Program
Personal Finance and Investment Symposium 2026
Draft program schedule: Sunday 22 November 2026, Melbourne
| Time | Meeting room at the Library at the Dock | Level 2, Victoria Harbour Promenade | Google Maps | |
|---|---|---|
| 9:45 to 10:00 |
Registration and arrival Foyer. Optional pre-start slot. Online room opens for testing. |
|
| 10:00 to 10:15 |
Welcome to the Student Colloquium |
|
| 10:15 to 10:45 |
Presentation #1 Title: Not All Retirement Leakage Is Equal: Borrowing, Cashout and Perceived Retirement Preparedness Presenter and affiliation: Mr Joshua Omotoso, Texas Tech University |
|
| 10:45 to 11:15 |
Presentation #2 Title: Habit, Routine, or Automation? Behavioural Profiles of Financial Habits in Young Adults Entering the Workforce Presenter and affiliation: Ms Nargiz Rezaie, QUT |
|
| 11:15 to 11:45 |
Presentation #3 Title: From Piggy Banks to Pensions: Does Starting Young Really Pay Off? Presenter and affiliation: Mr Luke Morris, Griffith University |
|
| 11:45 to 12:00 |
Reflection and closing for the day |
|
Notes
Followed by group lunch and river cruise. The river cruise departs from Southbank Promenade at 3pm. Presentations run for 15-20 minutes followed by 10-15 minutes of discussion.
Personal Finance and Investment Symposium 2026
Draft program schedule: Monday 23 November 2026, Deakin Melbourne Downtown Corporate Centre, Level 12, Tower 2, 727 Collins Street, Melbourne 3008, Google Maps
| Time | Room #1 | Room #2 |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 to 9:00 |
Registration and arrival coffee |
|
| 9:00 to 9:15 |
Welcome and opening remarks |
|
| 9:15 to 10:15 |
Distinguished keynote address Professor Roger Wilkins, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, University of Melbourne. Streamed to online attendees. |
|
| 10:15 to 10:30 |
Morning tea |
|
| Session 1 | Hybrid | Theme: Young Adults and Money | Online | Theme: Building Financial Resilience |
| 10:30 to 10:55 |
Presentation 1.1A Title: Doom Scrolling Your Way to Better Savings? Presenter: Prof Aaron Gilbert, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand |
Presentation 1.1B Title: Evaluating an AI Financial Advisor Assignment: Effects on Student Confidence, Financial Decision-Making, and AI Literacy in Introductory Finance Courses Presenter: A/Prof Jaclyn Beierlein, East Carolina University, USA |
| 10:55 to 11:20 |
Presentation 1.2A Title: Love and Money: A Longitudinal Study of Financial Literacy Presenter: Dr Steffen Westermann, Griffith University |
Presentation 1.2B Title: Towards a Systems Theory for Household Finance Presenter: Prof Emeritus Chuck Grace, Financial Wellness Lab, Canada |
| 11:20 to 11:45 |
Presentation 1.3A Title: Bank Account Preferences and Choice of Young Adults in New Relationships Presenter: Dr Laura de Zwaan, QUT |
Presentation 1.3B Title: From Resources to Resilience: Defining Household Financial Resilience in Canada Presenter: Dr Zahra Kharrati, Financial Wellness Lab, Canada |
| 11:45 to 12:30 |
Lunch |
|
| Session 2 | Hybrid | Theme: Financial Planning Insights | In-person | Theme: Financial Decisions near or in Retirement |
| 12:30 to 12:55 |
Presentation 2.1A Title: Financial Planners: Generalists Meeting Clients' Needs (Invited Paper) Presenter: A/Prof Pierre-Etienne Pilote, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada |
