John Maroney

The SMSF Association has announced two new major education pathways for its coveted SMSF Specialist Advisor designation (SSA^TM).

The SMSF Association has entered into new partnership agreements with Kaplan Professional and Deakin University that will enable students to complete the SSA educational requirements as an elective unit in their respective Master of Financial Planning degrees.

SMSF Association CEO John Maroney says: “We are thrilled to partner with Kaplan Professional and Deakin University to further enhance education standards and professionalism in the SMSF sector.

“We have always maintained SMSF advice should be underpinned by specialist education and these new partnerships offer a professional pathway for financial planning students wanting to obtain both a Master of Financial Planning degree and the SMSF Association’s SMSF Specialist Advisor designation.

“Students who successfully complete this elective may be eligible to have their SMSF Association membership upgraded to specialist member status and be able to use the SMSF Specialist Advisor designation – the symbol of excellence in a dynamic and rapidly growing SMSF sector,” Maroney said.

Kaplan Professional CEO Brian Knight says: “We are delighted to be able to offer more choice and depth in specialist expertise to advisers, providing the opportunity to achieve our highly-regarded Master of Financial Planning together with this industry-leading SMSF advice designation.

“As the industry’s largest provider of postgraduate qualifications, we are committed to offering more opportunity and support to advisers while keeping our course prices to a minimum. Now being able to choose the new elective unit, which not only counts towards our Master of Financial Planning but provides access to the coveted SSA designation, is another incentive for advisers who are seeking to further specialise in their career.”

Marc Olynyk, Financial Planning Program Director at Deakin University, says: “The University is excited to announce this partnership with the SMSF Association that allows Deakin financial planning students to complete the SSA educational requirements as an elective option within their Master of Financial Planning degree so they can graduate with an academic qualification and an SMSF Specialist Advisor designation.

“The SMSF sector is one of the fastest growing sectors of the superannuation industry and having a recognised designation to provide professional and competent SMSF advice is becoming increasingly important for advisers.”

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