government - take it to a higher level

Detailed Description:

RecoPort provides training for employees at financial institutions. One of its most popular programs is called, "Take It to a Higher Level." The program is designed for employees who have worked as assistant planners at a financial institution, including brokerage and insurance companies. The goal of the program is to familiarize assistant planners with the skills that seasoned financial planners use when preparing an investment portfolio. A seasoned financial planner will possess a variety of "soft" skills, such as communicating, planning, and consensus building. The seasoned planner will be able to thoroughly research a wide array of companies and identify the best performers. S/he will be able to interpret relevant tax laws, fee structures, and risk factors when analyzing a business or a mix of financial products.

Trainees are introduced to each case using transcripts of actual client-planner interviews. They are given access to a large sample of company and industry data. They are to develop a research plan and identify relevant data sources to assist them in making appropriate investment recommendations to their client. They will do their research and analysis individually, however, they will rely on members of their "financial team" to critique their analysis. Accomplished financial planners are available throughout the program to scaffold and mentor students. Each learner (trainee) will present his/her recommendations to a panel of expert financial planners who will provide feedback on the quality of the research, the validity of the analysis, and the depth of the student's communication and planning skills.

Learning Outcomes:

Participants will gain competency in the tasks involved in planning a financial strategy including:

choosing the best-fit financial product, when there are over hundreds to choose from
identifying the best company, from hundreds of companies
assembling the best mix of financial products and companies to meet client goals
interpreting tax laws that relate to financial products
calculating fee structures and charges associated with purchasing financial products
assessing the risk factors of various types of financial products
determining the investment horizon and timeframe for each product