Wealth Management Plan & Project Work
Every CWM® candidate completes two project assignments that transform theoretical knowledge into real-world practice — culminating in a professionally structured, comprehensive Wealth Management Plan.
What is the CWM® Project Work Component?
Project work is the practical bridge between the CWM® curriculum and the real world of wealth advisory. It ensures that every charterholder has demonstrated the ability to gather client data, analyse a financial situation, and produce a professional, actionable plan.
AAFM India mandates project work submission for all CWM® candidates. The requirement is stated clearly: candidates registered for the CWM® programme must submit project and assignment work to AAFM India through their education provider, from a list of topics published by AAFM India.
There are two stages, each tied to a level of the programme. Together they build from data gathering at the client level to constructing a fully integrated Wealth Management Plan. This two-stage structure mirrors the two-level curriculum and ensures that theoretical mastery is matched by applied competence before the charter is awarded.
Project work is non-negotiable. Unlike some professional programmes where practical components are optional or advisory, the CWM® treats both project submissions as requirements equivalent to the examinations. Passing both exam levels without completing approved project submissions does not result in the charter being awarded.
Project Work 1: The Client Data-Gathering Exercise
The first project grounds you in the most fundamental skill of wealth management: listening to and accurately capturing a client's complete financial picture.
What you do
You obtain a completed Data Gathering Sheet from a real client.
AAFM India provides the Data Gathering Sheet template. You identify a suitable client — ideally a person who is employed, married, and has dependents, as this creates a richer financial profile with multiple planning dimensions. You conduct the data-gathering conversation and complete the sheet, capturing the client's current financial position, assets and liabilities, income and expenditure, insurance coverage, tax situation, and life goals and aspirations.
Confidentiality requirements
Client identity is protected throughout.
Client contact information must be kept strictly confidential. The project submission presents the financial data and analysis, not identifying personal details. This mirrors the ethical standards a practising CWM® charterholder is expected to uphold when handling real client information under SEBI, IRDAI, or firm-level data-protection obligations.
Submission timing
Timing differs by pathway.
For Compulsory Pathway candidates: Project Work 1 must be submitted within 30 days of completing Level I. For Experience Pathway candidates: Project Work 1 must be submitted before sitting the Level II examination. AAFM India notifies candidates of approval or rejection; an approved submission is a prerequisite for Level II registration or for proceeding to Project Work 2.
Project Work 2: The Comprehensive Wealth Management Plan
The second project is the capstone of the entire CWM® programme. It demands that you synthesise all 20 curriculum units into a single, professionally structured wealth plan for a real-world scenario client.
Receive the case-study scenario
After completing Level II, AAFM India supplies a case-study scenario. This presents a fictional but realistic client with a specific financial situation, life stage, goals, and constraints. Scenarios are designed to require the application of advanced planning skills across multiple domains simultaneously.
Build the Wealth Management Plan
You develop a comprehensive Wealth Plan addressing the scenario. A complete plan integrates the key domains of the Level II curriculum: investment strategy and asset allocation; insurance and risk mitigation; tax planning (direct and indirect); estate and succession planning; retirement planning and goal-mapping; and where applicable, alternative assets and offshore structuring. Sample wealth plans are provided by AAFM India as reference benchmarks for format and depth.
Submit the plan after Level II completion
Project Work 2 is submitted after Level II examination completion as part of the formal certification application. The submission is reviewed by AAFM India assessors against expected quality standards. Approval leads to the formal award of the CWM® charter and AAFM membership eligibility. Rejection results in a notification and the opportunity to resubmit after addressing the identified shortcomings.
The Level II curriculum that underpins the Wealth Management Plan capstone is detailed on the Curriculum page. Examination requirements for Level II are on the Examination page.
How Project Work Is Assessed
AAFM India applies consistent quality standards to all project submissions. Meeting these standards is what separates a CWM® charterholder from a candidate who has simply passed examinations.
Factual accuracy
Submissions containing factually incorrect information will be rejected. Plans must be based on sound financial analysis and accurate application of tax, regulatory, and planning principles relevant to the scenario or client data provided.
Originality
Plagiarism — copying from sample plans, published sources, or other submissions — results in rejection. Your plan must reflect your own analysis and recommendations. AAFM India checks submissions for originality.
Professional standard
Plans should be structured, clearly presented, and practically actionable. The Wealth Management Plan in particular should read as a document you could present to a real client or a professional panel — not as a student exercise.
Integrity
Deception in any form — fabricated client data, misrepresented credentials, or dishonest representations — results in rejection and may affect CWM® candidacy. The CWM® charter carries an ethical obligation that begins with the project work process.
Explore every step of the CWM® journey
The Chartered Wealth Manager pathway is a connected set of pages — start anywhere, each links back here.
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Project work: frequently asked questions
Yes. Both project submissions are mandatory for all candidates regardless of pathway — Compulsory or Experience. There are no exemptions.
Project Work 1 is a data-gathering exercise. You obtain a completed Data Gathering Sheet from a real client (ideally employed, married with dependents) that captures their current financial position and aspirations. Client contact information is kept strictly confidential.
Project Work 2 is a comprehensive Wealth Management Plan. AAFM India provides a case-study scenario; you develop a full plan addressing the scenario, integrating investment, insurance, tax, estate, and retirement strategies. Sample wealth plans are provided as reference.
For Compulsory Pathway candidates, Project 1 must be submitted within 30 days of completing Level I. For Experience Pathway candidates, Project 1 must be submitted before the Level II examination. Project 2 is submitted after Level II completion and certification application.
AAFM India may reject submissions that fail to meet expected quality standards, contain plagiarism, involve deception, or include factually incorrect information. Candidates are notified of the outcome — approval or rejection.
Project Work 1 corresponds to the Level I Foundation curriculum, applying financial data-gathering and client profiling skills. Project Work 2 is the Level II capstone, requiring candidates to synthesise the full 20-unit curriculum into a professionally presented Wealth Management Plan. See the curriculum page for details.
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