Consumers across the UK are being invited to connect with financial planners and Certified Financial PlannerTM professionals for free personal finance guidance sessions in CISI’s UK Financial Planning Week 5-11 October, the theme for which this year is the family, across its many blends and guises.
The annual campaign is more poignant than ever against the backdrop of the global coronavirus pandemic. It aims to encourage consumers to seek out qualified, professional financial planners, who will be giving their time pro-bono for money management support.
The UK Financial Planning Week campaign offers consumers a helping hand to achieve financial well-being, resilience and financial budgeting and planning. Qualified financial planners and Certified Financial Planner (CFPT) professionals will offer confidential, free hour-long sessions, worth up to £500 and will be an opportunity for UK consumers discuss their financial goals.
Financial Planning Week in the UK is organised by the not-for-profit professional body the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) is a national annual initiative to help support the financial capability and literacy of the UK public. The free one hour sessions, will be complimented by the CISI website resources at cisi.org/fpweek. The campaign also highlights the fact that CFPTM practitioners represent the pinnacle of professionalism for their knowledge, skills and integrity.
The CFPTM professional’s ethos is to support consumers in shaping practical, easy-to-understand, holistic financial solutions for every life stage, to include topics such as debt management, preparing for an unexpected financial emergency, home ownership, building savings, investment planning and preparing for retirement.
The CISI is encouraging consumers to sign up to the free sessions with a local CFPTM professional or other financial planner via cisi.org/findaplanner or by calling 020 7645 0777.
Financial Planning Week highlights the benefits of financial planning, which differs to financial advice i.e. financial planning helps people to organise their money to achieve specific life goals, whereas “financial advice” focuses more on financial services products. The theme of the 2020 campaign is families, across the board, small and large, who may well have undergone particularly acute financial challenges, stresses and strains during this Covid-19 pandemic.
During Financial Planning Week, financial planners and their firms will be:
- Offering free consultation surgeries, via video call (Skype, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom) or over the phone for members of the public
- Opportunities for consumers to “Ask a Planner” a question in online sessions or offer written responses to individuals’ queries
- Providing talks to local schools across the country to share the merits of the financial planning profession as a career
- Look out for money help webinars which will be announced on social media
Jacqueline Lockie, Chartered FCSI, CISI Head of Financial Planning said: “Our financial planner professionals are particularly conscious this year how many families across the nation will have had their lives impacted by Covid-19, either through illness, bereavement, facing unemployment or other challenging job situations. Financial Planning Week will be an opportunity for UK consumers to arrange some free, professional financial guidance sessions, to allow our planners to offer a steadying hand and help them plan for their financial future.”
CISI’s Financial Planning Week 5-11 October will also incorporate World Financial Planning Day 7 October, organised by the Financial Planning Standard Board (FPSB) leading with the message ‘Live your today. Plan your tomorrow’ as part of IOSCO’s World Investor Week in October 2020. This is an annual global campaign promoted by IOSCO to raise awareness of the importance of investor education and protection, highlighting the various initiatives of securities regulators and other IOSCO members on six continents.