Dante De Gori
The Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA) has launched Return to Learn, an online education portal designed to cut through misinformation and confusion about FASEA’s higher education requirements.
Released this week after months of rigorous testing, the Return to Learn education portal promises easy access to accurate information on the latest education and ethics policy developments and implications, as well as study tools.
“There are many thousands of ethical, professional, committed financial planners around Australia ready to do what it takes to meet FASEA requirements between now and 2024. Many are confused by misinformation flying around as to what they need to do next, however, and frankly there’s no time for confusion: Australia needs us to take the high road when it comes to education and ethics,” says FPA CEO, Dante De Gori CFP®.
Return to Learn was developed in-house by the FPA’s education and policy experts with co-operation from FASEA-approved tertiary education providers.
It includes accurate explanations of FASEA policies, Code of Ethics and education tools in one central hub as well as a guide to study credits, video tutorials on topics like preparing for exams, and information on various approved tertiary education providers including course costs and required time commitments, for example.
“Return to Learn cuts through the noise and misinformation to make the path forward as clear and easy as possible for our 14,000+ FPA members to navigate,” says Mr De Gori.
New CPD standards of 40 hours a year apply from 1 January 2019, and a key foundation of the financial advice reforms is a new Code of Ethics that all advisers will have to comply with from 1 January 2020. All advisers need to pass an industry exam by 1 January 2021.
Tools and information now available to FPA members on the Return to Learn portal:
- Education pathways tool – Helps members identify what further studies they will need to undertake to comply with the new FASEA education standards
- Cost comparison tool – A program and fee comparison of FASEA-approved degrees that helps members find the most suitable degree – including a comparison of the credits each university will allocate to members who have completed the 5-unit CFP® Certification Program. It also includes links to the university Credit and Recognition of Prior Learning policies. The FPA has formally applied to FASEA for accreditation of all education pathways into the CFP® Certification Program where FASEA has not already awarded credits.
- FASEA exam study guidance – A range of study resources including academic writing and referencing guides, how to prepare for exams, tips for time management and much more is available in the education hub. FASEA’s practice exam and recommend reading lists will also be available once released by FASEA.
- FPA CPD policy – The latest FPA CPD policy is available and has been updated to align with the new FASEA requirements. FPA members and licensees can adopt the FPA CPD policy as their own by 31 March 2019.