Your Financial Planning Maestro

In this week's episode we talk to Robert Lockie CFP™, branch principal at Bloomsbury Wealth, about a phrase that I see written quite a bit in financial plans for clients; I am going to err on the side of caution.

Robert is one of the most well respected Certified Financial Planner professionals in the UK.  He has been a long-standing CFP professional and has a reputation for his knowledge and expertise for all things technically related in the financial planning sphere.  

There's not much this chap doesn't know about assumptions.  As you will hear in this episode, as the king of assumptions in the UK, we talk through the impact of this approach on the various financial planning assumptions and the pitfalls of taking various courses of action on the back of that. 

We also talk about why you should get to know how to change the financial planning assumptions in the cashflow tools that you are using and why you should be revisiting the reasons for and numbers being used firm-wide on a regular basis.

This episode is a must listen for both those going through their CISI level 7 financial plan assessment and all those using financial planning cashflow tools to give advice to clients.

Robert's Bio: 

Robert Lockie CFP™ Chartered Fellow (Financial Planning) FCSI, Investment Manager and Branch Principal at Bloomsbury Wealth.

Robert Lockie has been an investment manager and branch principal at City-based Bloomsbury Wealth since 2005.  

The firm works with a relatively small number of private client families and provides a financial planning-led wealth management service.  It is a member of the Global Association of Independent Advisors, an international best practice grouping of like-minded fiduciary firms and Robert is an ambassador for the Transparency Task Force, which aims to improve the standards of transparency in financial services.

In the first episode of the fifth series of this podcast we talk to Jennifer Kay CFP™ who is a financial planner at Arlene Addison.

Jennifer shares her journey to become a Certified Financial Planner professional, her views on why there aren't enough female financial planning role models and what benefits becoming a CFP professional has bought her both professionally and personally.

Jennifer has a hidden super power! Listen to the podcast to find out what that is and how that has helped her improve her confidence, credibility and kudos in the financial planning profession.

Jennifer's Bio:

Jennifer is a Chartered & Certified Financial Planner ™ and Mortgage Adviser. She joined Arlene Addison, a Senior Partner Practice of St. James’s Place in 2014 and qualified as an adviser in the summer of 2019.

With a university degree in French & German, her path has taken quite a turn from translating at her kitchen table to a career in financial advice. A planner by nature, she loves hearing her clients talk about their plans, goals and dreams for the future and designing a plan to help make those dreams a reality. Fortunately, she also loves spreadsheets. 

She is passionate about greater female representation in financial services and galvanising young women to take control of their financial lives early on. She sees her professional purpose as doing everything in her power to help narrow the gender wealth gap, and particularly the pension gap.

In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, running and reading and is also working on her language skills as they’ve grown a little rusty in recent years.

In the final episode of this series of podcasts we talk to Charlotte Phillips-Lynn, Senior Operations Analyst at Seccl.

There are so many small changes that we can all make to make our workplaces more comfortable for our team members from the LGBTQA+ community.  

Some of your team might not be 'out' as part of that community.  They might fear backlash or to be treated differently to others.  What can you do help make everyone more comfortable in the workplace?  Many things that you can do cost nothing more than a little of your time.

Charlotte's Bio:

I am currently a Senior Operations Analyst at Seccl, specialising in the dividends and corporate actions sector. 

My career started working in a contact centre for a life and pensions provider - after always saying I would never work in an office or on the phone, this has been a current theme in my career. As I moved up within the company and onto the next one, my role centred around system migration projects and diving deeper into more technical roles within the industry.

I'm a big advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, and enjoy various roles/accolades that I have within that space. These include: Top 100 Gamechanger with LGBT Great, Project 1000 Role Model with LGBT Great, Volunteer Regional Ambassador for It Gets Better UK, Country Ambassador and mentor for myGwork. 

I have also delivered Keynote speeches virtually and in person surrounding LGBTQIA+ people in finance.

Useful Links:

It Gets Better UK - https://www.itgetsbetter.org.uk/

 Stonewall – https://www.stonewall.org.uk/

 Mermaids - https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/

 LGBT Switchboard - https://switchboard.lgbt/

 In addition Charlotte shares lots of information on LinkedIn and on her Instagram account @yourglutenfreegaybestfriend

In this week's podcast we are back to talking all things CFP certificate related with Carmen Bacaoanu, Head of Paraplanning at Wealth Matters.

