Thinking of which certification will help you stand out in a competitive market? Thinking of whether you should go in for the CFP program? Want to make a lasting impression with your qualifications on affluent clients? How about becoming an accredited Wealth Manager? And, if this accreditation gives you a chance to become a CFP as well, wouldn't that be great? Interested? Read on to understand what the AWM program is all about. If you want to become a Wealth Manager and a Certified Financial Planner, Saturday School will help you through this exciting journey with comprehensive Quick & Easy Guides that will enable you to prepare for the examinations - quickly and easily.

Q. What is Advanced Wealth Management Course?

The Wealth Management course has been introduced by the Indian Institute of Banking & Finance (IIBF), with technical support from the Securities Institute, Australia, a pioneer in the area of financial counseling and advising, to create a cadre of financial advisors in the financial sector.

Q. What are the Examination Objectives of Advanced Wealth Management Course?

This course covers the entire spectrum of financial services / products from banking, insurance, pension fund, mutual fund, derivatives, and debt market to micro credit. This comprehensive course aims as under:

1. To create a cadre of competent practitioners of financial advisors /counselors in the country.

2. To provide candidates with competencies required to act as an Independent Financial Advisor

3. To enable candidates to possess the needed skills and knowledge to understand clients needs, attitudes and fears

4. To enable candidates to design appropriate finance planning strategies suitable to individual clients.

5. To enable candidates to meet the clients wealth creation and wealth protection needs

6. To enable candidates to attain high ethical and professional standards.

Q. Who is the AWM course meant for?

1. Bank Employees

2. Insurance Professionals

3. People intending to be Financial Counselors/Advisers/Planners

It is not necessary for you to be working in a bank to enroll for this course. Any individual who aspires to be a wealth manager can consider this course.

Q. How is AWM linked with the CFP ^CM program and how can I benefit?

FPSB-India has developed educational, ethical and disciplinary standards for financial planners in India and has been duly authorized to use the mark viz. Certified Financial Planner (CFP), by FPSB-USA in connection with services related to the financial planning and the certification of financial planning practitioners. FPSB-India is the licensing authority for "Certified Financial Planner (CFP)"certification in the country.

IIBF and FPSB - India have entered into a collaboration for creation of an enabling environment for making available world class financial planning education in the country. As per the arrangement, candidates who have successfully attained the AWMC qualification from IIBF will be eligible to appear for one final paper of FPSB - India viz. Financial Plan Construction. On successful passing of this paper, FPSB - India will reckon that the candidate has met the CFP certification requirements. He / She then, subjected to other criteria such as experience, is awarded a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER License.

By completing the AWM course, you not only become an accredited Wealth Manager, but are just one step away from becoming a Certified Financial Planner

Q. What is the eligibility criterion of AWM course?

The applicant should be a graduate of a recognized university.

Q. What are the subjects of AWM Examination?

(1) Introduction to Financial Planning

(2) Managing and Marketing of Financial Services

(3) Securities, Markets and Products

(4) Insurance Products (including Pension Products)

(5) Mutual Funds - Products and Services

(6) Banking Products and Services

There are a total of 6 papers - one per subject, that candidates must clear.

Q. What are the Examination Fees/Registration Fees for AWMC?

Q. What is the duration and medium of Examination?

The duration of each of the 6 examinations will be of two hours, and medium will be conducted in English only.

Q. What is the periodicity of Examination?

1. The examination will be conducted normally twice a year in May /June and November /December.

2. Examination will be conducted on three consecutive Sundays (two papers on each Sunday).

Once you have studied all 6 subjects, you can appear for all 6 exams together, over 3 consecutive Sundays.

Q. What is the Assessment Structure?

1. Pass: Minimum marks for pass in every subject - 50 out of 100 marks.

2. Candidate securing at least 45 marks in each subject with an aggregate of 50% marks in all subjects of examination in a single attempt will also be declared as having completed the Examination.

3. Candidates will be allowed to retain credits for the subject/s they have passed in one attempt till the expiry of the time limit for passing the examination as mentioned below:

Q. What is the time Limit for passing the examination?

1. Candidates will be required to pass the examination within a time limit of 2 years (i.e.4 consecutive attempts).

2. Candidates not able to pass examination within the stipulated time period of 2 years are required to re-enroll themselves afresh by submitting a fresh Examination Application Form. Such candidates will not be granted credit/s for subject/s passed, if any, earlier.

3. Attempts will be counted from the date of application irrespective of whether a candidate appears at any examination or otherwise.

Q. What are the "Class of Pass" Criteria?

1. The Institute will consider the FIRST PHYSICAL ATTEMPT of the candidate at the examination as first attempt for awarding class. In other words, the candidate should not have attempted any of the subject/s pertaining to the concerned examination any time in the past and has to pass all the subjects as per the passing criteria and secure prescribed marks for awarding class. Candidate re-enrolling for the examination after exhausting all permissible attempts as per the time limit rule will not be considered for awarding class.

2. First Class: 60% or more marks in aggregate and pass in all the subjects in the FIRST PHYSICAL ATTEMPT.

3. First Class with Distinction: 70% or more marks in aggregate and 60 or more marks in each subject in the FIRST PHYSICAL ATTEMPT.

Q. What is the Procedure for Applying for Examination?

Application for examination should be made online from the Institute's website www.iibf.org.in. No physical form will be accepted by the Institute with effect from 1st January, 2013.

Q. What proof is required for identity?

Non-members (individuals who do not work for banks which are IIBF members) applying for Institute's exams / courses are required to submit a copy of any one of the following documents along with Examination Application Form. Forms without the same shall be liable to be rejected.

1) Photo i/card issued by Employer or

2) PAN Card or

3) Driving License or

4) Election Voter's i/card or

5) Passport or

6) Aadhaar Card

Q. What are the patterns of Examination?

1. Each question paper will contain approximately 120 objective type multiple choice questions.

2. The Examination will be held in online mode only. A list of Examination centre will be provided in the online Examination application form.

Q. I want to know about Study Material, its availability and cost

IIBF has developed comprehensive self learning study materials and work book which has been published by Macmillan India Ltd and Taxman Publication Pvt Ltd. Candidates can directly purchase the books from the outlets of the publisher. Candidates who purchase the books directly from the outlets of the publishers will be offered a discount of 20% on the cost price of the book. They can also purchase through online and by post. Candidates desirous of purchasing the books through online/by post will not be offered any discount. However the postage will be borne by the publishers. Candidates would be required to send their indent to publishers' outlet along with a Demand Draft for the cost of book/s. The Demand Draft should be drawn in favour of M/s.

Q. How will Saturday School help me prepare for these examinations?

Saturday School is putting together Quick & Easy Guides for each of the 6 papers that you will be taking for this certification. Across all 6 papers, there are over 100 chapters to be studied. To make it simple, quick and easy for you, Saturday School will take up 1-2 chapters every week, provide you with chapter summaries and give you interactive question banks for you to solve. Each week, as you complete each chapter that Saturday School will help you with, you will make sure and steady progress towards taking the exams. Once you complete all the chapters at Saturday School and go through all the question banks, you will be able to take these certification exams with confidence. You will thus not really need to go through the voluminous study material that IIBF has put together, as detailed above. Just follow Saturday School's Quick & Easy Guides, and get ready to become accredited Wealth Managers.

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