Moonstone Business School of Excellence (MBSE) accepted its first intake for the Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning at the beginning of 2022, and the top students* shared their experience of studying for the qualification.
Chris Els, a financial adviser and director of an FSP, only joined the financial services industry in 2020. His motivation for obtaining the Postgraduate Diploma was to gain a deeper knowledge of financial planning to give his clients sound advice.
“I don’t want to just be ‘another’ adviser out there and therefore want to equip myself with the necessary knowledge to be the best possible [solution] for each client and their unique needs,” he says.
The qualification met his expectations.
“I have a learned a lot in this course of how to provide holistic financial planning in depth. There is a difference between just selling a product to a client and really walking a journey with a client with a set out road map with steps and goals for each client of how you will be getting each to their financial goals. This course has equipped me with the knowledge and insight of how to do this successfully.”
Marli Joubert, a manager of an audit firm, aspires to start her own business and hoped the course would assist with tax planning and continuity planning. She also wanted to do a course that would help with her retirement planning.
Joubert says the qualification will contribute to her plans to start a business.
“This course was like the golden thread of all my knowledge and brought everything together. I think this will definitely help me with corporate planning in my business.”
Joubert works remotely from a farm in the Free State, and this was a big reason for deciding to study with MBSE.
Many business schools expect students to attend classes in-person at certain stages during the course, and she was concerned this would result in her missing valuable classroom time. However, at MBSE, “you have access to all the information and classes online”.
MBSE also has exam venues around South Africa, which meant she did not have to drive far to write her exams.
Els says his good experience when doing his Class of Business modules with MBSE was a factor in enrolling with MBSE after considering several other options.
Both Els and Joubert found the personal financial planning module the most enjoyable.
“I learned so much and gained knowledge that I want to implement in my own finance. It is not necessarily all new things, but this course made it practical for me,” Joubert says.
Overcoming challenges
It can be a challenge for people who work full-time to put aside time to study, and the Postgraduate Diploma can be demanding.
For Els, the key to staying the course was having the discipline to go through the course material every day. He found the tax planning and estate planning modules the most challenging components of the course because there are many things to take into account and remember. But MBSE’s study material and test examples helped him.
He was motivated to press on by a vision of where he wants to be and what he still wants to achieve with the company he manages.
“I believe that I have been called into this field to make a difference and therefore want to ensure that I am well educated to take me and the company further and to provide my clients with the very best financial advice.”
Joubert said her biggest obstacle was scheduling study leave without creating problems for the staff who report to her.
And she was diagnosed with Covid-19 in the first semester during the exams, which was mentally and physically challenging.
Joubert said she would not have been able to finish the course without her Christian faith and the huge amount of support she received from her husband and parents.
Get across the line with MBSE
As mentioned, MBSE offered the Postgraduate Diploma for the first time last year, and, not unexpectedly, there were some teething problems.
Els says despite the shortcomings, he does not regret studying at MBSE and recommends that others do the same.
He believes those who are “still on the fence or scared of this demanding course, can give it a go, as it is definitely possible to get across the line with Moonstone”.
Joubert says her overall experience was “great”, and she has no hesitation in recommending MBSE to prospective students.
She highlighted that MBSE has experienced and responsive lecturers.
“I believe that it is so important to be approachable, and that is what I got from the lecturers. It was not always easy to work and study, but the lecturers made it better by always ensuring that all sessions were recorded and that all study material was available on their platform. The response time on emails was also great throughout the year,” Joubert says.
*Among the top three students was Lanél Bekker, a compliance officer at Moonstone Compliance. This article represents the views of the top students who do not work for the Moonstone Group.
First-semester applications for the Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning close on Monday, 30 January.
Click here for more information about the qualification and to apply.
