Taking professional qualifications seriously

It was good to read this week that the Personal Finance Society (PFS) has experienced a record number of graduates in 2013.

1,570 members will graduate this year with either a diploma, chartered status or fellowship.

This is compared to 747 in 2012.

Here at Informed Choice, we take our professional qualifications very seriously.

We believe they are a good way to demonstrate our technical competence and our commitment to delivering the very best advice to our clients.

When combined with relevant experience and ethical standards of behaviour, professional qualifications are a great way for investors to make their decision about choosing the right adviser.

The gold standard of professional qualifications for financial advisers is the Chartered Financial Planner status.

We proudly hold corporate Chartered status as a firm (we became the 99th firm of Chartered Financial Planners in 2007) and four of our six Financial Planners hold the Chartered Financial Planner status as individuals.

The remaining two are well on the road to becoming Chartered within the next twelve months; one has his final exam to sit this week, with results announced in December, and the other is now only a couple of exam papers short of the points requirement.

These latest graduation statistics from the PFS and Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) are welcome news for all consumers of retail financial services, suggesting good progress towards a more professional sector.

Is your financial adviser a Chartered Financial Planner?

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