Accredited online and on-campus courses from leading Australian universities, TAFEs and colleges
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About Financial Planning
You'll become
Average Salaries
Financial Planning workers may earn between $49,000 and $99,000 per year
Give your career in financial planning a run for one’s money, and learn all the technical skills and knowledge required to become a financial planning guru. Studying everything from investments through to superannuation and tax, Financial Planning courses are ideal for students looking to pursue a career in the finance industry.
Potential subjects studied in Financial Planning courses include providing advice in securities, superannuation, derivatives, margin lending, life insurance and managed investments, developing financial planning strategies, conducting financial planning research and determining client requirements.
You’ve got sound judgement and a head for numbers. Now, use it to help business and individuals grow their wealth, and build your own career path, by studying a financial planning course.
Financial planners advise a range of different clients on how to manage wealth, mitigate business risk, and invest wisely, and provide advice to clients on navigating the complex world of financial, taxation and superannuation legislation.
In an increasingly regulated financial world, professionals with the skills and confidence to give sound advice are highly sought-after. With a qualification in financial planning, you’ll have the skills and insights to help both businesses and yourself thrive in the commercial world.
You’ll work closely with business and individuals to deeply understand their individual goals, assets and ideas, and use your skills to develop comprehensive and exciting plans for making targeted investments, managing wealth effectively, navigating regulation and taxation, and ensuring your client’s goals are being met. Using the skills and personal insights developed in a financial planning course, you’ll be able to assist clients to turn their financial dreams into reality.
You can study financial planning as a certificate, bachelor’s degree, post-graduate diploma or master’s degree level, and may study in either face-to-face or online settings. After completing a financial planning course, you may choose to work in private practice, independently, or in a large firm, advising a range of clients on financial planning, assets, management and investment.
What do financial planning graduates do?
Day-to-day, financial planning course graduates may perform tasks like:
- Meeting with prospective clients to assess their financial status and goals and to discuss options;
- Preparing lists of financial options and investment strategies for prospective clients;
- Monitoring the performance of existing investments and reviewing or revising investment plans based on market fluctuations;
- Arranging the sale and purchase of stocks for clients;
- Preparing advice for clients on funding, investment strategies and earning distribution;
- Providing advice on superannuation compliance;
- Preparing financial, accounting and investment reports; and
- Preparing budgets, reports and forecasts and assisting clients with taxation information.
Depending on the size and nature of the business you advise, you may also liaise with other financial, banking, accounting and investment service providers on behalf of your clients.
Career Outcomes
Career Outcomes
Graduates of financial planning courses usually work in financial planning firms, or in investment roles in larger wealth management companies.
After getting qualified you may choose to seek employment as a:
- Compliance Manager
- Business Development Manager
- Financial Adviser
- Insurance Adviser
- Superannuation Consultant
- Portfolio Analyst
- Personal Financial Planner
- Investment Banker
- Paraplanner
- Claims Administrator
- Risk Adviser
- Compliance Officer
- Associate financial planner
- Financial Planning Practice Manager
- Call-Centre Adviser
- Back-office Superannuation Operations Officer
- Back-office Insurance Operations Officer
- Investment Corporate Actions Support Officer
- Financial Planner
- Financial Advisor
- Financial Analyst
- Finance Manager
- Director of Finance
- Financial Investment Analyst
- Hedge Fund Manager
- Private Banker
- Portfolio Risk Analyst
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Is financial planning right for you?
You’ll thrive in financial planning if you:
- Are level-headed and can make decisions
- Have excellent organisation and time management skills
- Are interest in finance and statistics
- Have good communication skills
- Have a head for new ideas
- Work well with details
- Think strategically and bolding
- Have an awareness of and interest in risk
Job opportunities
Employment opportunities in financial planning have been growing steadily over the past decade, and the Australian Government’s Job Outlook predicts jobs will continue to grow strongly for the next decade. Financial planning is considered a large profession, with approximately 51,000 people in Australia employed in the sector, suggesting employment opportunities are available in most regions of Australia. Job Outlook notes that approximately 86 per cent of financial planners are employed in full-time positions.
Average Salaries
According to PayScale, financial planners may earn between $49,000 and $99,000 per year, with an approximate average salary of $70,000. PayScale notes that experience is the single greatest factor affecting financial planners’ earning capacity, with people with approximately 15 years’ experience earning the highest wages. However, it reports that approximately three-quarters of the sector has less than 10 years’ experience.
Industry Bodies
- Financial Planning Australia
- Financial Counsellors Association