On an interstate flight recently I had decisions to make: coffee, juice or water; the “chicken” or that other stuff; photographer or financial planner.
With the time available to me, I could undertake a short course via the in-flight entertainment system, and in a series of simple lessons learn to be either a snapper or a planner (and if the flight had been long enough, potentially both). I am not making this up.
Based on the feedback I often get to this column, it struck me that I could probably brush up on financial planning a bit. It seemed a better use of my time.
After all, I have an iPhone 6S with a pretty awesome camera on it. Come to think of it, I have a Canon EOS 700D at home. It’s even better than the iPhone, so I can obviously already take good photos. Because that’s how photography works: if it’s a crap photo you’re a crap photographer, but if it’s a great photo, it’s a great camera.
There were four modules in this financial planning course, and I must admit I didn’t complete the course because the plane landed before I could finish. That in itself was a kind of completion for someone who hates flying as much as I do.
But I was assured at the start of the course that upon finishing I’d have received a “certificate of completion” – not entirely sure if it would make me RG146-compliant or not – and that I would have “learned a lot” about financial planning, and what it takes to be a financial planner.
Anyway, my hosts and teachers Kerrie and Diana promised to take me through what I needed to know and I guess that at the end of it, even if I were not quite actually qualified to start giving advice, I’d maybe at least have a sense of what it would take to become qualified as a financial planner.
But maybe more importantly, I’d have a clearer sense of whether that kind of malarkey is really for me or not. If I liked the idea, maybe I’d pursue it seriously, and get properly trained up and qualified. I suppose that’s a valuable thing to be doing – a kind of mid-air recruitment service.
And I am not criticising the program. It made me a modest promise and I do not doubt that, had I got to the end of it, I would not have been disappointed.
But it was slightly disconcerting to think financial planning is seen to be on a par with photography – at least in the sense that you can learn at least some of what you need to know by watching videos.
As anyone who’s followed the debate about the new education standards for financial planners will recognise, there’s a lot more to it than you can learn from a book or even just from university.
As the fasten seat belts sign went on it occurred to me there wasn’t an in-flight course available on how to be an airline pilot, which was a shame. Had there been, I’d have completed that sucker and then told the guy up the front of my plane a few things about how to fly around turbulence.
I mean, seriously, how hard can it be?
