Aspiring students have only five days to submit their applications to enrol in an accredited qualification offered by Moonstone Business School of Excellence (MBSE) in the first semester of 2024.
Susan du Toit, an MBSE 2023 top achiever, says she highly recommends the online learning platform to her peers who want to further their education.
“Moonstone stands out for me when it comes to their reputation in the financial services industry in terms of integrity and professionalism,” she says.
Du Toit, 43, is a wealth portfolio administrator who works as an independent contractor. She worked with Moonstone’s compliance officers from 2007 in Gauteng and from 2015 in Cape Town.
To date, she has completed three qualifications via MBSE: a Further Education and Training Certificate (FETC): Commercial Lines in 2016, the Higher Certificate in Wealth Management (NQF 5) in 2021, and the Advanced Certificate in Financial Planning (NQF 6) last year.
She describes the MBSE team as efficient and competent, and the study material as being of the highest standard.
“In my experience, writing exams for each course I have taken, I can see that the ethical standards are of the highest quality. That makes me proud to obtain a qualification from Moonstone,” says Du Toit.
In 2022, Du Toit enrolled in the ACFP as a part-time student to gain a complete understanding of financial planning dynamics. The course provides the skills and knowledge required to provide holistic financial planning services to the “man in the street” and prepares students for further specialised studies in financial planning. The ACFP also addresses the education requirement to obtain the Financial Services Advisor designation awarded by the Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa.
The course consists of five compulsory modules: financial planning environment, business management, corporate financial planning, personal financial planning, and a financial planning case study.
Du Toit, who has a background in compliance, says although the financial planning environment was “the most challenging”, was where she was able to apply what she had learned in practice.
“I have certainly learned so much, especially dealing with the tax aspects of financial planning. The tax chapters really put things in perspective and help to apply knowledge in practice,” she says.
For Du Toit, the perks of studying online included being able to log in at any time and have access to the study material, be it via a smartphone, a laptop, or a PC. Nevertheless, she acknowledges that balancing learning with family life and a hectic workload can be challenging at times, particularly if one must work after hours.
“The study plan that was provided by Moonstone helped me a lot in that aspect. I followed the study plan and made sure I did not fall behind. If I was too tired to work on anything, I would just read through a chapter.”
Her advice to prospective students is to stick to the study plan that MBSE provides and practice the assessment questions, “as it helps in the exam”.
“Choose yourself and your future as a first priority; everything else after that,” Du Toit says.
As to the level of the support received from the MBSE’s team during her studies, Du Toit says she always received prompt answers to her questions. She explains that she used to email her questions regarding tax calculations in each of the modules to the lecturers.
“They replied with the explanation promptly, and that helped me to get on with my studies the next day after work,” she says.
Du Toit adds that what’s also helpful is that she can easily access her online profile with all her studies should she want to review anything.
“And the continuous professional development does not stop when you are done with a course. There are various webinars that you can attend, and Moonstone has a very informative newsletter,” she says.
2024 enrolments
MBSE offers the following accredited qualifications:
- Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning (NQF 8)
- Advanced Certificate in Financial Planning (NQF 6)
- Occupational Certificate: Compliance Officer (NQF 6)
- Higher Certificate in Wealth Management (NQF 5)
- Higher Certificate in Short-term Insurance (NQF 5)
Applications for the first semester close on Monday, 29 January.
Apply today at www.mbse.ac.za.
For more information, contact us at help@mbse.ac.za.
