The collapse of a number of financial planning firms in recent years has dented consumer confidence in financial advisers, but changes are afoot. The government has tackled conflicts of interest with its Future of Financial Advice reforms and the Australian Securities and Investment Commission has proposed a national exam as an industry qualification. Moves to lift educational requirements for financial planners had already been signalled by the industry. This year, the Australian School of Business (ASB) commenced degree courses in financial planning and has responded to an approach from Tim Steele, director of AMP's Horizons Academy, which trains and licenses that company's financial planners. Under a new agreement, eligible graduates from AMP's Horizons program will be able to gain academic credit towards further study at the ASB. Steele recently spoke with Knowledge@Australian School of Business.