SMSF Specialist Advisor (SSA™)

To be eligible to enter the SMSF Specialist Advisor™ accreditation program you must, as a minimum, be a current financial Associate Member. In addition, the Association recommends that you meet the following criteria prior to entering the program:

• At least 2 years experience providing advice and/or services to the SMSF sector.
• SMSF related work activities should account for, or be growing towards a minimum of 10% of your total workload.

The SSA™ Program consists of three components:

1. Comprehensive online resources

A Diagnostic quiz to assist with guiding your learning and nine study modules to be completed prior to attempting the online examination. Each module provides a range of resources which could include required text, recommended readings, online resources, webinars, relevant technical reports from the SMSF Association and others. Each study module contains a short assessment that must be successfully completed prior to gaining access to the next study module. All nine study modules must be completed before the exam may be attempted.

2. Examination

The online examination is 2 hours in duration and consists of 90 multiple choice questions.  No written answers are required.

 

The exam is conducted under supervision, and the candidate is required to nominate a suitable supervisor (meeting specified eligibility criteria) prior to being provided with access to the online exam.

 

Important note: The Association expects that an applicant undertaking the program already has up-to-date and comprehensive SMSF knowledge. Any study undertaken prior to the examination is at your discretion with the Association’s list of examinable topics enabling you to design your own learning program.

 

Applicants are permitted a maximum of two (2) attempts to pass the online examination.

3. Questionnaire

This short questionnaire tests and verifies your eligibility for the SMSF Specialist Advisor Program and your CPD activities where appropriate.

CPD Activity Review

You are requested to provide details of your CPD activities which fall within the current triennium period. The Association will then conduct a review of the information provided to ensure it meets the requirements of the SMSF Association CPD Policy.

 

If, at the time of submitting the questionnaire, you are yet to complete the first full year of your first triennium, your CPD activities will not be reviewed as part of the accreditation process. Instead, you will be flagged for a compulsory CPD activity check at the conclusion of Year 1 of your first triennium to ensure you have achieved the minimum hours as required by the Association CPD Policy.

You are required to successfully complete both components of the program (online examination and SSA™ questionnaire) within twelve (12) weeks of entering the accreditation program.

 

If you fail to successfully complete the SMSF Association Specialist Accreditation Program within this timeframe, you may apply for a maximum eight (8) week extension, paying the extension fee of $220 (GST incl).

 

Failure to successfully complete both components within twenty (20) weeks of initial entry into the program will result in your application being terminated, with forfeiture of all fees paid and results already earned. Should you wish to re-enter the Specialist Program in the future you will be subject to the same conditions as all new entrants, that is, you will be required to pay in full and successfully complete both components of the program.

 

Special circumstances can be submitted for consideration by the SMSF Association Professional Standards Committee (PSC).

FASEA Education Standards and Recognised Prior Learning

The Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority has recognised the SMSF Specialist Advisor™ (SSA) designation for its recognised prior learning (RPL) category of “Coursework completed to attain a Professional Designation”. This recognition of the SSA for RPL will reduce the number of bridging courses those with the SSA designation may be required to undertake.

 

Anyone who has completed the SSA since it was introduced in 2005 is eligible for one credit of RPL towards FASEA’s bridging course requirements for existing financial advisers. This will reduce time and costs for those who were existing financial advisers at any time between 1 January 2016 and 1 January 2019 and have completed the SSA.

 

To better understand the benefit of holding the SSA on your FASEA education obligations, we recommend using FASEA’s Education Pathways Tool which provides an accurate assessment of any further FASEA education requirements.

The SMSF Association SSA™ Examination Satisfies the Knowledge Requirements of RG146 SMSF

In recent times there has been increased demand for individuals who provide self-managed super fund advice to hold Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146) compliance in their specialist area of SMSF, together with mandatory RG146 compliance in the areas of Superannuation and Generic Knowledge & Skills.

 

The SMSF Specialist Advisor™ (SSA) examination satisfies the knowledge requirements of RG146 SMSF. SMSF Association members who operate under an AFSL and have successfully completed the SSA Exam can request a letter from our authorised assessor as evidence of RG146 SMSF compliance.

 

To obtain your letter please submit an online form and certify that you have successfully completed the SMSF Association’s Specialist Advisor™ (SSA) Examination and would like to request acknowledgement from the Association’s Authorised Assessor.

Before applying you must be an SMSF Association Associate Member. If you are not yet a member of the SMSF Association, click here to join or visit our membership page for more information. Existing Associate members can use either of the options below:

 

Option 1:

• Register for SMSF Specialist Advisor Pathway program online

 

Option 2: Download the documents below and complete the following steps:

• SMSF Specialist Advisor Brochure
• SMSF Specialist Advisor Program Rules & Conditions

Steps:

• Read the SMSF Specialist Advisor Program Rules & Conditions.
• Complete the Agreement & Payment Form (on back page of the SMSF Specialist Advisor brochure).
• Return the completed Agreement & Payment Form to [email protected] or mail to: SMSF Association, PO Box 3296 Rundle Mall ADELAIDE SA 5000
• The Association will contact you to acknowledge receipt of your completed application and payment of fees in full . Appropriate examination and questionnaire documents will be forwarded to you shortly thereafter.
• You will receive details of how to access the diagnostic self-assessment test and nine study modules.