Why we do it
I never set out to be a Financial Planner. There are not many that do!! Having worked in the insurance industry straight from school with Scottish Amicable, I was looking for a new challenge when I hit 30 and was given the opportunity to become an Independent Financial Adviser.
I went from working in the same building, seeing the same faces day in day out, to meeting new and interesting people, going to new places and learning new skills. I loved helping clients solve problems and met clients that I still work with to this day. However there was a nagging doubt that I was dealing with client problems in isolation and never focused on the “big picture”. It was more about the products and less about the client and what they wanted.
My “light bulb” moment came when I attended a presentation by Paul Armson and he introduced me to the concept of Lifestyle Financial Planning. This was what I was looking for. Finally, I had found a way to help clients get what they really want out of life. This gave me a new found purpose and was much more rewarding than selling products. There and then, I made my decision to put clients at the centre of everything I do. I began working with a small number of people and helping clients get what they really want out of life. I have never looked back and worked this way ever since.
Many advisers call themselves Financial Planners but don’t have any financial planning qualifications to justify the title. I did not want to be one of these. As the pinnacle of financial planning is to become a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), I decided to obtain that particular qualification. The become a CFP professional you must demonstrate international standards of knowledge and skill to the equivalent of an honours degree. It is not only a demonstration of technical ability, it also demonstrates an ability to apply this knowledge in order to produce an effective financial plan. In March 2012, I finally qualified as a Certified Financial Planner and joined just under 1000 Certified Financial Planning professionals currently practicing in the UK. The certification is awarded by the Institute of Financial Planning www.financialplanning.org of which I am also an active member.
Since putting clients at the centre of my service and becoming a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), I have never looked back and continue to practice the principles of financial planning to this day.
Paul Armson said at that first seminar “Life Is Not A Rehearsal” and that has stuck with me ever since. I constantly tell clients this and even have this phrase in bold letters on my office wall!
I genuinely love what I do and it is all down to Lifestyle Financial Planning. I hope my enthusiasm for this little known, but vitally important service comes over in these words.
If you want to find out how Lifestyle Financial Planning could help you, then please get in touch.