The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) is delighted to announce the first cohort of successful achievers for our new and improved CFPTM certification pathway.
“These five achievers are pioneers for our new and improved pathway for the Certified Financial PlannerTM certification and we warmly congratulate them on their exam achievement. Their achievement in this first important stage in the CFPTM pathway is a real testament to both their focus and to the effectiveness of our new CISI Level 6 Certificate in Advanced Financial Planning, the first stage of achieving our new Level 7 Diploma in Advanced Financial Planning, the only route to becoming a Certified Financial Planner™ professional in the UK.
“Congratulations to our successful candidates. All five candidates who sat the new exam successfully passed. They are well on their way to obtaining the knowledge and skills to become Certified Financial PlannerTM professionals in the UK and will soon join the other 181,000 CFP™ professionals worldwide,”
“Consumers worldwide are challenged by money management issues. However, many still don’t know who to trust for professional financial planning advice. Equally, the new generation of young people choosing financial planning as a career want to act with integrity and do the right thing for the consumer – and the Certified Financial PlannerTM certification is the globally respected credential which can match their personal ethics.” said Jacqueline Lockie CFPTM Chartered FCSI, CISI Head of Financial Planning.
The CISI Level 7 Diploma in Advanced Financial Planning is the highest-level financial planning qualification in the UK. Once a candidate has attained the Level 7, completed one to three years relevant experience, joins the CISI as a Member and achieved the CISI IntegrityMatters test, they are eligible to obtain the annually renewable CFPTM licence to reach the pinnacle of financial planning, becoming a Certified Financial PlannerTM professional.
The CFPTM certification is an internationally recognised licence overseen by the Financial Planning Standards Board Ltd (FPSB) in Denver, USA. It demonstrates to the consumer that the CFP professional is committed to professionalism and that he or she has met rigorous competence, ethics and professional practice standards to provide comprehensive financial planning services.
“Those who are interested in becoming a CFPTM professional and meet the entry requirements can achieve this comfortably within 12 months. If candidates go to cisi.org/cfp they will see that we have provided a visual timeline showing key dates and milestones, enabling you to become CFPTM qualified within one year. So, for example, if you booked your Level 6 exam by 1 December 2019, the various stages are mapped out leading up to a Level 7 case study result by end October 2020.
“As a global certification there is nothing which matches the CFPTM designation for the breadth and depth of financial planning knowledge, putting the consumer experience and well-being at the heart of this process, with four key requirements: Exam, Ethics, Education and Experience,” said Ms Lockie.
Dan Atkinson APP Chartered MCSI, Head of Technical at EQ Investors, who passed with a Distinction in the new Level 6 Certificate in Advanced Financial Planning exam said: “As I worked through my technical qualifications, I came to realise the importance of a holistic financial planning approach. This exam equipped me to apply my technical skills to the financial planning process. Becoming a CFP™ professional will demonstrate my commitment to financial planning and validate my knowledge and experience. Having passed the exam, I will now move on to the level 7 case study part of the CFP™ pathway in the new year. I look forward to growing as a paraplanner and financial planning professional as I take this next step.
Combing the technical knowledge from a broad syllabus was daunting, but the combination of shorter questions and longer essay style responses made this an engaging exam. I enjoyed the challenge thoroughly.”