Professional IQ College has launched an online module on wills and estate planning, with a focus on helping financial advisors in strengthening and expanding their conversations with clients. The essence of the course developed by Trust Us and offered by the Professional IQ College is to help financial advisors who are not yet bold enough to discuss with their clients on issues relating to wills and estate planning. The course is centered on teaching the core principles of asset protection and estate planning, how to have a meaningful and insightful conversations with clients on the subject matter, identifying possible risks and providing solutions to posing challenges.
Jane Eschenbach, the director of Trust Us asserted that although most advisors are good at asking the first question about a will, they usually dont know how to elaborate further on the different types of assets, or what the will can and cannot cover. Hence, according to her, the new module on wills and estate e-learning planning programme will give advisors the tools and knowledge required to ask their clients the necessary questions, and to refer them to an expert if the need arises.
Again, Rod Severn, the chief executive of Professional IQ College, said although unqualified advisors cannot give particular estate planning advice, however, they can still guide their clients to persons that are competent in this area and as such make a positive difference in the finances of their clients.
Eschenbach said they observed that just like the young and inexperienced insurance advisors, the highly placed and accomplished insurance advisors likewise, do not have the required knowledge in estate planning hence, they too lack boldness to discuss estate planning with clients. This resulted in her interest in developing the module to give the advisors a grapse on the subject matter and ensure they are comfortable and bold enough to discuss it with their clients.
She also mentioned how some of the advisors may not understand what a relationship property entails and the effect of Relationship Properties Act on such properties after a period of three years irrespective of how the property is owned. The ability to protect the interest of your client and ensure his or her well-being as an insurance advisor is dependent on how knowledgeable you are, if not you cannot guide your client in making appropriate decisions. You need an insurance to protect your properties if anything should happen, meanwhile, you also need mortgage to pay for your property. With a good esate planning structure, it is easier to avoid negative results that could occur.
The training covers the possible issues that can arise and affect the estate of your clients including divorce, dissolved partnership with business partners and any other thing of such. She said looking at insurance from the perspective of death alone is myopic and limiting as there is more to insurance that will help you as an insurance advisor serve your clients better. Hence, a will is not all there is to plan for as any life occurrence can affect people and all they own.
She said in New Zealand, estate planning is often overlooked, clients often don’t understand the Property Relationship Act, for instance. If the owner of a house moves someone in and the person who is a partner helps in paying the mortgage, after three years the home becomes a relationship property.
With this course, insurance advisors will be bold enough to discuss the possible risk associated with relationship properties and partnership in business. The course is very interesting and interactive, having nine different modules which covers all the separate aspects of estate planning in a very easy to understand manner. The cost is $675, it will require about nine hours to complete it and learners would have earned about 14 CPD points.
FAQ:
1. What is PIQ?
PIQ means Professional IQ; it is a name of a college.
2. What is the PIQ course about?
It is module focused on helping financial advisors in having a meaningful and robust conversation with clients on wills and estate planning.
3. Who is eligible for the PIQ course?
Financial advisors
4. What are the benefits of the PIQ course? It would help advisors with greater focus than ever on competency, knowledge and skills.
