FINS5510 Personal Financial Planning
INSTRUCTIONS
Adviser Engagement Assignment
Andrew Hingston v2023.3
Overview 2
Due Date 2
Weight 2
Late Penalties 2
Special Consideration 3
Individual Assessment 3
No Artificial Intelligence 4
Videos 4
Questions 4
Word Limit 5
Writing Style 5
References and citations 6
Template 6
Formatting 7
Software 7
File Size 7
Submission 8
Assessment Criteria 9
Marking Rubric 9
Grade and Feedback 10
Adviser Engagement Assignment 2
© UNSW Business School
Overview
In future, you may be practicing as a financial adviser. Even if you don't end up working
in the financial planning industry, you (or a member of your family) will likely need to
engage with a professional financial adviser to give you feedback on your ideas and to
help implement your financial plan. The purpose of this assessment is to assess your
ability to identify some important best practices and skills when providing financial
advice to clients. It is required that we assess this since this course is part of an
Approved Degree Program for practising as a financial adviser in Australia. The
assessment involves watching some videos of financial advisers interacting with clients
and answering two questions. The videos are on Youtube, with the link provided under
the ‘Adviser Engagement’ section of the course website. We have provided videos of
two advisers (Jeremy and Tristan) but you are only required to watch the videos of one
adviser. The questions are under the ‘Questions’ section of the Adviser Engagement
Instructions document. There is no word limit for your answers to the questions, but
most students write a total of between 1,000 and 3,000 words for this assessment (with
about half allocated to each question). The answer to both questions should be
submitted in Microsoft Word format using the Microsoft Word template provided.
Due Date
Assessment Due Date*
Adviser Engagement Assignment 1:00pm Monday Week 8 (30 Oct 2023)
* All times are Sydney time
Weight
The Adviser Engagement Assignment is worth 20% of your assessment for this course.
Late Penalties
Late submission will incur a penalty of 5 percentage points per day or part thereof
(including weekends) from the due date and time. An assessment will not be accepted
after 5 days (120 hours) of the original deadline unless special consideration has been
approved. An assignment is considered late if the requested format, such as hard copy
or electronic copy, has not been submitted on time or an incorrect document has been
submitted.
The late penalty applies to your score for the assignment (not the maximum possible
score). For example, if your raw score is 70/100 and the assignment is submitted 2
days late, a 10 mark penalty will apply and so your score would be reduced to 60/100.
Note that there is a small ‘grace period’ of a few minutes after the submission time to
allow for slow internet connections or slow website performance. No penalty will apply
Adviser Engagement Assignment 3
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if the submission is within this ‘grace period’. Please do not email me asking if your
submission falls within this grace period.
Since this assignment can be submitted at any time during the term, the maximum
period of special consideration that will be granted for this assessment (for any reason)
is 7 days from the original due date. Also, the maximum extension that will be granted
for Equitable Learning Plans will also be 7 days from the original due date. Any
submissions received after this will automatically be awarded a score of zero.
Special Consideration
Special consideration will only be granted in exceptional cases. You should work on
this assignment well before the due date. Being ill on the day before the assessment
due date will not normally constitute grounds for special consideration.
If special consideration is granted, the maximum extension that will be granted is
7 days from the original due date. Any assignments received more than 7 days from
the original due date will automatically be awarded a score of zero.
An application for Special Consideration together with supporting documentation must
be submitted online within 3 working days of the due date. The process for applying
for special consideration is here: https://student.unsw.edu.au/special-consideration
Individual Assessment
This is an individual assessment. All written work must be your own work. Seeking
assistance with your written work or research constitutes academic misconduct.
Seeking assistance from Artificial Intelligence computer programs also constitutes
academic misconduct. Providing assistance to any other student also constitutes
academic misconduct. Copying or paraphrasing the work of any other student (from
current or previous terms) constitutes academic misconduct. Basing your answer on
an assignment submitted by another student is academic misconduct. Providing a copy
of your assignment to another student is academic misconduct. Posting a copy of your
assignment on a website is academic misconduct (except for submitting your
assignment on the course website under the appropriate submission link).
If another student approaches you for assistance, please note the time, date and
details of the incident and email the details to me at andrew.hingston@unsw.edu.au .
For some students, English is not your first language and so you may not feel confident
with your English grammar. In this course, obtaining assistance from someone else to
help correct spelling or grammar is not considered academic misconduct.
