The annual CISI Paraplanner Conference, one of the biggest events in the Paraplanning calendar, will get under way today online. 

The two day conference will be an online event for the second year in a row due to the pandemic. 

The event will open at lunchtime today (19 May) with a keynote looking at careers in Paraplanning and continue through the morning of 20 May, with 15 sessions over two days.  

The conference theme this year is ‘Managing the Mix’. The CISI says this title recognises the “critical, behind-the-scenes role of the Paraplanner” in Financial Planning. 

The conference Twitter hashtag is #paraplanning21.

Confirmed #paraplanning21 speakers include Mark Goold, senior associate, Financial Conduct Authority, who will also answer questions from Paraplanners.

Other well known speakers include Sally Plant, CISI head of Financial Planning; Chartered Paraplanner Pippa Oldfield, winner of the CISI Paraplanner of the Year Award 2020 and New York Times best-selling author Susan Cain. Just returns as lead sponsor with Martin Lines of Just speaking about the 'boomer' generation and retirement income.

A stream session on Excel will be hosted by Judith Rowe, Microsoft Office trainer, and there will also be an ethics session featuring real-life dilemmas from the CISI’s professional standards and ethics manager, Amrita Bhogal. 

More than 200 attended the CISI’s first online Paraplanner conference in 2020 including delegates from 26 countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, Cyprus, Switzerland and India. 

Sally Plant, CISI head of Financial Planning and a former Paraplanner, said: “I’m looking forward to meeting our fantastic community of Paraplanners at this year’s #paraplanning21 conference. 

“Our artwork for the conference features the soundboard used in music to obtain the perfect mix.  It represents the breadth of considerations, the detail and understanding of the clients’ needs and goals that a Paraplanner has to pull together accurately. The feedback from last years’ conference demonstrates what a must go-to event this is for the Paraplanning profession.”

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