AF8 and Expert Pensions
Andy_Schleider
Member
in CPD & Exams
I used EP for AF7 and can't fault them for the content they provided to (hopefully) get me through the exam, but AF8 is a very different animal and I was wondering whether anyone has used them for AF8. They have only recently started providing a Structured Study Plan for AF8 and any comments about this (and indeed AF8 itself) would be helpful. Nearly £800 for both is no small outlay!
Comments
Hi Andy,
I'm currently doing AF8 and am finding it a rather odd unit..
It is really quite difficult to know what the CII are actually after and the couple of example answers they give are either fails or have scraped a pass.
It is a rather interesting unit and in a weird way I am enjoying it being coursework based, but I am nervous to submit my first assignment in case it's a fail.
In terms of paying for any study plans, I was very close to signing up to EP's, however I was not confident that the cost justifies what they would actually be able to tell you. They would definitely be able to help with structuring your assignments and referencing etc but the can't help you with anything specific to the question which is what I would personally be after. Ultimately I think it depends what you think you need help with - if it's more the fact that it's a coursework unit then it may be worth the cost.
Hope that helps slightly!
Good luck :-)
My colleague paid for EP and he said it provides good techniques and examples. However there is only limited information they can provide. Have you tried to do their trial as it gives a bit overview what exactly they are offering.
As with kpin, I also struggle with this unit. I passed the first one just about and feel very nervous submitting my second next week.
I ordered some books from CII this time and hopefully they will help me.
Good luck!
Hi @Anna please could I ask which books you have purchased? Still scared to submit my assignment 1 ahh.. Thank you.
@kpin if your 1st assignment is structured similar to the exemplar paper’s example, then you should pass it. I passed the AF8 in October 2018 having successfully passed each of the 3 assignments on 1st attempt, but found assignments 2 & 3 tough as it was hard to gauge what was expected. Good luck.
is the coursework to provide the CII with a financial recommendation report as if it was a client's suitability letter, or is the answers to questions you're writing?
Thanks @AnnieG that's useful to know. I was initially hoping to submit all 3 units within a few months however I get married in August and wedding plans have taken over.. first assignment is due in July and won't be submitted much earlier ahhh.. hope that's not too much of a problem. Thanks again.
Hi @arongunningham you have to answer three separate questions.
Hi @kpin
I ordered the following:
Ray & McLaughlin's practical inheritance tax planning
Inheritance tax 2018/19
Thanks
Thanks @Anna will have a look into that. Thank you.
I found the exemplar: https://www.cii.co.uk/media/7774412/af8_retirement_income_planning_exemplar-v6.pdf
That's very few words for an assignment!