UNSW has no tolerance for students who are dishonest. Academic misconduct is a
serious offence. It can result in zero being awarded for this assessment, a failure grade
for the course and/or removal from the University.
Adviser Engagement Assignment 4
© UNSW Business School
No Artificial Intelligence
Using Artificial Intelligence programs or services is not permitted in this assessment.
There are two exceptions to the above ‘no use of Artificial Intelligence’ rule. Students
for whom English is their second language are allowed to use Artificial Intelligence
programs (such as Google Translate) to translate from their native language into
English or to translate from English to their native language. Students with writing
difficulties are allowed to use Artificial Intelligence programs (such as Grammarly) to
help correct their spelling and grammar.
Videos
The videos for this assignment are on Youtube under the ‘Adviser Engagement’
playlist. The link to this playlist is provided under the ‘Adviser Engagement’ section of
the course website.
Tristan Scifo (Purpose Advisory) and Jeremy Chiel (Stonehouse Group) have provided
some roleplays that demonstrate some ‘good’ and ‘bad’ examples of interactions with
clients. You are only required to watch the videos from one adviser, but better
submissions will draw examples from the videos of both advisers. To make it clear
which roleplays are ‘bad’ and ‘good’, I have included ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ in the titles
before each section of the video. The bad examples are pretty funny at times, so sit
back and have a good laugh. Note that there are both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ versions of
Jeremy’s videos but some of Tristan’s roleplays only have ‘good’ versions.
There are some additional videos of Alexander Pan, who is a compliance officer in the
financial planning industry. These may be useful to watch as you attempt to formulate
your answer to Questions 1 and 2.
These videos work best when you watch them on your large-screen TV in your media
room. Sit back, grab the popcorn and enjoy watching them (taking notes as you go)!
Questions
There are two questions that you must answer. Please use headings for ‘Question 1’
and ‘Question 2’ and answer them separately. Parts (a) and (b) within a question do
not need separate headings and can be answered holistically or as two separate parts
(the choice is up to you). Each question is marked separately and so it is okay for you
to repeat arguments or examples that you used in Question 1 for your answer to
Question 2.
Question 1 (50 marks)
a) Provide specific examples of situations in which Tristan and/or Jeremy attempted
to evaluate, analyse and communicate a deep understanding of the client’s
Adviser Engagement Assignment 5
© UNSW Business School
situation, financial resources, financial goals, budget, risk perceptions, investment,
insurance and other financial planning needs. Provide specific examples of
situations in which they failed to do so.
b) Explain why it is an important part of the financial planning process for a financial
adviser to have a deep understanding of the client’s situation, financial resources,
financial goals, budget, risk perceptions, investment, insurance and other financial
planning needs before preparing a Statement of Advice (financial plan) for the
client.
Question 2 (50 marks)
a) Provide specific examples of steps or actions that Tristan and/or Jeremy undertook
to apply ethical principles, professional standards and/or comply with legislation
and regulations as they interacted with their clients. Provide specific examples of
situations in which they failed to do so.
b) Explain why it is an important for financial advisers to apply ethical principles,
professional standards and to conform with legislation and regulations when they
interact with their clients.
Word Limit
There is no word limit to this assignment. The expected total number of words for
both questions is somewhere between 1,000 and 3,000 words. If you would like to
write more than 3,000 words, you are welcome to do so. Roughly half of the total word
count should be allocated to each question. Each question has two parts (a and b).
There is no specific mark allocation provided to each part of the question since each
question is graded holistically (based on both parts). The ‘a’ and ‘b’ parts are provided
to make each part of the question clear. In the past, students normally write a roughly
similar number of words on parts a) and b) for each question.
Writing Style
You should adopt a ‘report’ writing style for this assignment. This means that you can
use headings and make selective use of bullet-points, tables or diagrams (if
appropriate).
Please use headings for ‘Question 1’ and ‘Question 2’ and answer them separately,
since I mark each question separately. You may also include ‘a’ and ‘b’ labels for each
question part, but this is not required. You can choose to answer a question holistically
(covering both part a and b) in one integrated answer or you can answer each part
separately. However, remember that Questions 1 and 2 must be answered separately
and you should use separate headings for them.
