Charles Sturt to offer planning course
Charles Sturt University (CSU) has joined the small band of Australian universities offering a Masters of Financial Planning degree after striking a deal with the Sydney-based Flowers Financial Group.
Kicking off in early 2005, the two year post-graduate course will involve both online and practical study components, including a practical internship working alongside financial planners.
The internship will be provided by Flowers subsidiary - the Flowers Institute of Financial Management - and will offer practical hands-on training to those taking the course.
According to Flowers Institute founder and educational director Nigel Flowers, the joint initiative has been designed by both academics and industry practitioners to incorporate a useful mix of industry skill and academic theory suitable for contemporary financial planning.
“This qualification has been purposely designed to increase the level of professionalism among financial planners. We would like to be integral in the industry’s push to ensure consumers have a positive experience when they visit their planner,” Flowers says.
Flowers says his group will also seek to expand its postgraduate and executive education programs to encompass other areas of business, finance and management.
For CSU, the addition of the Masters of Financial Planning course sees it join other institutions offering qualification in the field. These include Curtin University of Technology, RMIT University, Deakin University, University of Southern Queensland and the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Recommended for you
ASIC commissioner Alan Kirkland has detailed the regulator’s intentions to conduct surveillance on licensees and advisers who are recommending managed accounts, noting a review is “warranted and timely” given the sector’s growth.
AMP and HUB24 have shared the areas where they are seeking future adviser growth, with HUB24 targeting adding more than 2,000 advisers to the platform.
Bravura Solutions has appointed a new chair and deputy chair to take over from departing Matthew Quinn, while Shezad Okhai picks up another responsibility.
Two advisers say M&A is becoming a “contact sport” as competition heats up to acquire attractive advice firms, while a lack of new entrants creates roadblocks in organic growth opportunities.