We talk about her journey in the financial advice industry, how she was treated, how she found people to support her and how she became a career paraplanner.

Carmen also shares why it was important for her to gain her CFP certification and why she believes that it's a qualification for all, not just for client facing planners.  Along the way we discuss various tips and pitfalls of working on the CISI L7 case study financial plan assessment and the do's and don'ts to pass.

This is a great episode if you are a paraplanner interested to know whether it is worth embarking on the CFP and employers who want to better support their teams.

Carmen's Bio:

I started my career in Financial Planning in 2018 as a trainee paraplanner and prior to this I worked in retail banking for 8 years.  I came into the Financial Planning industry with very little experience, however, within four years I have completed my industry exams and qualified as a Certified Financial Planner, accredited by the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment.

My current role is Head of Paraplanning and I manage a team of four Paraplanners. We have recently started training graduates in the role, who often have little or no financial services experience. My focus is on my team and using my skills and experience to help them thrive professionally and personally by helping them blend work commitments with family life.

I also interact with clients, dealing directly with them and presenting in meetings to reassure them about their portfolios. Although I’m a Paraplanner by trade, a lot of my role involves relationship management, and I pride myself on my people skills.

When I am not spending time helping our clients, I am with my daughter and our pets. I also enjoy painting and am very proud to have many of my artworks present in my friends’ homes.

In this week's podcast episode we talk to Michael Yuille CFP™, Founder of Northern Cross Wealth Management about all things Certified Financial Planner.  Michael shares his journey to CFP certification and talks about how mentoring helped him gain his certification and to look at things a little differently.

We also talk about the difference that that experience has made to him personally and also professionally and how it gives his clients more confidence in him.  He also lets us into a little secret and he tells us why you can do great financial planning anywhere!

Michael Yuille Bio:

During his University years studying for his Bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Science, Michael quickly realised that the laboratory environment was not for him, so he decided to move into a more client-facing role. His progression from the Pharmaceutical field to the Financial world was to utilise his skills in assisting clients in planning for their future. Having spent the last 10 years in Africa, Michael decided to set-up his own company in his adopted home, Cape Town.

Since returning to Cape Town having worked in West Africa for 2 years, Michael has completed both his RE1 (Key Individual) and RE5 (Representatives) regulatory exams in South Africa, and has obtained his U.K. Level 4 Investment Advice Diploma, as well as his U.K. Level 6 Certificate in Pension Transfers & Planning Advice, through the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments.

Michael has recently earned his U.K. CFP™ (CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™) qualification and will be sitting the (U.S.) Series-65 exam which will allow him to understand the needs of U.S. citizens and assist with their financial planning.

Michael now lives in France with his wife Renee and two beautiful daughters, and in his spare time, he is currently learning French and working towards achieving his Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL).

In this week's episode we talk to Michelle Hoskin, founder and director of Standards International, about the work she is doing in the field of financial abuse.

During the hard hitting interview we left no stone unturned and we talked about:

✔︎ How to spot clients who could potentially be being abused.

✔︎ How to identify those who are being financially abused.

✔︎ How to approach the conversations with both parties involved.

✔︎ What to say to offer guidance and support for those being abused.

✔︎ Why we shouldn't ignore this growing issue.

✔︎ How financial planners are key in identifying these situations and, crucially, doing something about it.

If you don't think financial abuse is widespread, think again!

If you think that as a financial planner, it is none of your business to spot it or do anything about it, think again!

Listen now to find out why.

Michelle's Bio:

Michelle Hoskin is an international speaker, author and regular contributor to the professional press and media, with more than 20 years’ experience working alongside some of the world’s most successful financial services organisations. She is also the Founder and Director of Standards International a leading dedicated certification body in the UK for BS 8577, BS 8453, ISO 22222 and The Paraplanner Standard™ certification. Michelle has also earned the title of the leading expert in professional standards of operational best practice.

In this week's podcast episode we talk to Andy Booth, Senior Partner at Nine Wealth.

Andy recently gained his CFP certification and talks through his journey to get there as well as offering lots of advice and tips along the way.

