The winning team consisting of Ooi Yin Chuan (third from left), Carina Wong Wai San (fourth from right), Chew Jia Le (third from right), and Tan Wei Ming (2nd from right) with their trophies and mock cheque, in the presence of Datuk Dr Tan Chik Heok (fourth from left), President of TAR UC, Ms Wong Hwa Kiong (second from left), Dean of the Faculty of Accountancy, Finance and Business ('FAFB'), Mr. Chai Ming Perng (leftmost), Associate Dean, Finance Department, FAFB and Mr. Koh Chin Wei (rightmost), lecturer cum advisor for the students.

The winning team with their trophies and mock cheque

The trophy won at the competition

In the 3rd Malaysian Financial Planning Council ('MFPC') National Financial Planning Tournament 2016 which was held from 7-9 October 2016 at Universiti Putra Malaysia ('UPM') in Serdang, TAR UC students did the institution proud by winning the 2nd runner-up at the competition. Bachelor of Finance & Investment (Hons) students, Ooi Yin Chuan, Chew Jia Le, Tan Wei Ming, and Carina Wong Wai San were handsomely rewarded with cash prize worth RM 3,000 for their win, along with trophies, certificates and discount vouchers to sit for the professional examinations by MFPC. The competition saw the participation of 18 institutions in total which consisted of various private and public higher learning institutions within the country.

Held in stages, students were tested on their knowledge and application skills in financial planning through verbal quizzes which covered almost all areas of the subject with a main focus on 'Syariah' this year. The various rounds of the competition challenged them on both their individual thinking as well as teamwork capabilities with questions thrown at them individually in certain rounds and to the entire team in others.

When asked about the strategies used in order to win the competition, Chew Jia Le enthusiastically explained, "As the tournament covered a wide range of six modules, we decided to split them amongst ourselves. Some of us focused on the Conventional area of financial planning while the rest focused on 'Syariah'. Teamwork indeed played a major role in this as mastering all six modules alone would have been impossible".

The entire team also owed their success to their advisors, Mr Wang Ah Yong, Mr Koh Chin Wei, and Ms Chow Yee Peng who gave their all in coaching them for the competition. "Mr Wang Ah Yong, in particular, was very helpful in providing us with useful tips for the competition as he has experience attending the competition with students in previous years," said Ooi Yin Chuan. Tan Wei Ming also attributed their success to the knowledge that they had gained from the 'Personal Financial Planning' subject they took way back at diploma level which he found very practical for the tournament.

To juniors who wish to emulate their success in future, the winners' tip was plain and simple. "Just follow the advice given by the advisors and they'll take you far," said Ooi Yin Chuan, which indeed speaks volumes of the calibre of the academic staff at TAR UC.