falcon Capital directors, while also freezing one director’s assets.
For the 2025 financial year, all but one listed advice licensee has reported double-digit share price growth – but which licensee has seen the best performance and what activities have they enacted during the period?