What qualifications are needed to become a paraplanner?

From Paraplanner.com.au comes this answer:

Under the Australian Corporations Act, individuals looking to provide financial product advice to retail clients are required to meet initial and ongoing educational requirements as outlined in ASIC Regulatory Guideline 146 (RG146). These RG146 guidelines are also used by employers looking to hire paraplanners with relevant financial planning knowledge. There are several qualifications that paraplanners who work for Paraplanner.com.au hold. These qualifications include the current Advanced Diploma of Financial Planning, the Advanced Diploma of Financial Services, CFP and various Bachelor degrees related to Financial Planning.

We would recommend that future paraplanners complete the Kaplan Advanced Diploma of Financial Planning course (either via distance education or at their offices, with an estimated cost of $2,000). Another option for study to become a paraplanner is to partake in paraplanner training provided by larger dealer groups (such as this AMP program). The benefit of these programs is that the study is often fast-tracked and offered at a subsidised cost or no cost at all.