FINS5510 Personal Financial Planning and Client Engagement - 2023

Subject Code
FINS5510
Study Level
Postgraduate
Commencing Term
Term 1
Total Units of Credit (UOC)
6
Delivery Mode
On Campus and Online
School
Banking & Finance
The course outline is not available for current term. To view outlines from other years and/or terms, visit the archives .

1. Course Details

Summary of Course

The course is part of an Approved Degree Program and contributes to the necessary industry qualifications for becoming a professional Financial Adviser in Australia. However, an important step for providing financial advice to a client is to first take control of your own finances and to develop a plan for creating and managing wealth for the rest of your life. This course will take you on a journey that involves understanding your current situation and needs, setting long-term life and financial goals, determining a long-term strategy for achieving those goals, creating a career plan, planning to buy property and manage the associated debt, protecting your assets through risk management, understanding and implementing taxation strategies and choosing appropriate investment products.

In this term, you can choose to study the course either completely online or by attending face-to-face lectures on campus (or a combination of both). All assessments will be individual (no group assignments) and submitted online. The lectures for each Unit of the course will be made available on Youtube. You can also ask questions about the course materials in the 'General Forums' or during the drop-in sessions on Zoom.

Teaching Times and Locations

Please note that teaching times and locations are subject to change. Students are strongly advised to refer to the Class Timetable website for the most up-to-date teaching times and locations.

View course timetable

Course Policies & Support

Course Aims and Relationship to Other Courses

The aim of this course is to empower you to take control of your finances and to develop a plan for creating and managing wealth for the rest of your life. It will involve:

  • analysing your current situation and needs;
  • setting life and financial goals;
  • developing a strategy to achieve those goals; and
  • selecting appropriate products and taking actions to implement these strategies.

The course is one of eight courses in the UNSW postgraduate program that is a FASEA Approved Degree for financial advisers to retail clients. As such, it also focuses on:

  • understanding human behaviour, biases and other limitations;
  • the financial planning process and associated communication skills;
  • understanding the nature, usage and regulations of key financial products; and
  • professional standards and regulations of providing personal financial advice.

The application of financial theory to personal financial planning and the emphasis on the provision of professional financial advice to clients differentiates this course from other investment and portfolio management courses. The course involves application of the financial market, securities valuation and portfolio management knowledge and skills in FINS5512 and FINS5513 in the context of personal wealth management decisions. It does not focus on portfolio or trading strategies. Advanced level coverage of valuation, investment and portfolio strategies can be found in other courses offered by the School of Banking and Finance, such as in FINS5541, FINS5542, FINS5544 and FINS5566.

2. Staff Contact Details

Position Title Name Email Location Phone Consultation Times
Lecturer-in-charge    Andrew HingstonSchool of Banking & Finance, Level 3, Business School building
By appointment

Andrew has taught Financial Planning at UNSW Business School since 2004 and has also been teaching the AGSM Master of Business Administration (MBA) program since 2000. He started out in the Financial Planning industry providing client advisory and software development services and still provides advice to financial advisers on managing their practices and clients. He also provides training and consulting to industry with clients including Westpac, Commonwealth Bank, The Commonwealth Government Department of Finance, NSW Government Public Service Commission, Sandvik, Downer EDI, Google, Qantas, Lego and Boral. He has a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance (First-Class Honors) and Marketing from UNSW, a Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning from Deakin University, a Master in Economics (Financial Economics and Econometrics) from University of Sydney and a Master of Business Administration from AGSM UNSW. His PhD in Finance is a work-in-progress.

Communication with Staff

Please use the 'General Forums' on the course website to ask any questions about the course content and assessments. You should check to see whether your question has already been asked by another participant before posting a question. Please note that it can take up to 1 working day to answer questions posted on the course website so please be patient.

Please try to avoid sending me emails. You should generally post your questions on the General Forums. If your query is about special consideration for an assessment or it is not appropriate for posting in a public forum, you may email me at the address listed above. If I don’t respond within 3 working days, feel free to send me a follow-up email (I get a lot of emails sorry!).

