The standard of entries into the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment's Paraplanner of the Year award have been "extremely high".
According to the CISI's Chris Morris, head of financial planning policy and engagement, being shortlisted for the awards is a "big achievement".
Candidates must submit entries into the awards, submitting answers to multiple choice questions. A long list of candidates are then asked to submit a 1000-word answer to a technical case study.
All shortlisted candidates whose case studies most impressed the judges across myriad criteria will be invited to an interview. Since 2020, these have been virtual.
The shortlists are:
Chartered Financial Planner of the year, sponsored by NS&I
- David Hearne CFP™ Chartered Fellow (Financial Planning), Financial Planning Partners
- Warren Shute CFP™ Chartered FCSI, Lexington Wealth Management
Paraplanner of the year, sponsored by The Association of Investment Companies
- Kate Morris, Paradigm Norton
- Paul Rodriguez, Pavis Financial Management
AFPF of the year, sponsored by Glascow Consulting
- Berry & Oak
- Wealth Matters
The Financial Planning Future Leader Award 2022
- Zachary Cawthorne CFP™ APP Chartered FCSI, Northstar
- James Beck CFP™ MCSI, Fiscal Engineers
For the third year in a row, Simoney Kyriakou, senior editor of FTAdviser, helped to judge the Paraplanner of the Year awards, which she described as an "intensive competition".
The winners will be announced at the CISI Financial Planning Conference 2022 in Liverpool.
As reported by FTAdviser at the time, in 2020, Mazars paraplanner Pippa Oldfield was named as the CISI's Paraplanner of the Year.
When she found out about her award at the CISI Paraplanner Conference 2020, Oldfield told FTAdviser: "I am absolutely gobsmacked. Thank you!
"To win this is a massive lifetime achievement for me. The whole process has been great as it has given me massive confidence in my skills and such a learning curve. I have learned so much.
"If anyone is thinking about entering this, go for it!"
She came into paraplanning 10 years ago, and said she has "never looked back" in her career. "I am keen to encourage more people into it as well, as there is a shortage of us still", Oldfield added.
Earlier this year, FTAdviser reported on a survey from Quilter's financial planning team.
This found just 6 per cent of female paraplanners said they would like to go on to become a financial adviser, while 17 per cent said they might become an IFA.
In addition, more than five times the number of male paraplanners (41 per cent) said they would like to become a financial adviser, with 21 per cent saying they might like to.
simoney.kyriakou@ft.com
