AMP university challenge exceeds expectations

A financial planning-focused university challenge announced by AMP in July wrapped up last night, with AMP Horizons director Tim Steele saying the competition had exceeded all expectations and the group planning to run the competition again next year.

The competition was open to any Australian university student, provided they weren’t already an authorised representative of a financial planning firm, with entrants having to complete a discussion paper including modelling and recommendations. Finalists were flown to Sydney to complete in a finals day, including a role-play session and a “who wants to be a financial planner”-style quiz session.

The winner – Michelle Walker from La Trobe University in Melbourne – will receive a $5000 cash prize from AMP, membership to the Financial Planning Association (FPA), and attendance at upcoming FPA and AMP conferences. La Trobe will also receive a $10,000 grant to put towards financial planning programs.

Walker is currently studying a Bachelor of Business with a major in financial planning, and also works as a paraplanner for Integrity Financial Planners in Melbourne. She said she hopes to wrap up her studies by the end of next year and plans to become an authorised representative of Integrity.

Steele said the initial response and the quality of the finalists had exceeded all expectations. A total of 161 teams registered and 42 students representing 24 teams submitted business cases

“You should be incredibly proud having got to this point in the competition and I think you did yourselves and your universities incredibly proud in the way you carried yourselves today,” he told the finalists.

“If you are examples of the quality of people we’re going to continue to attract to the profession, then the profession and the future are in great hands.”