Financial planners across the UK are being encouraged now to sign up to this year’s Financial Planning Week #FPWUK, 11-17 October 2021. 
The annual campaign, organised by the not-for-profit, professional body the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI), seeks to empower consumers throughout the UK in making financial decisions by seeing a financial planner for a free session in October. These confidential meetings allow people to experience first-hand the life-changing guidance offered by the financial planning profession.
The CISI is encouraging the financial planning community, led by CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM professionals, to commit now to being involved by offering their time and expertise pro-bono. With the primary aim being to help people organise their finances to achieve their life goals, the campaign seeks to help consumers build financial confidence, combat anxiety and stress about money and deal with life’s challenges around day-to-day financial decisions.
Financial planners who are CISI members and are wishing to sign up to CISI’s Financial Planning Week 2021 should go to cisi.org/registerfpweek.
Financial planners throughout England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands are encouraged to:
- Join the campaign to help highlight the true benefits of financial planning
- Consider offering one-hour complimentary surgeries via video call (Skype, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom), over the phone or in person for members of the public
- Take part in “Ask a Planner” online with written responses to individuals’ queries
- Connect with local radio stations about the campaign and provide talks to local schools sharing the merits of financial planning as a career
Sally Plant, CISI Head of Financial Planning said: “Financial Planning Week is the opportunity to empower so many to build their confidence to take control of their financial goals and dreams by making all-important financial decisions, big and small.
“It highlights to consumers the importance of identifying qualified financial planners through not-for-profit, professional body directories, thereby obtaining fair and professional financial guidance.
“Our financial planning community including our Certified Financial Planners™ are best placed to share their expertise to support the public in doing so. By offering free personal financial planning sessions, the community will be helping people of all ages and incomes to put plans in place for their future.
“Our planners’ are committed to giving their pro bono guidance to all consumers to help convey the true positive benefits of having a financial plan.”
Amyr Rocha-Lima CFPTM, Chartered MCSI, Chair, CISI Financial Planning Forum said: “The aim of the CISI’s Financial Planning Week is to promote the benefits of planning ahead financially in areas such as savings, retirement, protecting loved ones and setting money aside for a rainy day.
“Through this campaign we can genuinely help people by highlighting the simple steps they can take to build an emergency fund, to protect their assets in case of an early death or diagnosis of a critical illness, to fund a retirement that might last 30 years and to leave a tax-efficient legacy to their loved ones and the charitable causes they care about.
“These are the real things that real people really yearn to accomplish, and don't know how. After all, we may not have the answers people want (e.g. what will the stock market do next?), but, much more importantly, we do have the questions they need.”
CISI’s Financial Planning Week 11-17 October follows World Financial Planning Day 6 October, organised by the Financial Planning Standard Board (FPSB). The CISI will also be participating in IOSCO’s World Investor Week in October. 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.
On 6 October, the global financial planning community will come together for World Financial Planning Day (#WFPD2021) to help raise awareness of the value of financial planning, of having a financial plan and of working with a competent and ethical financial planner who puts clients’ interests first.