FAAA Masterclass Series

High quality professional development. Designed by financial planners, for financial planners.

The FAAA Masterclass Series has been designed by financial planners for financial planners to offer high quality professional development to support planners in building a sustainable business and deliver good and affordable advice for the benefit of their clients. This year we are offering two series of Masterclass.

The new FAAA Masterclass Autumn Series 2024 is now available to purchase and takes a deep dive into:

  • Estate Planning
  • Taxation (Financial) Advice
  • Ethics

Format

  • 12 virtual sessions across three streams presented from March 2024 to June 2024
  • Each session is 75 minutes.
  • Each masterclass will be 1.25 CPD hours – a total of 15 hours for the whole series.
  • Watch live or on-demand – your choice!
  • Masterclass available on-demand for 12 months afterwards for flexible learning.

Price

Register for the full package or purchase individual streams that suit your professional learning needs.

Full series package (12 sessions across 3 streams) 

CFP Member – $199

FAAA member – $229

Non-member – $499

Price per individual stream 

CFP Member – $89

FAAA member – $99

Non-member – $299

Offshore Tax Aspects of Deceased Estates

Ian Raspin

Wednesday 6 March 2024, 12pm-1:15pm AEDT

Join Ian Raspin for this session as he explores from a high-level the complexities of how Australian taxation laws apply, and changes based on the residency status of a taxpayer, their executor or even that of their beneficiaries.  With an ever-increasing multicultural society and global community, it is not surprising that many clients will have assets they historically acquired prior to becoming an Australian resident, or as an Australian resident, they personally acquired or even inherited from an offshore estate.

Many of these clients may likewise have children or other beneficiaries living abroad. All of these combinations, along with the characteristic of the asset, can result in significantly different tax outcomes. Ian’s session will provide advisors with a conceptual understanding of how these combinations interplay with not only estate planning and administration, but equally how they could impact on investment decisions and recommendations.
The Essential Tips for a Good Estate Plan and Traps to Avoid

Peter Bobbin

Wednesday 13 March 2024, 12pm-1:15pm AEDT
Is your client estate plan up to date and fit for (their) purpose?  Why not stress test their plan against Peter Bobbin’s ten-point critical tips?  In a fast-paced session you will learn.

– Must have power appointment terms.
– Why and how critical estate planning thinking is not about your client.
– When to super BDBN and more importantly when to not.
– Why the testamentary trust is over-rated.
– What must be done now to be estate plan ready.
 
Peter Bobbin is the father of modern estate planning, his strategies from 1985 are still relevant to this day. Join us and test your planning to see if your estate plan skills are still relevant today.
Estate Planning, Business Risks and Tips for Financial Advisers

Peter Bobbin

Wednesday 20 March 2024, 12pm-1:15pm AEDT
When you do client estate planning, do you ensure where and how you fit in?  It is great to get your client well-structured and planned but might it work against you?  Let Peter Bobbin tell you what you need to know to ensure that you fit into the plan in an ethically and commercially structured way that protects your business.  In this session learn about.

– The fine but clear line of legal versus financial estate planning
– What authorities you need to enable you to financially carry out the estate plan.
– Executor or Power of Attorney?  Yes, you can in three defined steps.
– The notices to give now to clients to preserve your future.
– How to work with the professional estate planning lawyer or accountant.
 
Estate Planning Solutions for Vulnerable Beneficiaries

Kathy Havers

Wednesday 27 March 2024, 12pm-1:15pm AEST
This session is invaluable for Advisors who have families or carers with vulnerable or disabled beneficiaries.   

Join Kathy Havers CFP, MEI, GAICD, as she shares her wealth of knowledge to help you give families with disabilities peace of mind that the person they care for will be protected and provided as they would wish both during their lifetime but in Estate Planning as well.

Providing advice to families and carers who have a vulnerable or disabled beneficiary requires some additional strategic estate planning advice at numerous life stages. 

Likewise, dealing with an estate, where one or more beneficiaries are profoundly disabled also requires a different approach.  There is the potential for them to lose their Centrelink benefits or NDIS if not done correctly, and the opportunity to set them up with all the protective trusts they need to maximise all the supports possible and maximise the choices they will have in life thereafter whilst someone trusted remains in control. 