For e-mail communication with staff, University regulations indicate that you must use a valid UNSW student account. E-mail is best suited for asking simple questions on course administration that require a short reply. E-mail is neither an appropriate nor an effective medium of learning. Do not expect me to reply to an e-mail that requests extensive or substantive answers. These questions are best raised in a drop-in session or on the General Forums. Do not send direct messages to me via Moodle or via Microsoft Teams.

You should make sure that you have setup your UNSW student email address to automatically forward your email messages to the email address that you regularly use (Gmail or otherwise). You can setup email forwarding at the UNSW Identity Manager website.


3. Learning and Teaching Activities

Use of your Webcam and Digital Devices: If you enrol in an online class, or the online stream of a hybrid class, teaching and associated activities will be conducted using Teams, Zoom, or similar a technology. Using a webcam is optional, but highly encouraged, as this will facilitate interaction with your peers and instructors. If you are worried about your personal space being observed during a class, we encourage you to blur your background or make use of a virtual background. Please contact the Lecturer-in-Charge if you have any questions or concerns.

Some courses may involve undertaking online exams for which your own computer or digital devices will be required. Monitoring of online examinations will be conducted directly by University staff and is bound by the University's privacy and security requirements. Any data collected will be handled accordance with UNSW policies and standards for data governance. For more information on how the University manages personal information please refer to the UNSW Student Privacy Statement and the UNSW Privacy Policy.

Approach to Learning and Teaching in the Course

In this term, you can choose to study the course either completely online or by attending face-to-face lectures on campus (or a combination of both). All assessments will be individual (no group assignments) and submitted online. The lectures for each Unit of the course will be made available on Youtube. You can also ask questions about the course materials in the 'General Forums' or during the drop-in sessions on Zoom.

Your main learning resource will be the detailed lectures (which will be recorded so that you can watch them again later) and the associated teaching slides. The lecture slides are available under the 'Course Resources' section of the course website.

There is a prescribed textbook for this course. If you plan to work as a financial adviser in the future, you should purchase this textbook and read the prescribed chapters. If you are studying this course for your personal benefit only, watching the recorded lectures is sufficient (you do not need to buy the textbook).

You can ask questions about the course materials and assessment in the ‘General Forums’ on the course website (Moodle). I will check these forums and answer questions every day from Mondays to Fridays commencing on week 1 of the teaching term.

Learning Activities and Teaching Strategies

The teaching strategy involves three elements: (i) watching the online lectures (and asking questions in the general forums) (ii) your private reading of the prescribed reading materials (lecture slides), (iii) testing your knowledge and skills through the assessment program.

5. Course Resources

Lectures

Online lectures for each Unit will be made available on Youtube. These online lectures and the associated slides are your main learning resource for this course. The teaching slides will be available under the 'Course Resources' section of the course website. The details on how to access your lectures will be provided towards the top of the course website.

Textbook

If you are studying this course for personal interest and are not planning on working as a financial adviser, the lectures, slides and other materials provided on the course website are sufficient for your learning needs. You are not required to purchase the recommended textbook.

If you are planning on working as a financial adviser in the future and are undertaking this course as part of the Approved Degree Program, you should purchase the following textbook:
Author: Sharon Taylor
Title: Financial Planning in Australia: Advice and Wealth Management
Edition: 10th (2022)
Publisher: LexisNexis Butterworths
Printed and electronic versions are available from www.lexisnexis.com.au

Recommended Resources

Regulatory guides, standards and rulings from the following resources:

  • asic.gov.au
  • fasea.gov.au
  • ato.gov.au

Some fantastic resources on human behaviour and behavioural finance include:

  • Kahneman, D 2011, Thinking, Fast and Slow, Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
  • Ariely, D 2009, Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, HarperCollins Publishers.
  • Thaler, R H and Sunstein, C R 2009, Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness, Penguin Putnam Inc.