Adviser Engagement Assignment 6
© UNSW Business School
References and citations
When citing specific videos in your answer, please just use the adviser name and the
timecode reference (mm:ss) in brackets. Full references and citations to the adviser
videos are not required since they are the focus of this assessment. For example, if
you are referring to the video with Jeremy Chiel to a timecode reference of 10 minutes
15 seconds, use the following in-text reference (Jeremy Chiel 10:15). There is no need
to include the adviser videos in your list of references.
If you would like to reference my lecture slides, an informal approach is acceptable.
Please just reference the title of the Unit and the slide number. There is no need to cite
my name or treat it as a published work. There is no need to include my lecture slides
in your list of references.
Citations and references for any other article or website should follow standard
university assignment citation and referencing principles. You may use Harvard,
Oxford or APA referencing (see below).
For website references, I’m usually happy with just the author (or company), the date
that it was accessed and a URL (preferably hyperlinked). For example:
"Domain Property Group, accessed 15 August 2023, https://www.domain.com.au "
The following website provides some good examples for referencing for other
documents:
https://student.unsw.edu.au/citing-different-sources
When referring to other sources, the standard method for citations at UNSW is in-text
(Harvard). However, in this course I don’t mind whether you use Harvard, Oxford or
APA style referencing.
More information on the in-text (Harvard) method is here:
https://student.unsw.edu.au/harvard-referencing
More information on the footnote (Oxford) method is here:
https://student.unsw.edu.au/footnote-bibliography-or-oxford-referencing-system
More information on APA referencing method is here:
https://www.student.unsw.edu.au/how-cite-references-apa-style
References are not included in your word count.
Template
You should use the Microsoft Word Template document provided under the ‘Adviser
Engagement’ section of the course website. Note that as a student at UNSW, you have
access to the full suite of Microsoft Office 365 applications. More information about
accessing this software is on page 7.
Adviser Engagement Assignment 7
© UNSW Business School
Formatting
Fonts: Please only use either Arial (PC) or Helvetica (Mac) fonts. Students with
dyslexia who find these fonts difficult to read may use Times New Roman.
Font sizes: Please use font size 11 pt for your body text.
Line spacing: Use the default in the Microsoft Word Template provided (1.08 lines).
Styles: Use the styles provided in the Microsoft Word Template provided.
File format: You should submit your file in Microsoft Word format.
Filename: Please use the filename following the format ‘zID Adviser
Engagement.docx’. If your zID is z999999, you should name your document
‘z999999 Adviser Engagement.docx’.
Software
Your Learning Community Report should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document.
All students at UNSW have access to the full suite of Microsoft Office 365 products
for free (on both Windows and Mac). This includes downloadable versions of the entire
Microsoft Office suite to 15 devices (5 desktops, 5 tablets and 5 mobiles).
The steps for downloading the latest version of MS Office are as follows:
1. Go to https://login.microsoftonline.com
2. Login with the same zPass that you use for Moodle using the
‘zID@ad.unsw.edu.au’ version of your UNSW student email. For example:
z1234567@ad.unsw.edu.au
3. Click the ‘Install Office’ button
4. Choose ‘Office 365 apps’.
More information is available here (although it is a little out of date):
https://student.unsw.edu.au/sites/all/files/uploads/group228/notices/office-proplus.pdf
For students who use the Linux operating system, you should either use one of the
university labs to write the assignment, use a word processor that will export to a
Microsoft Word file format or use a Google Doc and export to Microsoft Word format.
File Size
The maximum file size permitted by Moodle is 40MB. If your file is larger than this, then
it is most likely because you have used some high-resolution images (which are not
expected to be used in this assessment). Please locate the super-high-res images in
your document and downscale them. More on this here:
Adviser Engagement Assignment 8
© UNSW Business School
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/reduce-the-file-size-of-a-picture-in-microsoft-
office-8db7211c-d958-457c-babd-194109eb9535
Submission
Your Adviser Engagement Assignment should be submitted on the course website by
the due date listed on page 2. The link for submitting your assignment is under the
‘Adviser Engagement’ section of the course website.
The TurnItIn Originality Check will only be performed once at the due day and time.
You will not receive an originality report when you submit your assignment. Your
Originality Score (plagiarism detection) is usually not a problem if you have written your
assignment yourself without assistance from others.
The maximum file size of submissions is 40MB. If your file is too big, please decrease
the size of your images. Instructions for how to do this are in the previous section.
You can resubmit your assignment as many times as you like before the due date.
