This is my final column for Financial Planning Today as I'm aiming to reduce my workload. With this in mind, Financial Planning Today editor Kevin O'Donnell asked me to do one final article so here it is.

Kevin was actually the first editor to ask me to write an article at all, back in the days when Financial Adviser was a ‘Pink Paper’, some 30 years ago, I felt it would be appropriate to do so. I contacted him to grumble about something and he said why don't you put pen to paper. The rest is history.

Reflecting on my last article for Financial Planning Today, it occurred to me that I stated a position – that these will one day be the ‘Good Old Days’ – but missed part of the mechanism for getting us here.

And it seems to me that where we are is a result of a relatively few people daring to do something different, something special.

So for my last article I thought I would list my totally unfair, totally subjective, unreasonably short list of the 5 Planners and 5 ‘Others’ on whose shoulders we stand. My abject apologies to those I have missed – I’m missing dozens of friends and colleagues who may feel a bit snubbed – no snub intended, I promise…

So my lists are:

Planners

1. I have to start with late Prestwood / Truth Software founder Paul Etheridge OBE – The Godfather of UK Financial Planning. No explanation required. We lost Paul in 2023 but his legacy lives on. He had huge influence on today's Financial Planners and his firm's software paved the way for cashflow modelling use by so many planners today.
2. The late David Norton. His ambition to create a practice where clients would, “cheerfully pay his fees” is seared into my brain. He was taken from us far too soon in 2005 at the age of 54. Who knows what he would have achieved with another 10 or 15 years of leadership.
3. She will hate me for this, but Marlene Outrim of Uniq Financial Wealth. A great Planner – I have seen some of her client work – who has done so much good behind the scenes for all sorts of people and causes. I could write pages… 
4. I think Dennis Hall of Yellowtail has tried every single possible Financial Planning business model and shared his learnings with honesty and humour, so the rest of us could make different mistakes. One to learn from.
5. And Pete Matthews at Meaningful Money and Jacksons, all the way down Penzance, who educates, informs and guides literally thousands of people around the world and is modesty personified about it.

Others

1. The late Ian Taylor of platform Transact will be on everyone’s list. If you have to ask why, you have not been paying attention. A man of humour and insight, who passed far too young at 58, just after his early retirement. Life is certainly short…
2. And David Ferguson of Nucleus and now Seccl is in the same mould. He will deny it. But a more adviser-focussed ‘provider’ would be very hard to find. 
3. Life Planning movement founder George Kinder has changed how thousands of advisers, planners and clients think about their relationship with money. A wise and gentle soul who now lives back in the UK. Mostly. Part of him will always live in Hawaii and Massachussets.
4. The Lang Cats. OK, this is a cheat, but if Financial Services did ‘supergroups’, this would be they. Think Travelling Wilburys meets Cream. Each stupidly talented. Together a force. And they like advisers, and increasingly influence and control the data flow about us. Which is a good thing. 
5. Financial Planning business consultant Brett Davidson. Mr Consistent, who manages to make the complex seem simple and, most importantly, commercially attractive. I wonder how many top practices has he touched over the years, all of which will be at least a bit better as a result? All consultants should want to be Brett when they grow up.

So 10 people who I believe have changed our special little world in a variety of ways. I have been fortunate enough to spend time – often over a glass or three - with most of them over many years. Hence my subjectivity. As I list them here, the common threads I see are integrity, humour, clarity and being ‘good people’ outside of their day job.

There are few people who I would trust with my debit card and PIN. Many are listed above.

As I say, this is totally subjective, and they could have been longer lists – I had to leave some mates off this list – I am sorry.

Who would be on your list? I'd be interested to know. Who have been your Icons and role models? 

Editor's Note: I always think of Phil as the 'planners' planner' - a man of intellect and integrity many of us would trust implicitly as our own adviser. His columns for Financial Planning Today over the past few years have been entertaining, thought-provoking and insightful, like the man himself. So thanks Phil for all your many words and hope you can continue to contribute some nuggets of wisdom in the future. I won't mention, in too much detail, all your work to help the people of Moldova and Ukraine in recent years, your help for other Financial Planners and all your good work for the profession but many will recognise these enduring achievements. Good luck mate with all you do and enjoy some 'downtime.' 

Phil Billingham FPFS CFP Chartered Financial Planner, Chartered Fellow (Financial Planning) is a Financial Planner and a director of Perceptive Planning, a Chartered Financial Planning firm based in London and Essex. https://www.perceptiveplanning.co.uk/

Biography: Phil joined the profession in 1982 and is a past director of the Institute of Financial Planning (IFP) which merged with the CISI in 2015. He is a past member of the Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB) Regulatory Advisory Panel. He is a specialist in helping advisers cope with regulatory change and has worked with advisers, planners and regulators in the UK, Europe, USA, Canada, South Africa and Australia. He writes this column most months for Financial Planning Today.