Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

If you have any questions regarding Financial Service qualifications, CPD and how to improve the profitability of your organisation, please do not hesitate to Contact Us or call our Customer Care Centre on 0800 932 567.

Adviserlink FAQ

1. Why learn with us?

AdviserLink is the pre-eminent provider of quality vocational education, professional development and business services to the NZ financial services industry.
Learn with us because of our:

  • Vocational education pathways. Specific education pathways aligned with, and endorsed by, professional associations.
  • Strategic alliances. Licensing agreements with other service providers to source the best options in the Australasian market to suit local conditions.
  • International standards . . . local flavour. Some course and services are designed from the ground up ... with others selected from an international forum and kiwi-ised for NZ conditions
  • SME or Corporate business. All of our learning and business services can be tailored to meet the needs of the SME business sector or larger corporates.
  • Learning options. Learn through open-entry workshops, in-house customised training, online or distance learning
  • Regionally available. Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, and Hamilton. .. or put a group of 10 together and we’ll come to any area
  • Group learning discount options. Discounts available for group bookings of 3 or more from the same company – and through partnership programmes.
  • Pricing options are competitive and accessible. Reaching a wide audience tailored to suit all budgets.
  • NZQA accreditation. Adviserlink is a registered Private Training Enterprise (PTE) with NZQA. The National Certificate in Financial Services (Financial Advice) (Level 5) is an NZQA approved course under the provisions of the Education Act 1989, and Adviserlink is accredited to teach it.

“Our core competence is in providing education and training to financial advisers and their staff to ensure they provide their own clients with quality and professional advice through best practice principles”
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2. Do I need to be qualified to give advice?

The Securities Commission specifies that those providing advice to retail clients need to disclose their qualifications before any advice can be given.
The investment adviser disclosure laws set out in Part 4 of the Securities Markets Act 1988 require that from 29 February 2008, advisers and brokers must provide a Disclosure Statement to a client before any advice is given which includes:

  • specific information about the adviser including their experience, qualifications and professional standing;
  • the products they are recommending;
  • how they are paid; and
  • any conflicts of interest, including commissions.

Share brokers, financial planners, lawyer, accounts and other people are captured by the new law, if they give investment advice to the public.
The Securities Commission can take enforcement action against advisers or brokers who do not provide a disclosure statement with the required information, orwhose advertising is deceptive, misleading or confusing. The Commission willhave the power to enforce the new requirements and make prohibition orders,corrective orders, disclosure orders and temporary banning orders. The Courtswill be able to make orders banning people from acting as investment advisersfor up to 10 years.
Failure to comply with the disclosure obligations is an offence with fines of up to $300,000. Civil penalties of up to $1 million can be imposed by the Court.
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3. What qualification should I get?

The National Certificate of Financial Services (Financial Advice) (Level 5) allows you to achieve professional standards in line with recognized best practice.  It provides Financial Advisers, Financial Planners and Brokers (including Mortgage Brokers) with a recognised qualification to build their skill and knowledge level and lays the foundation to help prepare for a future regulatory environment.

Both the National Certificate of Financial Services (Financial Advice) (Level 5)is approved by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) under the provisions of the Education Act 1989, and Adviserlink is accredited to teach it. It consists of five compulsory units anda minimum of four electives.

Upon successful completion, you will be qualified to provide a range of financial services to consumers. The National Certificate of Financial Services (Financial Advice) (Level 5)is a nationally recognised industry-based qualification that is portable and naturally staircases to other qualifications and industry association designations such as the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Certified Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Fellow of Financial Practitioners (ChF(FP)).

You can study the National Certificate of Financial Services (Financial Advice) (Level 5) in two ways:

  • Workshop face-to-face
  • Distance Learning

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4. Should I study in a workshop with a facilitator?

Interactive workshop courses are the fastest way to achieve your qualification. You can choose to attend workshop courses in quick succession or attend individual courses over several months.
Training is delivered regularly to small groups of students in Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Hamilton. Workshop courses are ideal to help you manage your time, want support and like to network. Facilitators are skilled at making the workshop experience interactive, interspersing real life examples to stimulate interest.
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5. Should I study by distance learning?

Self-paced distance learning is ideal if you are remotely located, returning to the industry or just can't take the time off work. Distance learning is also approximately half the cost of workshop courses, but you will need to allocate regular study times and be self-disciplined.
You will be assigned an experienced professional facilitator and financial planner, who will be available by telephone and email to provide speedy assessment feedback. You will have four months to complete each distance learning course from the date of enrolment. You can apply for an extension in writing so long as your application is received within this four month period.
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6. Can I choose to do one course by distance learning and another in the workshop?

Yes. Whether you do a course by Workshop or by Distance learning is your choice. You may even upgrade from Distance Education to a Workshop Course by advising us in writing and paying the difference in price.
Similarly, you can enrol to do a Workshop Course, change your mind to do Distance Education and receive a refund for the difference in cost. Do remember to give us at least three weeks notice of your intention to cancel your place in the Workshop, otherwise cancellation fees will apply.
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7. Can I receive recognition of prior learning (RPL) for courses I have already done?

Yes. Adviserlink recognises all previously attained qualifications and/or statements of attainment awarded by other universities, polytechnics or private training enterprises for courses or subjects that have equivalents in the National Certificate of Financial Services (Financial Advice) (Level 5).

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8. What can I print on my business card?

Once you have been awarded the National Certificate of Financial Services (Financial Advice) (Level 5), you can use a post nominal on your business card, resume and letter head to convey your qualifications.
While there are no hard and fast rules about how you abbreviate this qualification, some examples include National Certificate of Financial Services (Financial Advice) (Level 5), Cert.FS (Financial Advising), National Cert.FS(FA) or even NCFS (Financial Advice).
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9. How are courses assessed?

All Adviserlink courses have a number of elements that comprise the competency assessments that must be successfully completed before a Certificate of Competence can be issued.

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10. What is the pass rate for assignments?

A score of at least 75 % in all competency sectors is required to successfully pass an assessment.

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11. Which professional body should I choose?

You should investigate each association carefully and select an association that best meets your current circumstances, area of advice and future objectives.
Professional industry adviser bodies include the:

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12. What course should I do to become a member of my professional body?

Each professional body has their own unique requirements, so it is best to contact us to discuss your specific course options.
Advisers who want to belong to a professional body usually have to participate in the relevant vocational education programme as a condition of their membership. For example, the:

  • Institute of Financial Advisers (IFA) Education Track requires that all provisional members of both the College of Insurance Advisers and the College of Financial Planners complete a mandatory vocationaleducation and training programme.
  • Professional Advisers’Association (PAA) also requires its members to participate in an approved vocational education and training program.

The vocational education and training (VET) requirements by both of these professional bodies map to the competencies required at the Certificate if Financial Services (Level 5) currently offered by Adviserlink and to the Australian Diploma and Advanced Diploma of Financial Services (Financial Planning).
Individual AdviserLink courses can also help you meet the minimum standards of education and training for membership or certification with other associations such as the:

  • Insurance Brokers’ Association of NewZealand (IBANZ);
  • New Zealand Mortgage Brokers’ Association (NZMBA); and
  • Society of Independent Financial Advisers (SIFA).

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Like to know more?

For more information on how you can become compliant, check out our Training Courses and call our Customer Care Centre on 0800 932 567 to speak to a qualified consultant today.
Book a coursenow!
Get yourself closer to Security Commission compliance today!
Book an AdviserLink course via our online registration and enrollment section. Payments for the course can be done online right now via credit card.
And because we have distance learning courses and workshop courses running in most major cities every few weeks, you are likely to find a course at a time and place convenient to you and your organisation.