Course website

The course assessments include a significant online component using the course website. You can access this website using your student number and Unipass by visiting Moodle.

If you have outstanding course fees and library fines then your access to the website may be disabled. It is your responsibility to resolve these issues with the university promptly so that you can submit assessments on time. You should also note that it can take three or more working days before access is granted.

6. Course Evaluation & Development

Feedback is regularly sought from students and continual improvements are made based on this feedback. At the end of this course, you will be asked to complete the myExperience survey, which provides a key source of student evaluative feedback. Your input into this quality enhancement process is extremely valuable in assisting us to meet the needs of our students and provide an effective and enriching learning experience. The results of all surveys are carefully considered and do lead to action towards enhancing educational quality.

​To comply government accreditation requirements, elements of behavioral finance and client engagement were added to the course in 2020. The course has been re-designed over the Summer 2021 to make it more fun, interesting and practically applicable. The assessment were also improved to make them more genuine and interesting. The course went through a thorough review process as part of the MCom Revitalisation Project in Term 3 2022. Iterative improvements are made to the lecture content and assessments each term based on student feedback.

7. Course Schedule

Note: for more information on the UNSW academic calendar and key dates including study period, exam, supplementary exam and result release, please visit: https://student.unsw.edu.au/new-calendar-dates
Week Activity Topic Assessment/Other
W1: Mon 13 Feb 2023

1. Financial Intelligence

Quiz 1 due Sun 11:59pm

W2: Mon 20 Feb 2023

2. Financial Strategy

Quiz 2 due Sun 11:59pm

W3: Mon 27 Feb 2023

3. Financial Independence

Quiz 3 due Sun 11:59pm

W4: Mon 6 Mar 2023

4. Career Strategy

Quiz 4 due Sun 11:59pm

W5: Mon 13 Mar 2023

5. Property and Loans

Quiz 5 due Sun 11:59pm

W6: Mon 20 Mar 2023

6. Ethics and Compliance

Quiz 6 due Sun 11:59pm

W7: Mon 27 Mar 2023

7. Risk Management

Quiz 7 due Sun 11:59pm

W8: Mon 3 Apr 2023

8. Taxation Planning

Adviser Engagement due Mon 1:00pm

Quiz 8 due Sun 11:59pm

W9: Mon 10 Apr 2023

9. Investing in Shares

Quiz 9 due Sun 11:59pm

W10: Mon 17 Apr 2023

10. Investment Strategy

Learning Community due Mon 1:00pm

Quiz 10 due Sun 11:59pm

W11: Mon 24 Apr 2023

No assessments due

W12: Mon 1 May 2023

Financial Plan due Mon 1:00pm

8. Policies and Support

Information about UNSW Business School program learning outcomes, academic integrity, student responsibilities and student support services. For information regarding special consideration, supplementary exams and viewing final exam scripts, please go to the key policies and support page.

Program Learning Outcomes

The Business School places knowledge and capabilities at the core of its curriculum via seven Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs). These PLOs are systematically embedded and developed across the duration of all coursework programs in the Business School.

PLOs embody the knowledge, skills and capabilities that are taught, practised and assessed within each Business School program. They articulate what you should know and be able to do upon successful completion of your degree.

Upon graduation, you should have a high level of specialised business knowledge and capacity for responsible business thinking, underpinned by ethical professional practice. You should be able to harness, manage and communicate business information effectively and work collaboratively with others. You should be an experienced problem-solver and critical thinker, with a global perspective, cultural competence and the potential for innovative leadership.

All UNSW programs and courses are designed to assess the attainment of program and/or course level learning outcomes, as required by the UNSW Assessment Design Procedure. It is important that you become familiar with the Business School PLOs, as they constitute the framework which informs and shapes the components and assessments of the courses within your program of study.

PLO 1: Business knowledge

Students will make informed and effective selection and application of knowledge in a discipline or profession, in the contexts of local and global business.

