I’m thrilled to have earned the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP™ ) designation awarded by CISI. It is the most practical certification I have completed to date.
At the heart of the certification is creating a financial plan for a realistic client scenario. The CII Chartered Financial Planner exams prepared me well for the technical elements of my case study. However, those exams are not a prerequisite.
I highly recommend the CFP™ certification pathway to anyone working in the financial planning profession. It’s not a mere pass or fail. The process is designed to help you learn and improve and mirrors the financial planning process of a client-centric firm.
At Thornton, we help clients visualise their future using lifetime cash flow projections. This shows whether a client is on track or not, no matter what happens. We use software to do thousands of calculations tailored to client circumstances. Projections are built on numerous assumptions, which we know won’t materialise exactly as predicted. We use these projections as a starting point for client conversations.
As part of the case study, I built my own Excel spreadsheets (rather than relying on software). I also researched/justified every single assumption the plan was built on. The overall process made me appreciate how the right financial software in the right hands can enhance client outcomes.
It makes the financial planning process more efficient and affordable. Clients, together with a financial planner, can craft a financial plan for the cost of a holiday.
I would like to say a big thank you to Thornton for supporting my study journey and to Jackie Lockie CFP™ for the online case study course and 1-2-1 training. I couldn’t have done it without Jackie’s help, especially with constructing 25+ interconnected spreadsheets!
So far, I am the only Isle of Man CFP™. I hope more Isle of Man professionals will embark on the CFP™ journey.
Feel free to get in touch via LinkedIn if you are considering whether the CFP™ designation is for you.