Andy is using his CFP certification to great effect attracting by changing the way he asks client questions and how he thinks through their options when faced with meeting their objectives.  He also talks through how his recent experiences are helping him attract better quality clients.

If you are interested in completing the CFP certification and want to grow your business, this is a must listen episode.

Andy Booth bio:

He has over 25 years experience in the insurance and financial services industries and has been a Partner at St. James's Place for the last eight. Andy focuses primarily on the SME/Business owner market and successful high net worth individuals, including sports professionals. Andy, as a business owner himself, understands and appreciates the challenges of running a business and the need for security whilst striving to maximise the end goal. Andy offers bespoke wealth management advice helping clients achieve their financial goals and long-term security through cash flow modelling.

Andy was educated at Swansea and Cambridge Universities, playing in the 1989 and 1990 Varsity Match at Twickenham. He was a professional rugby player with Cardiff and Swansea and represented Wales at all levels including Wales at the 1991 World Cup. He also had the honour of playing for Crawshays, Scottish Co-optimists and The Barbarians on many occasions. Andy is an Ambassador for local charity Velindre Cancer Centre and on the Board of The Cardiff Blues Former Players Foundation, as well as the St. James's Place Charitable Foundation for the Cardiff area.

A keen sportsman, Andy continues his passion by playing golf and also attends the gym regularly to keep himself fit. At home, Andy relaxes with his new interest in cooking and also enjoys spending time with his wife and three daughters.

In this episode we talk to Katherine Pautard CFP™ about her journey to become a Certified Financial Planner Professional.

Katherine started out her career wanting to be a midwife, but when she found that it wasn't her passion after all, she put her empathy, drive and ambition to use to become a great financial planner.

She shares her journey to find her true vocation in life as well as her passion to help clients.  This year she has gained her CFP certification and won Professional Advisers Rising Star of the Year award to boot.

Katherine shares some special tips for those embarking on their CISI L7 case study financial plan assessment as well as her views on diversity and inclusion and how the financial planning profession is changing in front of our eyes!

Katherine's Bio:

I joined Wealth Matters in 2019 as a paraplanner, having been in the financial services industry for 8 years. Prior to starting at Wealth Matters I worked for a financial advisory firm and a major pensions company, dealing in corporate pensions. This is where I gained the necessary foundation knowledge, however, it is since being at Wealth Matters that I have completed my industry exams and qualified as a Certified Financial Planner. In May 2022, as well as achieving CFP™ status, I was also recognised as Professional Advisers Rising Star of Year.

I am excited to continue to develop my career in the industry and provide valuable advice to my clients for years to come. I’m also working to empower women and younger people to engage with finance.

When I am not talking to my clients about their bucket lists and aspirations, I am with my friends and family, making memories and ticking things off my own list. This usually includes travel, good food and even better wine!

In this week's podcast episode we are back talking to Meg and James at the Verve Group and catching up on what they have learned since we lat talked to them.

We had a really interesting discussion about the weight of expectations that they put on themselves when studying for exams.  We share their ups and downs and talk openly about how we all fail; some just don't want to admit it!

If you are an employer who has recently taken on new members of your team, this is a must listen episode.

In the first of the series, we talk to Gareth Tregidon CFP™, CEO and Head of Financial Planning at Nugenis Financial Planning Ltd.

Gareth was a CFP assessor for the Institute of Financial Planning L6 and Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment L7 financial plan case study assessor for many years and has assessed 600 financial plan assessments!

We talk all things assessment related including:

If you are writing up your financial plan at the moment or thinking about obtaining your CISI L7 case study in August, this is a must listen episode.

Gareth's Bio:

Gareth Tregidon is a Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Fellow (Financial Planning), and currently CEO of Nugenis Financial Planning in Cardiff.

Gareth has been involved in the financial services sector for over 35 years, including periods as an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) and Financial Planner, as well as working in management for both insurance companies and financial services firms.  He was also Branch Chairman for the Institute of Financial Planning (IFP) between 2006-2011, and Branch Chairman of the Year in 2010.

From 2007 until 2021 Gareth was a Senior Assessor for the CFP licence, in addition to which he has undertaken various work for the IFP and, since 2015, CISI.  This has involved writing case studies and educational material, technical and exam-related work, as well as running courses aimed at helping ‘advisers’ become ‘planners’.