Source: Allianz, 12 November 2020
Allianz Life Insurance Malaysia Berhad (Allianz Life) and the Malaysian Financial Planning Council (MFPC) have signed a training services agreement which will enable Allianz Life agents to enrol in the Council’s Professional Estate Planning Adviser Programme (PEPAP).
The PEPAP broadly covers the fundamental concepts of Wills and Trust as well as Private Wealth Services. Through the certification programme, Allianz Life agents will be able to gain in-depth knowledge on how to integrate these services into effective financial or estate planning.
Allianz Life agents specialising in estate planning are categorised as Allianz Estate Planner, Allianz Senior Estate Planner, and Allianz Executive Estate Planner. To be certified as an Allianz Executive Estate Planner, an agent would need to complete the PEPAP as part of their certification requirements. Upon completing and passing the assessment, the agent will be granted a modular exemption of the Registered Financial Planner (RFP) Module 5: Estate Planning; and awarded Certificate of Achievement as a Professional Estate Planning Adviser by MFPC.
Following a successful pilot programme in February this year featuring 50 Allianz Life agents, Allianz Life Chief Executive Officer Joseph Gross said that the agreement comes as a timely addition to the training opportunities as the Company actively pursues a high-performing agency model.
“High-performance culture is one of the five core values of our organisation, and in driving that home with our agency talent, we put a lot of emphasis in curating our training and development programmes to ensure that these programmes are industry-focused, adds value to our agents, and increases professionalism in their work,” said Gross, adding that the Company organises up to six programmes in relation to estate planning for its agents nationwide.
“We love it when our agents are constantly engaged and seeking opportunities for career enhancement. The PEPAP is one more great programme in which they will be able to richly benefit from by gaining expert knowledge in estate planning,” added Gross.
An independent self-regulatory body, the MFPC’s primary aim is to promote nationwide development and enhancement of the financial planning profession.
“Undertaking a professional certification will be setting foot in the right path for individuals in the finance industry. Certain aspects of a good programme hold true such as high-quality educators and a modern and evolving curriculum. This partnership with Allianz Life in establishing a professional pathway ensures that individuals undertaking study of this programme will be well equipped with the necessary knowledge, skill-set and behavioural aptitude that are market ready to serve the needs of Malaysians,” said Vincent Kwo, President of Malaysian Financial Planning Council.
An intensive three-day programme, some of the key course outlines from the programme include Understand Estate Planning, Testacy and Intestacy (condition of leaving or not leaving a will prior to death), Estate of Muslims, Insurance Trust, and The Role of Life Insurance in Estate Planning.
The programme syllabus for the PEPAP is derived from the RFP programme, which is accredited by the international accreditation agency, Financial Accreditation Agency (FAA) at the highest professional level for the financial services sector in Malaysia. It is also recognised by Bank Negara Malaysia and Securities Commission Malaysia for licensing purposes.
To find out more about the Professional Estate Planning Adviser Programme (PEPAP), visit https://mfpc.org.my/.
