Published:
On Wednesday, 25 October 2023, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia (HWUM) School of Social Sciences (SoSS) and Accounting and Finance Club had the pleasure of hosting a talk by the Financial Planning Association of Malaysia (FPAM). This event aimed to educate students on financial planning in today's technologically-reliant age, and it was the second time that SoSS collaborated with FPAM for such an event.
HWUM graciously welcomed Ms Jovie Lim and two colleagues from Coreplus Academy, a financial planning firm licensed by the Securities Commission Malaysia. Mr Jordan Yeap, a representative of FPAM, was also present at the event.
Ms Jovie's session focused on uncertainties of today's financial ecosystem, fintech and the metaverse. She spoke about financial planning in an environment of uncertainty and how new technologies and apps were affecting the practices of financial planning. There was substantial coverage of how technology had resulted in a greater incidence of scams. Particularly, guidelines were shared about how to detect and avoid financial scams. More generally, basic principles of good financial planning were also given some attention.
While the talk targeted students of SoSS, it was encouraging to see students from other schools attending, eager to learn new things. In many ways, the contents of the talk were eye-opening and insightful, as many students were still unaware of the presence of financial planning as a profession. Hence, a licensed financial planner career would be an alternative to other popular professions such as accountancy and actuarial science.
Throughout the session, the speaker kept the talk interactive, and the Q&A was engaging. The session ended at 15.00 with a presentation of souvenirs and a photo session to commemorate the event.
This event gave students a glimpse into the real world. It provided crucial knowledge that would help them be more aware of their financial situation in conjunction with today's ever-changing economic environment. HWUM hopes that events like these continue to be organised to highlight career opportunities in financial planning.