CIIN Certificate CF6 study plan

Map the six-step financial planning process and write, from memory, one sentence describing the input, output, and common failure point of each step

Build a one-page timeline of UK retail advice regulation (FCA handbook structure, COBS suitability rules, Consumer Duty) and annotate where each item touches client fact-finding

Draft a 20-item fact-find checklist covering assets, liabilities, protection, pensions, and estate wishes, then score your own draft against completeness

Construct a model client cash-flow statement and balance sheet from a hypothetical scenario, and compute three ratios: savings ratio, debt-to-income, and emergency fund months

Tabulate how the FCA's six principles for businesses map onto practical adviser behaviours in onboarding and ongoing reviews

Calculate the protection gap for life cover, income protection, and critical illness cover for a household with dependants, showing each calculation step

Compare term assurance, whole-of-life, family income benefit, and decreasing term cover, and justify which suits three different client profiles

Explain the tax treatment of protection payouts and premiums (qualifying vs non-qualifying policies, chargeable gains on encashment) with worked figures

Apply underwriting concepts (disclosure duty, moratorium vs full medical, non-disclosure remedies) to two claim scenarios and predict the outcome

Build a premium-versus-need sensitivity table showing how a 10% and 25% budget cut changes recommended cover

Classify ten asset classes and collective investment vehicles by risk, liquidity, tax wrapper eligibility, and typical cost

Compute risk-adjusted return measures (Sharpe, volatility, drawdown) from a supplied set of annual returns and interpret the ranking

Construct three model portfolios (cautious, balanced, adventurous) with target weights and state the rebalancing rule for each

Assess client risk tolerance using a structured questionnaire approach and reconcile the result with capacity for loss

Explain the mechanics of accumulation vs income units, OEIC vs unit trust pricing, and platform charges using a worked cost example over 10 years

Compare defined benefit and defined contribution schemes on accrual, risk bearer, and transfer value considerations, and list the advice triggers that apply

Calculate the annual allowance position for three savers, including carry-forward and the tapered annual allowance, showing every step

Compute the lifetime allowance position under the current regime for a hypothetical saver and identify planning actions if the limit is exceeded

Work through income tax and capital gains tax for a retiree drawing pension and ISA income, applying the personal allowance and banding correctly

Explain drawdown vs annuity vs UFPLS in terms of flexibility, tax timing, and longevity risk, and match each to a client scenario

Draft a will structure for a married client with minor children, specifying trust arrangements, guardianship, and the effect of intestacy if no will exists

Calculate inheritance tax liability for an estate including nil rate band, residence nil rate band, and transferable allowances, showing each step

Compare the estate planning effect of outright gifts, discretionary trusts, and gift-and-loan trusts, and identify the seven-year rule implications

Explain the taxation of trusts (entry, ongoing, exit charges) and apply it to one discretionary trust scenario

Identify the interaction between pension death benefits, nomination forms, and inheritance tax planning

Analyse five short conduct scenarios against the FCA principles, the suitability rule, and the Consumer Duty outcome tests, and state the correct action in each

Distinguish advice from guidance and information, and classify ten client interactions accordingly

Document the disclosure, conflicts of interest, and inducements rules that apply to adviser remuneration and apply them to a fee-versus-commission comparison

Explain the complaints and redress process, including the Financial Ombudsman Service and Financial Services Compensation Scheme limits

Write a personal ethics decision framework with at least four tests you will apply when a client request conflicts with suitability

Synthesise a full financial plan for a hypothetical client integrating budgeting, protection, investment, and process documentation

Red-team your plan by listing five ways it could fail and the monitoring trigger for each

Re-derive the ten formulas you are least confident about from memory and check each against source material

Complete 60 exam-style questions across domains 1 to 4 under timed conditions and log every error by cause (knowledge gap, misread, calculation)

Complete 60 exam-style questions across domains 5 to 8 under timed conditions and log every error by cause

Revisit your lowest-scoring topic from weeks 1 to 7 and produce a one-page corrective summary from first principles

Practise twelve calculation drills (allowances, inheritance tax, tax bands, protection gaps) to build speed and accuracy

Rehearse structured written answers for ethics and suitability scenarios within a strict time limit