CFP Certification (Australia) study plan

Map the FPSB technical knowledge areas against your own confidence, scoring each area 1-5 and ranking them by gap size

Draft a one-page formula and definition sheet for the financial planning process and the adviser's regulatory and ethical obligations

Explain aloud, without notes, how the six-step financial planning process links to the FPSB practice standards

Complete 30 practice questions drawn only from planning-process and regulatory topics and log every error with its cause

Build a tax calculation template covering marginal rates, Medicare levy and surcharge thresholds, and offsets, then test it on three worked scenarios

Compare the tax treatment of superannuation contributions, earnings, and benefits in accumulation versus retirement phase

Distinguish CGT events, cost-base rules, and the main exemptions and concessions using your own summary table

Solve 25 tax and superannuation calculation problems under timed conditions of 90 seconds each

Construct a superannuation strategy comparison for three client profiles covering contribution caps, Division 293, and preservation rules

Model a retirement income projection using an account-based pension and the minimum drawdown schedule

Identify the advice implications of the transfer balance cap and total superannuation balance thresholds in at least four scenarios

Summarise the social security means-testing treatment of superannuation assets and income in your own words

Analyse the risk insurance needs of three client profiles using an needs-based capital calculation

Compare life, TPD, trauma, and income protection policies on definitions, exclusions, and ownership and tax treatment

Explain the interaction between insurance inside and outside superannuation, including fund trustee obligations

Complete a 40-question mixed set spanning tax, superannuation, and insurance and record your accuracy by area

Evaluate investment options using risk, return, liquidity, and diversification criteria across the major asset classes

Apply portfolio theory concepts, including correlation and diversification, to two constructed client portfolios

Interpret performance and risk measures such as standard deviation, Sharpe ratio, and duration in plain language for a client

Distinguish the regulatory obligations attached to managed investment schemes and direct equities

Build an estate planning checklist covering wills, intestacy, powers of attorney, binding nominations, and testamentary trusts

Analyse the estate planning consequences of superannuation death benefits across at least four beneficiary scenarios

Compare ownership structures, including joint tenancy and tenancy in common, for their estate and tax outcomes

Draft a referral note identifying when an adviser must escalate to a solicitor or specialist

Integrate technical knowledge into a full written Statement of Advice for one complex client scenario

Apply the best-interests duty and conflicted-remuneration rules to justify each recommendation in that advice

Stress-test your advice against three changed circumstances, such as redundancy or illness, and revise the recommendations

Peer-review one other candidate's advice document against a checklist you construct yourself

Sit two full-length timed practice exams under exam conditions and record accuracy by technical area

Re-teach your three weakest areas from memory using a blank page and then verify against source material

Consolidate your formula, threshold, and definition sheet into a final one-page revision aid

Plan your exam-day time allocation and question-skipping strategy based on your practice-exam pacing data