Unit Synopsis
This unit covers investment analysis of complex investment portfolios. You will be introduced to contemporary investment theories and construct a client focused portfolio. You will examine the risks associated with domestic and international investment products.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 2 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 4 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Prerequisite: FINC 19011 Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2026
Term 1 - 2027 Profile
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Written Assessment | 50% |
| 2. Take Home Exam | 50% |
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Source: SUTE Comments Report
A students find that the course work is overwhelming and creates a challenge for students trying to balance work/life/study
Unit coordinator will review the Moodle content and reduce it down to the textbook resource only and leave it to the students to find their own references for the Assessments.
The unit coordinator will continue reviewing and making adjustments where necessary.
Source: SUTE Comments Report
A student found the content delivery challenging and too complicated, because their learning style differs from the teaching methods used. Like they learn independently, rather than through engagement.
Unit Coordinator will consider simplifying the unit content to enhance accessibility and engagement for a diverse student cohort. This includes adapting materials to support various learning styles and providing alternative pathways for students who do not intend to pursue careers in financial planning or prefer minimal interaction with the learning community. At the same time, these strategies should be implemented to ensure that key graduate attributes—particularly Teamwork and Communication—are effectively developed within the unit.
The unit coordinator will continue reviewing and making adjustments where necessary.
Source: SUTE Comments Report
One student felt the Financial Planning (Statement of Advice) Instructions were a little difficult to decipher
Unit coordinator will reemphasize that if any instructions are difficult to understand to reach out and ask for clarification.
The unit coordinator will continue reviewing and making adjustments where necessary.
Source: SUTE
Assessment support, feedback and marking - While some students requested additional developmental feedback, others noted that: "Marking criteria and weekly content were clear." "Feedback after grading was clear."
This suggests the assessment framework itself is generally well structured, although additional support may be needed to help students apply the criteria during assessment preparation.
In Progress
Source: SUTE
Workload - A consistent concern was the amount of content students were expected to engage with. Students cited: * Weekly content requirements. * Workbook activities. * Textbook readings. * Additional readings. * Group assessment requirements. * Examination preparation. Several students also noted that lecture content was split into numerous short videos, creating a fragmented learning experience.
Record short assessment clarification videos when repeated questions arise. Explicitly explain how formative guidance differs from providing assessment answers. Include "feedforward" comments that specifically explain how students can improve future assessments.
In Progress
Source: SUTE
Feedback practices - While multiple support mechanisms are available, including: * Weekly workshops * Moodle discussion forums * Individual consultations * Email support * Assessment exemplars and guidance Students may not always perceive these opportunities as feedback if they are seeking direct answers to specific assessment questions.
Provide students with only essential resources and remove any supplementary resources Over time, consolidate micro-videos into larger thematic recordings where appropriate.
In Progress
Source: SUTE
Assessment scaffolding for First-Time SOA financial plan writers - Many comments highlight that students felt overwhelmed by the SOA task, particularly those with no prior exposure to financial planning.
Create an early "Introduction to SOA Construction" workshop.
In Progress
Source: SUTE
Student preparedness for authentic financial planning tasks - Several students expressed concerns that they were expected to commence assessment work before relevant content had been taught. For instance, this would affect the Bachelor of Agriculture students, where asset allocation concepts were not covered until later in the term. Students commencing the SOA before understanding key financial planning concepts.
Better align teaching sequences with assessment milestones.
In Progress
Source: SUTE
Authentic and Industry-Relevant Assessment - Several students recognised that the unit reflects real-world financial planning practice and provides authentic learning experiences.
Continue to provide an experiential, work-integrated, case-based assessment to simulate real-world practice.
In Progress
Source: SUTE
Integration of GenAI and Contemporary Industry Practice - Students acknowledged and valued the inclusion of GenAI tools and discussions throughout the unit.
Start balancing the amount of time spent on responsible use of GenAI skills and focus on the core investment content more.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Explain the principles of advanced investment analysis and risk management
- Construct client focused portfolios using domestic and international financial products
- Solve real world complex investment problems.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment | • | • | • |
| 2 - Take Home Exam | • | • | |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • |
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | • | • |
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | • |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | • |
| 5 - Team Work | • | • | |
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | • | • |
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | • | • | |
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | • | |
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||
| 2 - Take Home Exam | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||||