An education investment fund may attract younger clients

Providing clients with an education savings plan could be another solution to the problem financial planners face in bringing younger clients through the doors, according to new LifePlan head Matt Walsh.

Still in their embryonic stage in Australia, education investment funds deliver an extra tax advantage when funds are used for education, Walsh said.

Walsh said the idea has already taken off in the United States, with about $100 billion in similar products to those offered in Australia.

Financial planners play a big role in the affordability of a client’s education and an education savings plan is often a good advice proposition advisers can use to attract younger clients to their business, Walsh said.

“When you’ve got a solution that can provide a tax advantage which is almost equal to a year’s university fees, versus using a unit trust — that suddenly switches on the advice proposition for a family that advisers are attracted to,” he said.

Walsh believes education affordability hasn’t received the attention it should.

“We’ve all been focused on rising energy costs, interest rates and housing affordability,” he said.

LifePlan currently has about 5,000 clients in its education plan and has also white labelled a product for the Commonwealth Bank.