A Happy New Year to you all. I know it's very late to say this but I haven't written it in my column yet, and there is still plenty of the year left yet, writes IFP President Rebecca Taylor.

2013 was a good year for me. It was my first year as IFP President, and it has been great to see an increase in membership, and a significant increase in Accredited Firms too. Now that we have broken through the barrier of having 1000 practicing Certified Financial Planner^CM Professionals in the UK it's full steam ahead! This year is looking exciting already and I strongly believe that 2014 will see more exciting developments from the IFP to ensure you get even more value from your IFP membership.
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One area where I'm expecting to see changes is in the number of people attempting advanced qualifications this year. The new process for CFP Certification is based on the level 6 diploma in Financial Planning. It's now in full swing with only a few still left on the old system, which will help with the clarity of marking that has left some frustrated in the past. Attempting CFP certification is a positive experience, regardless of whether or not you pass the assessment first time. Yes of course we can all make silly mistakes which cause failures where maybe we think there shouldn't have been but overall the process is robust and fair.
Personally I found the whole experience enlightening and learnt a great deal. Over the years I have expanded on this knowledge, with the work I put in to achieve the CFP qualification being a constant baseline to draw on. If you're looking for the next professional challenge in your career development I urge you to take a good hard look at CFP certification.
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On a very different matter, a source of concern to many is the advice gap in the UK. I would like to voice a gentle suggestion as to how more people can be reached. Employers are being encouraged to take responsibility and set up pension schemes for their employees through auto enrolment. Now I realise that not every Financial Planning firm does, or wants to get involved with Employee Benefits, but there are other opportunities within corporates. There are employers out there who are willing to pay for your expertise to help their employees.
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Whether this be from group presentations or one to one meetings depends on your work preference and of course the company's budget, but you can get a surprising amount of information and help across through these days. Personally I prefer one to one meetings, and even half hour meetings can be a great help. I am generally armed with a financial calculator and little else, but I manage to get some good basic planning in and have a great feeling of satisfaction at the end of these days, knowing that I have made a difference. I would love to hear from anyone else working with companies in a similar way. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.