AF7 Pension Transfers.

We know at BTS that this is a niche unit, but in this episode Nikita Phillips Candidate Support and Business Development Adviser at Bespoke Training Solutions, is joined by special guest Luke Mapley as they discuss all things AF7.

Tune in to find out more about this unit, and why you should be considering AF7 on your journey to chartered.

For Mental Health Week, we want to look at human side of financial planning, specifically the impact a good adviser can have, the interpersonal skills needed, and how good financial planning advice can make a real difference to people’s wellbeing.

Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), define financial wellbeing as “…feeling secure and in control. It’s about making the most of your money from day to day, dealing with the unexpected, and being on track for a healthy financial future. In short: financially resilient, confident and empowered.”

According to MaPS, people who experience financial wellbeing are less stressed about money. This, in turn, has positive effects on their overall mental and physical health, and on their relationships.

Whilst this is likely to make a lot of sense to a lot of people, many people don’t experience good financial wellbeing. Financial stress is known to be one of the leading contributors to poor mental health which makes the role of a financial adviser a critical one. But do we instantly attribute the role of a financial adviser in this way? Probably not!

Helping us to understand the how financial advisers / planners can make a difference to client wellbeing, we are joined by Tina Steele, Principal of Steele Aspire Financial Management

Join Alex Langhorn, Head of Business Support at BTS and Gee Foottit, Senior Manager, Recruitment Partnerships at St. James’s Place Financial Adviser Academy as they delve into the relevance of the UN IWD 2024 campaign, Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.

Gee brings over 25 years of expertise in finance and entrepreneurship to the table.

Driven by a passion for inspiring women in finance, an advocate for gender equality and women's financial independence, striving to be a role model for future generations, including her daughter.

Sustainability is also at the core of her philosophy, extending beyond environmental impact to encompass flexible work arrangements, financial freedom, and personal health.

As the host of St. James's Place's Partnership recruitment events and career-change podcasts, "The Switch" and "SJP Adviser Stories," Gee explores the secrets of success and shares insights to empower listeners in advancing their careers.

In this episode of the BTS Career Pathways podcast we discuss getting in and getting on in a career in financial planning with the focus on the experience of women in financial services.

Joining BTS host, Alex Langhorn to share their insights on this subject we have three fabulous guests.

Chloe Phillips, CFP, FPFS and co-founder and mentor at The Paraplanner Club.

Emmelia Davidson-Slack, recently qualified Financial Planner having gained DipPFS last year. Emmelia also holds the post of New Professionals Officer at the PFS.

Tamsin Caine who is also a CFP and FPFS. Tamsin is a Resolution Accredited Divorce Specialist and Director of Financial Planning at Smart Financial.

We tackle some of the tricky questions affecting women breaking into the sector, progressing to senior roles, motherhood as well as the wider topic of distribution of wealth and financial education.

One of the best ways to build and promote your professional brand is to use social media. What is a professional brand and why is it worth thinking about building one?

Join us as we chat to special guest Dan Graham about how financial planners can use social media successfully to promote themselves and / or grow their client book.

Dan is Head of Community Experience at NextGen Planners and the Chief Designer at docVinci. He’s on a mission to transform financial planning into an innovative, dynamic, and diverse profession and bring financial services into the 21st century.

Join us as the BTS L&D experts chat to special guests Jon Dunckley and Hayley Brown about how neurodiversity affects the experience of studying for regulated exams and breaking into a career in financial planning; the challenges, the benefits and the study techniques that have worked for others. Plus find out about available help and support.

About our guests:

Jon Dunckley is Founding Director of ‘About…’ Consulting, a group of training, consulting, and coaching businesses with the single goal of ‘helping ordinary people do extraordinary things.’ A self-confessed psychology geek, he’s constantly looking for ways to help advisers improve outcomes for clients. Having always known that he looked at the world differently to other people, he was formally assessed as Asperger’s in his early 40s. The diagnosis gave him a new way of understanding himself and a passion for helping other neurodivergent people excel in the workplace. He holds the extremely rare distinction of being a Fellow of the LIBF, PFS, CII and CISI as well as being both a Certified and Chartered Financial Planner. He’s also a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management and a Member of the Association for Coaching. He has particular interest in the later life space, with expertise in IHT planning, long term care and later life lending, but he writes and speaks widely on a variety of topics covering all things financial planning. He contributes to no fewer than 7 CII textbooks and tutors for STEP.

Hayley Brown is a Corporate Development Manager at the Chartered Insurance Institute. Her current role involves working alongside CII’s largest corporate clients to enhance the knowledge, skills and behaviours of their employees. Hayley has over ten years’ experience in financial services, working with global regulators, firms and bodies alike to further the professionalism of the sector. Prior to working at CII, Hayley held the position of Senior Associate in the FCA’s Culture and Governance Team where she led a project on the importance of Purpose in financial services.

Join us as we chat to special guests Lisa Tipton and Kimberley Malin about their journey to qualified paraplanner and beyond!

Find out about the options for qualifications for paraplanners including level 4, level 6 and the route to Chartered.

About our special guests:

Lisa Tipton is the Director of Financial Planning at New World. Lisa started her career in life offices (many years ago) before moving over to financial planning and paraplanning in 2014 and then co-founding a financial planning firm in 2021. Lisa followed the CII route for exams, starting with the Financial Planning Certificate, before becoming diploma qualified and eventually completing the advanced exams and becoming a Chartered Financial Planner and Fellow of the PFS.

Kimberley Malin is a Junior Paraplanner at Four Oaks Financial Services Limited. Having worked in and around the administration roles in the Financial Services industry for around 9 years, with varying levels of seniority, she felt it was time to take her career to the next level. Kimberley wanted to find an opportunity that would allow her to transition from ‘administrator’ to ‘paraplanner’ and has taken several professional exams including the R0 exams towards her Diploma. Passionate about paraplanning as a career in its own right, Kimberley is on a mission to become the ultimate paraplanner!