However, the TurnItIn Originality check is only performed once on the due date. You
can still submit your assignment on the link provided after the due date but a late
penalty will apply. Note that resubmissions on the course website after the due-date
are not possible. If you discover that you have submitted the incorrect file, you can
email the correct file to me (note that late penalties may apply).
The required file format is in Microsoft Word format.
The TurnItIn service has a ‘preview’ function for your uploaded document. This
preview isn’t very good and often stuffs up the formatting of your document. I wouldn’t
worry about this. I download the original file you submit and mark this directly and so
formatting is rarely a problem (especially if you just use Arial/Helvetica fonts).
If you are submitting your assignment within one week after the due date, you should
just submit your assignment on the course website. There is no need to email me. The
penalties for late submission are indicated under the section on ‘Late Penalties’.

Adviser Engagement Assignment 9
© UNSW Business School
Assessment Criteria
Your assignment will be assessed based on following criteria:
Criteria Descriptor
CONFORMITY
(Penalties)
You did not use the MS Word Adviser Engagement template provided (5 marks)
You did not use the file name format indicated in the assessment instructions (5 marks)
You did not submit your file in MS Word format. (5 marks)
The presentation of the content (document formatting etc.) does not follow the assessment instructions (5 marks)
Your answer for each question has not been written under separate sections labelled ‘Question 1’ and ‘Question 2’
(5 marks).
ANALYSIS (40%) Sophistication of your answer to the report question(s) and the associated arguments.
Application of the theory covered in the course lectures and resources to answer the report question(s).
Use of your own research using external sources to answer the report question(s).
EXAMPLES (40%) Appropriate selection of examples to support your analysis from the adviser videos.
Breadth of examples across the videos of at least one adviser (Tristan or Jeremy) to support your arguments. Note
that better submissions will draw examples from the videos of both advisers and/or the videos of Alexander Pan
(Compliance Officer).
You have provided a clear explanation of how the examples that you have provided support your analysis and
arguments.
CLARITY (20%) Ideas are clearly expressed.
Use of clear and appropriate topic sentences at the beginning of paragraphs.
A clear flow of ideas between sentences within each paragraph.
A clear flow of ideas across different paragraphs.
Logic of your arguments is easy to follow.
Correct use of spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Marking Rubric
The following marking rubric is used to assess the above criteria:
Criteria High Distinction Distinction Credit Pass Fail
ANALYSIS
(40%)
Sophisticated answer
to report questions
drawing extensively on
theory from the course
or external references.
Very detailed answer to
report questions
drawing on theory from
the course or external
references.
Detailed answer to
report questions
drawing on some
theory from the course
or external references.
Basic answer to report
questions that is
generally consistent
with the theory from the
course.
Inadequate answer to
report questions and/or
is inconsistent with the
theory covered in the
course.
EXAMPLES
(40%)
Extensive use of
examples from both
Tristan and Jeremy
with sophisticated links
to report questions.
Detailed use of
examples from both
Tristan and Jeremy
with thorough links to
report questions.
Detailed use of
examples from either
Tristan or Jeremy with
clear links to report
questions.
Some use of examples
from either Tristan or
Jeremy with some links
to report questions.
Rare use of examples
from either Tristan or
Jeremy with weak links
to report questions.
CLARITY
(20%)
Elegantly expressed
answer with flawless
flow of ideas.
Very clearly expressed
answer with logical flow
of ideas.
Clearly expressed
answer with clear flow
of ideas.
Adequately expressed
answer with some flow
of ideas.
Unclear expression of
answer with unclear
flow of ideas.
Adviser Engagement Assignment 10
© UNSW Business School
Note that penalties may apply to the grade determined by this marking rubric according
to the ‘Conformity’ assessment criteria (see previous section), late submission and/or
academic misconduct.
Grade and Feedback
A course announcement will be made on Moodle when the grades and feedback are
ready. This is normally expected to be 2 weeks from the Adviser Engagement due
date. However, please be patient if it takes a bit longer because I usually have more
than 100 to mark.
To access your grade and feedback, click on the ‘Adviser Engagement Grades and
Feedback’ link under the ‘Adviser Engagement’ section of the course website.
Your feedback will be in the form of a grade and a few sentences explaining the
reasoning for your grade.
You should have reasonable expectations for your grade. A credit score (65 to 74)
means that you submitted a very good assignment that adequately satisfied the
assessment requirements. A distinction score (75-84) indicates that the assessment
criteria were satisfied to an outstanding level. High distinctions (85 and above) are rare.