PLO 2: Problem solving

Students will define and address business problems, and propose effective evidence-based solutions, through the application of rigorous analysis and critical thinking.

PLO 3: Business communication

Students will harness, manage and communicate business information effectively using multiple forms of communication across different channels.

PLO 4: Teamwork

Students will interact and collaborate effectively with others to achieve a common business purpose or fulfil a common business project, and reflect critically on the process and the outcomes.

PLO 5: Responsible business practice

Students will develop and be committed to responsible business thinking and approaches, which are underpinned by ethical professional practice and sustainability considerations.

PLO 6: Global and cultural competence

Students will be aware of business systems in the wider world and actively committed to recognise and respect the cultural norms, beliefs and values of others, and will apply this knowledge to interact, communicate and work effectively in diverse environments.

PLO 7: Leadership development

Students will develop the capacity to take initiative, encourage forward thinking and bring about innovation, while effectively influencing others to achieve desired results.


These PLOs relate to undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs.  For PG Research PLOs, including Master of Pre-Doctoral Business Studies, please refer to the UNSW HDR Learning Outcomes

Business School course outlines provide detailed information for students on how the course learning outcomes, learning activities, and assessment/s contribute to the development of Program Learning Outcomes.

UNSW Graduate Capabilities

The Business School PLOs also incorporate UNSW graduate capabilities, a set of generic abilities and skills that all students are expected to achieve by graduation. These capabilities articulate the University’s institutional values, as well as future employer expectations.

UNSW Graduate CapabilitiesBusiness School PLOs
Scholars capable of independent and collaborative enquiry, rigorous in their analysis, critique and reflection, and able to innovate by applying their knowledge and skills to the solution of novel as well as routine problems.
  • PLO 1: Business knowledge
  • PLO 2: Problem solving
  • PLO 3: Business communication
  • PLO 4: Teamwork
  • PLO 7: Leadership development

Entrepreneurial leaders capable of initiating and embracing innovation and change, as well as engaging and enabling others to contribute to change
  • PLO 1: Business knowledge
  • PLO 2: Problem solving
  • PLO 3: Business communication
  • PLO 4: Teamwork
  • PLO 6: Global and cultural competence
  • PLO 7: Leadership development

Professionals capable of ethical, self-directed practice and independent lifelong learning
  • PLO 1: Business knowledge
  • PLO 2: Problem solving
  • PLO 3: Business communication
  • PLO 5: Responsible business practice

Global citizens who are culturally adept and capable of respecting diversity and acting in a socially just and responsible way.
  • PLO 1: Business knowledge
  • PLO 2: Problem solving
  • PLO 3: Business communication
  • PLO 4: Teamwork
  • PLO 5: Responsible business practice
  • PLO 6: Global and cultural competence

While our programs are designed to provide coverage of all PLOs and graduate capabilities, they also provide you with a great deal of choice and flexibility.  The Business School strongly advises you to choose a range of courses that assist your development against the seven PLOs and four graduate capabilities, and to keep a record of your achievements as part of your portfolio. You can use a portfolio as evidence in employment applications as well as a reference for work or further study. For support with selecting your courses contact the UNSW Business School Student Services team.





Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

Academic Integrity is honest and responsible scholarship. This form of ethical scholarship is highly valued at UNSW. Terms like Academic Integrity, misconduct, referencing, conventions, plagiarism, academic practices, citations and evidence based learning are all considered basic concepts that successful university students understand. Learning how to communicate original ideas, refer sources, work independently, and report results accurately and honestly are skills that you will be able to carry beyond your studies.

The definition of academic misconduct is broad. It covers practices such as cheating, copying and using another person’s work without appropriate acknowledgement. Incidents of academic misconduct may have serious consequences for students.

Plagiarism

UNSW regards plagiarism as a form of academic misconduct. UNSW has very strict rules regarding plagiarism. Plagiarism at UNSW is using the words or ideas of others and passing them off as your own. All Schools in the Business School have a Student Ethics Officer who will investigate incidents of plagiarism and may result in a student’s name being placed on the Plagiarism and Student Misconduct Registers.