 
One in 4 of us will suffer disability before age 65, so there are many clients to whom this advice can be invaluable.

Relationship Breakdown – The Tax Consequences

Bruce Thomas

Wednesday 3 April 2024,12pm-1:15pm AEDT
Divorces often lead to a number of tax implications, particularly when transferring real property from one party to another.  If you have a client who is recently divorced or contemplating getting a divorce, then it is important to understand the tax implications this will have.

This session highlights the key tax implications surrounding a divorce or separation.
 
FBT and Electric Vehicles

Wednesday 10 April 2024, 12pm-1:15pm AEST
More Information coming soon.
Year End Tax Planning – how to maximise deductions before 30 June

Brian Goodridge

Wednesday 17 April 2024, 12pm-1:15pm AEST
More information coming soon.
Small Business CGT – Tax Concessions

James McPhedran

Wednesday 24 April 2024, 12pm-1:15pm AEST
The small business CGT concessions are one of the most sought-after tax concessions available for small business.  However, they are also one of the most poorly understood and are a high priority review area for the ATO. 

This session will examine some of the basic technical aspects of this legislation in a case study context.

Practical examples of basic issues such as:
– Active Asset.
– $6m net asset value test.
– Connected entity issues.
 
Client Capacity – Ethical Decision Making

Richard Hopkin

Wednesday 29 May 2024, 12pm-1:15pm AEST
Financial advisers are confronted with clients whose capacity is declining, which raises both legal and ethical issues. As Australia’s population lives longer, more advisers will be exposed to clients with declining capacity. Advisers will also be on the front line of the “great wealth transfer” in the next few decades – planning for and managing deteriorating client capacity will be a critical element of inheritance and wealth transfer planning.

In this session, Richard Hopkin, Senior Associate at Cowell Clarke Commercial Lawyers, will navigate the ethics of providing services to clients who might no longer have capacity, including practical tips about establishing whether a client has capacity and what to do where a client’s instructions become contrary to their best interests.
Recognising and Mitigating Our Bias: An Ethical Lens

Nidal Danoun

Wednesday 5 June 2024, 12pm-1:15pm AEST
 
Biases affect all of us all the time. It is therefore important to build our awareness to recognise our biases and their impact on our daily lives to enable us to mitigate their impact. This is particularly relevant when we consider biases impact on ethical decision making.

In this session we will address the following:
– Conscious and unconscious biases.
– Biases and their impediment to ethical behaviour.
– Biases impact on ethical thinking and ethical decision making.
– Case study application.
 

Ethical Pitfalls of Advising Couples

Richard Hopkin

Wednesday 12 June 2024, 12pm-1:15pm AEST
Financial advisers frequently advise couples and families. As a result, advisers will be confronted with legal and ethical issues associated with advising couples, particularly in the context of family breakdown. Given their position as trusted advisers with unique knowledge of their clients’ assets, advisers can be faced with circumstances that are difficult to navigate, including non-responsive clients, conflicting instructions and conflicting interests.
 
In this session, Richard Hopkin, Senior Associate at Cowell Clarke Commercial Lawyers, will take advisers through the ethical pitfalls of providing services to couples as clients, including practical tips about what to do when clients’ interests diverge in the course of a relationship breakdown.
Ethical Case Studies and Dilemmas – Real Life Examples

Rob Kimberley

Wednesday 19 June 2024, 12pm-1:15pm AEST
In this session we will be reviewing real life case studies to understand the dilemmas arising and perspectives around resolving the ethical challenges.

Join Rob Kimberley and an esteemed panel as they unpack a series of ethical scenarios from actual cases and real-life dilemmas submitted by FAAA members.  Explore complex themes, including the delicate balance between professional and personal relationships, and your professional duties to multiple counterparties.
 
Witness how these experts navigate through challenging situations while upholding the highest ethical standards.  Gain invaluable insights and practical strategies to confront ethical quandaries in your own practice. Don’t miss this interactive session to enhance your ethical decision-making skills and elevate your ethical practice to new heights.


Speakers


FAAA Masterclass – The Business of Advice is still available to purchase to view on demand and takes a deep dive into:

  • Building a client-centred practice
  • Building an ethical practice
  • Building a sustainable practice

For full session breakdowns and to purchase Masterclass – The Business of Advice click here.