Financial Planning and Advising

This subject is not offered in 2013.

Estimated total time commitment of 60 hours per semester

This subject is only available to those students who would satisfy the entry criteria for the Master of Applied Finance or who have already completed 100 points in the Master of Finance or completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Finance in full.

None

None

None

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements for this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject focuses on the role of the professional financial adviser in personal financial planning. Topics will be drawn from: risk and return analysis; investment asset classes; features of different investment products; taxation issues relating to securities and the impact of tax on various investment choices; the advantages and disadvantages of gearing; estate planning; rent versus buy decision-making problems; superannuation issues; insurance; relevant legal principles and industry standards; codes of conduct and the relationship between ethics and regulatory requirements.

On successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

• Explain the features of various retail investment asset classes;
• Analyse risk and effective return;
• Critically evaluate the features of different investment products and their suitability for clients;
• Explain the relationship between ethics and regulatory requirements and be aware of relevant legal principles, industry standards and codes of conduct;
• Analyse the after-tax impact of various investment choices;
• Explain and demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of gearing;
• Analyse and evaluate renting versus buying decision-making problems;
• Identify and calculate eligibility for social security benefits;
• Synthesise, and apply to individual circumstances, the fundamental issues surrounding superannuation;
• Critically evaluate the importance of estate planning in the financial planning process;
• Identify and explain the principles concerned with different types of insurance.

• 2-hour end-of-semester examination (80%)
• Assignments totalling not more than 1000 words (20%)

You will be advised of prescribed texts by your lecturer.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On successful completion of this subject, students should have improved the following generic skills:

• Oral communication
• Written communication
• Collaborative learning
• Problem solving
• Team work
• Statistical reasoning
• Application of theory to practice
• Interpretation and analysis
• Critical thinking
• Synthesis of data and other information
• Evaluation of data and other information
• Using computer software
• Accessing data and other information from a range of sources