QFA Financial Advice study plan

Map the life assurance syllabus into a one-page outline covering policy types, underwriting, and claims

Define and contrast term, whole-of-life, endowment, and unit-linked contracts in your own words

Explain the tax treatment of life policy proceeds and premiums at a high level

Draft a comparison table of pension structures (occupational, personal, PRSA-type) and their funding rules

Calculate basic retirement funding needs using a worked example with assumed contribution rates and growth

Describe vesting options, annuity versus approved retirement fund-style choices, and their trade-offs

Outline trustee duties and the regulatory framework governing pension schemes

Summarize contribution limits, reliefs, and early-access restrictions from memory

List the core fiduciary and governance responsibilities of a pension trustee

Distinguish trustee types and the conflicts-of-interest controls expected of each

Explain scheme funding standards, actuarial reporting, and member communication obligations

Draft answers to five scenario questions on trustee decision-making

Classify savings and investment products by risk, liquidity, and tax treatment

Explain collective investment structures and the concept of diversification with a numeric example

Compute gross and net returns across three products given fees and tax

Identify suitability factors advisers must weigh when recommending an investment

Map personal general insurance covers (motor, home, liability) to their core exclusions

Explain indemnity, average clauses, and excess structures with worked claims examples

Contrast commercial covers including property, public liability, and employer liability

Analyze three claims scenarios and state the insurer's likely liability with reasoning

Outline private medical insurance features including waiting periods, exclusions, and excess options

Describe associated insurances such as income protection and serious-illness cover

Explain housing loan structures, repayment methods, and the role of mortgage indemnity cover

Summarize home reversion agreements and the consumer protections around them

Explain consumer credit licensing, disclosure duties, and affordability assessment requirements

Describe debt management service obligations including client money handling and best-advice standards

Outline credit union governance, common-bond rules, and member lending practices

Compare the regulatory treatment of three credit products in a short written analysis

Apply the core ethical principles to five short adviser dilemmas and justify each decision

Identify conflicts of interest and describe disclosure and management steps

Integrate all twelve domains by completing two timed mixed-topic practice sets

Review and re-drill your weakest three domains based on practice results