Presentation 2.1B Title: The Influence of Housing Tenure on Sustainable Decumulation Outcomes in Retirement Presenters: A/Prof Michelle Cull, Western Sydney University, and Ms Loretta Iskra, University of Wollongong |
| 12:55 to 13:20 |
Presentation 2.2A Title: Anatomy of client-adviser relationship – a single-case study approach to financial planning Presenter: A/Prof Kirsten MacDonald, Griffith University |
Presentation 2.2B Title: Financial Literacy and Revealed Retirement Planning Presenter: Dr Peter Ngigi, Deakin University |
| 13:20 to 13:45 |
Presentation 2.3A Title: The “Best Interests Duty” – In whose best interests? Presenter: Mr Warren McKeown, University of Melbourne |
Presentation 2.3B Title: Income tiers and the Divergence of Retirement Adequacy Confidence in Canada Presenter: A/Prof Daniel W. Richards, York University, Canada |
| 13:45 to 14:10 |
Presentation 2.4A Title: The Anatomy of Financial Adviser Misconduct in Australia Presenter: Dr Jasmine Fang, Massey University, New Zealand |
Presentation 2.4B Title: Guardianship Intensity Framework: Financial Elder Abuse Presenter: Mr Greg Cunningham, CFP, Cunningham Financial Services |
| 14:10 to 14:25 |
Afternoon tea |
|
| Session 3 | Hybrid | Theme: Financial Literacy and Education | Hybrid | Theme: Investments |
| 14:25 to 14:50 |
Presentation 3.1A Title: Measuring Islamic financial literacy Presenter: Dr Amanda Craft, Western Sydney University |
Presentation 3.1B Title: Investing in Alternative Sources of Electricity for Household Use: A Progression from Spreadsheet Analysis to the Use of Generative AI for Personal Financial Planning Presenter: Prof Emeritus L. Douglas Smith, University of Missouri-St. Louis, USA |
| 14:50 to 15:15 |
Presentation 3.2A Title: Digital borrowing and digital literacy Presenters: Dr Dang Le Phuong Xuan, HCMC Foreign Trade University, and Ms Le Thu Hang, ZaloPay – VNG Corporation, Vietnam |
Presentation 3.2B Title: Asymmetric Belief Formation and Investor Preferences Presenter: Dr Paul Moran, CFP, Moran Partners Financial Planning |
| 15:15 to 15:40 |
Presentation 3.3A Title: Financial planning attitude, financial resilience, and student well-being: A mediation analysis Presenter: Dr Muhammad Tahir, Lahore Business School, Pakistan |
Presentation 3.3B Title: Where Does Knowledge Matter: Growth-oriented investment intentions Presenter: Dr Odiri Oginni, CFA, United Capital Asset Management, CFA Society Nigeria |
| 15:40 to 16:15 |
Awards, Professional Updates & Closing Remarks Chair: Associate Professor Michelle Cull, AFS President
Streamed to online attendees. |
|
Notes
Presentations run for 15-20 minutes followed by 5-10 minutes of discussion.
Time zones for online presenters
Melbourne is on AEDT (UTC+11) on 23 November 2026. New Zealand is on NZDT (UTC+13).
| Melbourne (AEDT) | Wellington, New Zealand | Lahore, Pakistan | Abuja, Nigeria | Toronto, Canada | Austin, Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Session 1: 10:30am to 11:45am Mon | 12:30 to 1:45pm Mon | 4:30 to 5:45am Mon | 12:30am to 1:45am Mon | 6:30 to 7:45pm Sun | 5:30 to 6:45pm Sun |
| Session 2: 12:30 to 2:10pm Mon | 2:30 to 4:10pm Mon | 6:30 to 8:10am Mon | 2:30 to 4:10am Mon | 8:30 to 10:10pm Sun | 7:30 to 9:10pm Sun |
| Session 3: 2:25 to 4:15pm Mon | 4:25 to 6:15pm Mon | 8:25 to 10:15am Mon | 4:25 to 6:15am Mon | 10:25pm Sun to 12:15am Mon | 9:25pm to 11:15pm Sun |
