Your Financial Planning Maestro

In this week's episode we talk to Katie Braden, CFP® at Innovating Advice, about all things marketing. Why are so many financial planning business websites the same?  Why do so many feel static and (dare I say it) boring?  How can you stand out from the crowd of financial planning businesses? There's that age-old saying that only 20% of your marketing is effective, but no one knows which...

In this week's episode we talk to George Kinder CFP about why he became a CFP professional and why that wasn't enough for his clients. George gives practical tips on how to improve your client discussions which lead to a deeper understanding of what they want to achieve with their wealth.  He also shares some rare insights into some of his own failures and regrets and shares how they spurred him o...

There are so many different terms surrounding ESG that understanding them all and thinking through how they impact the type of service you offer your financial planning clients can be tricky. I saw three fund manager presentations recently, each fund manager said only one aspect E, S or G was the most important.  Funnily though, they each said something different to the others! In this week's...

In this week's interview we talk to Noel Maye, CEO of the Financial Planning Standards Board, about the global financial planning profession and what it means to be a CFP professional in the UK and across the world. We talk in detail about the key areas that CFP professionals are changing to support more clients both during the pandemic and beyond. We also look at how the global numbers of CFP pro...

In the first in our series of business planning podcast episodes, we talk to Marlene Outrim CFP™ at Uniq Family Wealth. Marlene shares her approach to clients, how she explains what financial planning is and how she identifies and deals with conflict between couples. We also talk about how those insights gave her drive to write several books including her most recent, Cascading Your Wealth. A fasc...

In this week's episode we talk to Matthew Walne CFP™, Santorini Financial Planning. Matthew became interested in obtaining his CFP certification quite a few years ago and had a tough journey to get there. Matthew is one of the nicest financial planners that you will ever meet in the profession.  But underneath that Mr Nice Guy, there is a man with a dogged determination to continue his own pe...

In this week's episode we talk frankly and openly about the issues around giving advice to vulnerable clients with Martin Lines, Development and Events Director, Just With recent FCA research suggesting that around 50% of people who seek financial advice should probably be classed as vulnerable because of the pandemic, now is a good time to revisit these issues.   We discuss what the regulato...

Many financial planning firms 'give away' the financial plan as part of an investment management service or as a loss leader because they are paid a percentage of assets under management.  This puts the emphasis on gaining more assets for the business rather than providing financial plans for clients.  Numerous surveys show a reluctance for the public to pay for advice they seek - this i...

In this episode we talk to Susie Bewell CFP™, Branch Principal, Raymond James Hitchin, about why she decided to become a CFP professional, her journey to get there and the way she has moved her more traditional wealth management business to offer a comprehensive financial planning service to her clients. Many investment/wealth managers tell me that they don't think they need to think about fi...

In this week's episode we talk to Sarah Huffen CFP™ Chartered MCSI, Principal of Gilded Wealth. Sarah is a very determined lady.  Sarah left school with very few qualifications she embarked on a unique path into financial services, starting her own business and being one of very few people to pass their CISI L7 assessment on her first submission.  She did all that whilst arranging a wedd...

In this week's episode we talk to Tina Weeks CFP™, Serenity Financial Planning, about how financial planners can become even better at helping clients achieve their goals.  We talk about how cashflow planning is only scratching the surface as far as giving comprehensive financial planning is concerned and why she decided to gain the CFP certification and how it has helped her in business and...

In this week's episode we talk to Louise Sagar CFP™, Live Vitae Financial Planning, who went on quite a journey to gain her Certified Financial Planner certification. In this frank discussion she shares her journey and experiences and explains how becoming a paraplanner started her journey to CFP and with a young family, lead her ultimately to start her own lifestyle business. Louise offers invalu...

Wendy is a CFP™ professional who started the charity Ditch Debt with Dignity in 2014 and since then has supported hundreds of wealthy people who have got into debt.  In a world where so many on lower incomes have struggled financially during the pandemic, many wealthier people have tried to keep up the appearance of affluence which has resulted in many feeling ashamed and reluctant to seek he...

In this week's podcast episode, the first one in this series, I talk to Joanna Redmond CFP™, Financial Planner at Investment for Life. Joanna has been a CFP Professional for around seven years and has spent most of the last six assessing IFP and CISI L6 and L7 financial plan submissions before stepping down in 2021. She gives us many significant tips and advice to those who are about to embark on...

In this week's podcast episode, the final one in this series, I talk to Joanna Redmond CFP™, Financial Planner at Investment for Life. Joanna has been a CFP Professional for around seven years and has spent most of the last six assessing IFP and CISI L6 and L7 financial plan submissions before stepping down in 2021. She gives us many significant tips and advice to those who are about to embark on...

In this week's episode we talk to Phil Billingham and Shannon Currie, both Certified Financial Planner professionals at Perceptive Planning. We talk about the international advantages of being a CFP professional and why they structured their business to give CFP assessment-style comprehensive financial planning advice to all clients.  In addition we discuss how they work with CFP professional...

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 what employers could do more of to help those entering the profession. If you are an employer who has recently taken on new members of your team, this is a must listen episode. Website: LockieConst...

In this week's podcast episode we talk to Farida Hassanali Certified Financial PlannerTM, Senior Paraplanner, Paradigm Norton We talk about why she decided to become a financial planner at such a young age, how she got her break in the profession, her experience of studying for here CFP certification in the UK and how she helps a particular group of clients achieve their goals.  Farida also s...

In this week's podcast episode we talk to one of the most well respected Certified Financial Planner professionals in the UK, Robert Lockie.  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 he doesn't know about assumptions.  As you will hear in th...

In this episode we speak to Alasdair Walker who recently gained his CFP certification in the UK.  Alasdair is a long standing self confessed serial 'exam passer' but the CISI L7 assessment proved a challenging path to CFP certification. He shares an honest account of the ups and downs of the process, how to approach it and the changes he has made in his business because of it. Bio: Alasdair W...

In this week’s podcast we are dropping in on two new entrants to the financial planning profession.  Meg and James are like a breath of fresh air.  We catch up with them to find out what attracted them to the profession and what their first few months have been like. We will be catching up with both of them on a regular basis and following them on their journeys in the financial planning...

In this podcast we talk all things Certified Financial Planner Professional certification with Amyr. Amyr earned his CFP professional certification two years ago and during this interview he shares his story about his "Ah ha!" moment that so many financial planners have when undertaking the required assessments to become certified. Amyr also shares some excellent tips and advice to those thinking...

Noel Maye is Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB). Before joining the organization, Maye was Senior Vice President of Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) in the United States, where he oversaw the international, legal, consumer and public affairs, and communications departments, and served as corporate spokesperson. Prior to CFP Boar...