Guide to Choosing a Chartered Financial Planner - Redwood Financial (2024)

What is a Chartered Financial Planner?

A Chartered Financial Planner will have successfully passed through several London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF) Diploma and Advanced Diploma examinations in many areas such as Taxation, Trusts, Pensions, Investments, and Financial Planning.

Through a period of lengthy and intensive study, culminating in several LIBF Diploma’s and LIBF Advanced Diploma examinations to qualify as a Chartered Financial Planner, Jasmine now has an enhanced level of market knowledge, confirmed by an academic qualification that supports the guidance and advice she gives.

Why choose a Chartered Financial Planner?

Retirement Planning, Estate Planning, Financial & Investment Advice are really important and, often complex topics that need and deserve the advice and guidance of an Independent Financial Adviser. And the best of the best Advisers in these fields are those who have attained Chartered Financial Planner status.

Individuals who have qualified through the LIBF have confirmed they meet the LIBF’s Code of Ethics and continuous professional development (CPD) requirements, with ongoing sample checks carried out by the LIBF to ensure these requirements are being met.

Ultimately, choosing a Chartered Financial Planner provides you with that extra level of confidence that the Adviser you are working with is an expert and specialist in the planning you are undertaking. They will help you make the right choice for your unique needs, evidenced with substantive suitability of advice reports, which are the culmination of a detailed analysis and understand of your financial position.

Meet Jasmine Lambert

Jasmine Lambert is no stranger to winning awards and accolades. The winner of the prestigious UK Wills & Probate Young Practitioner of the Year Award in 2018, and Managing Director of Redwood Family Wealth & Estate Planning, which she also led to a resounding win as the Wills & Probate Will Writing Firm of the Year (South) Award that same year, has just passed her final exams to become a Chartered Financial Planner.

Becoming a Chartered Financial Planner is a widely accepted ‘gold standard’ qualification for professional Financial Planners and Financial Advisers in the United Kingdom.

By definition, holders of the Chartered Financial Planner qualifications are among the most experienced and most qualified Advisers in the profession.

As of May 2016, there were over 36,000 members of the Personal Finance Society (the principal professional body for Financial Advisers in the UK), of which only just over 5,000 hold Chartered Financial Planner status.

As a Chartered Financial Planner, Jasmine now carries comparable qualifications as other established professions such as Chartered Accountants and Chartered Surveyors.

How do I know if someone is Chartered?

The London Institute of Banking & Finance has long recognised the status offered to a Chartered Financial Planner through the LIBF Chartered Financial Planner logo below, as well as through a certificate:

There are two websites you can visit to check the status of a particular firm or Adviser.

The LIFB’s Professional Services Register shows individuals who currently hold one or more of their professional services certifications and you can use the search function to look up qualified Advisers in your area.

Financial Planning Advice is a regulated industry and the Financial Services Register is a great place to check if the firm, individual, or body you are planning to work with is authorised or registered by the FCA, or is exempt.

What does a Chartered Financial Planner & Advisor do?

A Chartered Status Financial & Investment Advisor is able to advise on products that are not available from the traditional high street banks and building societies, which means we can help long term investors invest into the stock market to maximise their growth opportunities from their investments, whilst also advising you on how to improve the taxation and charges in your Investment Portfolio.

We do this by firstly understanding and establishing your investment goals.

• What are you building your wealth for? When do you need to achieve this goal?
• What level of growth do you need or are looking to target?
• Do you need capital growth, income, or both?
• Do you need access to capital and if so, how quickly?
• How much risk are you prepared to take to reach your goal?

Only once we have established a clear investment objective and goal with you, can our start to analyse your existing investments and create an Investment Recommendation Plan designed to meet your goals, whilst reducing your costs and charges, improving the tax efficiency of your investment and deliver your targeted returns in line with your attitude to risk.

Why is Financial Planning important?

Good Financial Planning enables you to be in the driving seat to control your income, your outgoings, emergency funds, debt management, Investments & Saving for later life. It is a guide that will help you to achieve your life goals on a step-by-step basis and that can flex and adapt as your wants and needs change throughout your life’s journey.

How does Jasmine’s Chartered status benefit you?

Jasmine already holds numerous certifications in multiple disciplines within the Financial Planning industry and has for many years been providing fantastic advice to our Clients here at Redwood.

Achieving Chartered Status as a Financial Planner is really the cream on top of her illustrious career to date. The benefits are many for both our Clients and for Redwood.

For our Clients, there is the confidence that comes from dealing with a business that is represented by someone who is recognised as one of the few Chartered Financial Planners to be in the top 14 percent of those in the industry.

For Redwood, Chartered Financial Planner status presents a whole new opportunity to welcome new Clients who we can help to Grow, Protect and Enjoy their wealth!

See our related post on how to choose a Financial Advisor.