FPEC announces grant winners

A study on ethical challenges in financial planning and a research project on the advice needs of small business owners are among the recipients of the Financial Planning Education Council’s academic research grants for 2017.

The council’s grants program, which is jointly sponsored by the FPA, National Australia Bank and AMP, recognises researchers that have demonstrated a commitment to developing financial planning as an academic discipline.

Four research projects were awarded grants in 2017, from RMIT, Deakin University and Griffith University.

A study from RMIT and Deakin University will look at ethical challenges in the financial planning practice, while academics from Griffith University in cooperation with wealth management advisory firm Modoras Financial Performance will map the financial planning support needs of small business owners.

Also receiving grants are an RMIT study looking at the barriers and drivers for women entering and succeeding in financial planning, and a research project from Griffith University and Zanetti Recruitment on how financial planning graduates are remunerated in the workplace.

The council awarded $30,000 worth of funds this year, up from $10,000 in 2016, which reflected the value of relationships between the advice industry and the education sector, FPA chief executive Dante De Gori said.

“Academic research is valuable to the profession and many of the projects have resulted in papers being published in the Financial Planning Research Journal,” De Gori said.

“We congratulate the winners on their outstanding work.”