Below are examples of plagiarism including self-plagiarism:

Copying: Using the same or very similar words to the original text or idea without acknowledging the source or using quotation marks. This includes copying materials, ideas or concepts from a book, article, report or other written document, presentation, composition, artwork, design, drawing, circuitry, computer program or software, website, internet, other electronic resource, or another person's assignment, without appropriate acknowledgement of authorship.

Inappropriate Paraphrasing: Changing a few words and phrases while mostly retaining the original structure and/or progression of ideas of the original, and information without acknowledgement. This also applies in presentations where someone paraphrases another’s ideas or words without credit and to piecing together quotes and paraphrases into a new whole, without appropriate referencing.

Collusion: Presenting work as independent work when it has been produced in whole or part in collusion with other people. Collusion includes:

  • Students providing their work to another student before the due date, or for the purpose of them plagiarising at any time
  • Paying another person to perform an academic task and passing it off as your own
  • Stealing or acquiring another person’s academic work and copying it
  • Offering to complete another person’s work or seeking payment for completing academic work

Collusion should not be confused with academic collaboration (i.e., shared contribution towards a group task).

Inappropriate Citation: Citing sources which have not been read, without acknowledging the 'secondary' source from which knowledge of them has been obtained.

Self-Plagiarism: ‘Self-plagiarism’ occurs where an author republishes their own previously written work and presents it as new findings without referencing the earlier work, either in its entirety or partially. Self-plagiarism is also referred to as 'recycling', 'duplication', or 'multiple submissions of research findings' without disclosure. In the student context, self-plagiarism includes re-using parts of, or all of, a body of work that has already been submitted for assessment without proper citation.

To see if you understand plagiarism, do this short quiz: https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism-quiz

Cheating

The University also regards cheating as a form of academic misconduct. Cheating is knowingly submitting the work of others as their own and includes contract cheating (work produced by an external agent or third party that is submitted under the pretences of being a student’s original piece of work). Cheating is not acceptable at UNSW.

If you need to revise or clarify any terms associated with academic integrity you should explore the 'Working with Academic Integrity' self-paced lessons available at: https://student.unsw.edu.au/aim.

For UNSW policies, penalties, and information to help you avoid plagiarism see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism as well as the guidelines in the online ELISE tutorials for all new UNSW students: http://subjectguides.library.unsw.edu.au/elise. For information on student conduct see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/conduct.

For information on how to acknowledge your sources and reference correctly, see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/referencing. If you are unsure what referencing style to use in this course, you should ask the lecturer in charge.



Student Responsibilities and Conduct

​Students are expected to be familiar with and adhere to university policies in relation to class attendance and general conduct and behaviour, including maintaining a safe, respectful environment; and to understand their obligations in relation to workload, assessment and keeping informed.

Information and policies on these topics can be found on the 'Managing your Program' website.

Workload

It is expected that you will spend at least ten to twelve hours per week studying for a course except for Summer Term courses which have a minimum weekly workload of twenty to twenty four hours. This time should be made up of reading, research, working on exercises and problems, online activities and attending classes. In periods where you need to complete assignments or prepare for examinations, the workload may be greater. Over-commitment has been a cause of failure for many students. You should take the required workload into account when planning how to balance study with employment and other activities.

We strongly encourage you to connect with your Moodle course websites in the first week of semester. Local and international research indicates that students who engage early and often with their course website are more likely to pass their course.

View more information on expected workload

Attendance and Engagement

Your regular attendance and active engagement in all scheduled classes and online learning activities is expected in this course. Failure to attend / engage in assessment tasks that are integrated into learning activities (e.g. class discussion, presentations) will be reflected in the marks for these assessable activities. The Business School may refuse final assessment to those students who attend less than 80% of scheduled classes where attendance and participation is required as part of the learning process (e.g. tutorials, flipped classroom sessions, seminars, labs, etc.). If you are not able to regularly attend classes, you should consult the relevant Course Authority.

View more information on attendance

General Conduct and Behaviour

You are expected to conduct yourself with consideration and respect for the needs of your fellow students and teaching staff. Conduct which unduly disrupts or interferes with a class, such as ringing or talking on mobile phones, is not acceptable and students may be asked to leave the class.

View more information on student conduct

Health and Safety

UNSW Policy requires each person to work safely and responsibly, in order to avoid personal injury and to protect the safety of others.

View more information on Health and Safety

Keeping Informed

You should take note of all announcements made in lectures, tutorials or on the course web site. From time to time, the University will send important announcements to your university e-mail address without providing you with a paper copy. You will be deemed to have received this information. It is also your responsibility to keep the University informed of all changes to your contact details.




Student Support and Resources

The University and the Business School provide a wide range of support services and resources for students, including:

Business School Learning Support Tools
Business School provides support a wide range of free resources and services to help students in-class and out-of-class, as well as online. These include:

  • Academic Communication Essentials – A range of academic communication workshops, modules and resources to assist you in developing your academic communication skills.
  • Learning consultations – Meet learning consultants who have expertise in business studies, literacy, numeracy and statistics, writing, referencing, and researching at university level.
  • PASS classes – Study sessions facilitated by students who have previously and successfully completed the course.
  • Educational Resource Access Scheme – To support the inclusion and success of students from equity groups enrolled at UNSW Sydney in first year undergraduate Business programs.

The Nucleus - Business School Student Services team
The Nucleus Student Services team provides advice and direction on all aspects of enrolment and graduation. Level 2, Main Library, Kensington 02 8936 7005 / https://nucleus.unsw.edu.au/en/contact-us

Business School Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
The Business School Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee strives to ensure that every student is empowered to have equal access to education. The Business School provides a vibrant, safe, and equitable environment for education, research, and engagement that embraces diversity and treats all people with dignity and respect. BUSEDI@unsw.edu.au

UNSW Academic Skills
Resources and support – including workshops, individual consultations and a range of online resources – to help you develop and refine your academic skills. See their website for details.
academicskills@unsw.edu.au

Student Support Advisors
Student Support Advisors work with all students to promote the development of skills needed to succeed at university, whilst also providing personal support throughout the process.
John Goodsell Building, Ground Floor.
advisors@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

International Student Support
The International Student Experience Unit (ISEU) is the first point of contact for international students. ISEU staff are always here to help with personalised advice and information about all aspects of university life and life in Australia.
Advisors can support you with your student visa, health and wellbeing, making friends, accommodation and academic performance.
International.student@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

Equitable Learning Services
Equitable Learning Services (formerly Disability Support Services) is a free and confidential service that provides practical support to ensure that your health condition doesn't adversely affect your studies. Register with the service to receive educational adjustments.
Ground Floor, John Goodsell Building.
els@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

UNSW Counselling and Psychological Services
Provides support and services if you need help with your personal life, getting your academic life back on track or just want to know how to stay safe, including free, confidential counselling.
Level 2, East Wing, Quadrangle Building.
counselling@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 5418

Library services and facilities for students
The UNSW Library offers a range of collections, services and facilities both on-campus and online.
Main Library, F21.
02 9065 9444

Moodle eLearning Support
Moodle is the University’s learning management system. You should ensure that you log into Moodle regularly.
externalteltsupport@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 3331

UNSW IT
UNSW IT provides support and services for students such as password access, email services, wireless services and technical support.
UNSW Library Annexe (Ground floor).
02 9385 1333



Support for Studying Online

The Business School and UNSW provide a wide range of tools, support and advice to help students achieve their online learning goals. 

The UNSW Guide to Online Study page provides guidance for students on how to make the most of online study.

We recognise that completing quizzes and exams online can be challenging for a number of reasons, including the possibility of technical glitches or lack of reliable internet. We recommend you review the Online Exam Preparation Checklist of things to prepare when sitting an online exam.

FINS5510