Christopher Smith

The Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA), has announced the winner of the 2015 FPA Certified Financial Planner® Professional of the Year Award – Christopher Smith CFP®, from VISIS Private Wealth in Brisbane.

TheFPA Certified Financial Planner® Professional of the Year Award is given to a financial planner who embodies the highest professional standards and has delivered best practice advice which has led to superior client outcomes.

According to Mark Rantall, FPA CEO, the award winner has demonstrated true professional leadership and excellence, and a desire to go above and beyond for clients.

“Chris’ commitment to professional standards as embodied by the FPA Code of Professional Practice, and the quality of the financial advice he provides to his clients, contributed to this award,” he said.

Mr Rantall went on to say that the theme of this year’s FPA Professionals Congress is “Shaping Futures”, which is exactly what professional financial planners do, every single day.

“That’s why I am so pleased we can recognise someone like Chris, who has made such an outstanding contribution to our profession. The quality of his advice has already shaped and improved the future of his clients, and I hope that he will be an inspiration to others.

“When we look for true excellence in financial planning, we look for the ability to provide clear, easily-understood advice, regardless of the complexity of an individual client’s circumstances. And that’s what we’ve seen in Chris,” he said.

Mr Smith started VISIS Private Wealth in 2001, with a view to upholding the values of excellence, integrity and knowledge and relying on these to underpin the delivery of high quality professional advice and service. His business model is based on the fundamental tenet that clients should have confidence in the objectivity of the advice they receive, as well as in the ethical and financial motives of the firm.

Mr Smith said that he felt honoured to have received the FPA Certified Financial Planner® Professional of the Year Award. “I work very hard to achieve high standards for myself, the profession and ultimately my clients. To be recognised in front of my peers and by our professional body is extremely satisfying and humbling. It is a culmination of a thoroughly enjoyable 16 year journey and I am looking forward to a bright future for all of us,” he said.

The shortlisted candidates for the award were also announced.

Shortlisted candidates: FPA Certified Financial Planner® Professional of the Year Award

Mark Alexander CFP® – Crosbie Wealth Management
Ursula Boorman CFP® – Direct Advisers
Mark Borg CFP® – MBA Financial Strategist
Michael Cirson CFP® – MBA Financial Strategist
Mark Gibson CFP® – First State Super Financial Services
Sally Huynh CFP® – Shadforth Financial Group
Amanda Jarosz CFP® – Momentum Planning
Prudence Martin CFP® – Warrington Scott Financial Consultants
Justin Pratt CFP® – Mercer Financial Advice
Craig Stobbie CFP® – KNP Financial Services
Ashley Tindall CFP® – HPH Solutions
Cheyne Whitford CFP® – SWA Financial Planning

Click here for the 2015 Financial Planner AFP® of the Year announcement.

The post Australia’s top financial planner honoured at FPA Professionals Congress appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Randall Stout

The Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA), yesterday announced the national winner of the 2014 FPA CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP^®) of the Year Award: Randall Stout, from HPH Solutions.

Mr Stout was also named the 2014 FPA CFP^® Western Australia State Winner.

The CFP^® of the Year is awarded to the financial planner who best embodies the highest professional standards, as embraced by the FPA.

“We look for a planner who demonstrates true professional leadership and excellence, someone who routinely goes above and beyond best practice to achieve the best outcomes for clients,” he explained.

Mr Rantall went on to say that the awards are particularly important this year given recent debate around professional standards and the quality of financial advice.

“There has been a lot of attention given to rogue planners – as it should be. But equally, the reality is that those individuals are well and truly outweighed by the number of professional, skilled and committed planners working hard to improve financial outcomes for everyday Australians.

“That’s why I am so pleased to be able to reward someone like Randall, who has made such an outstanding contribution to our profession.

The theme of our Professional Congress this year is “Inspiring Greatness”, and I hope that Randall’s achievements will go some way towards inspiring greatness in others,” he said.

One of the judges of the award, Lisa Weissel, CFP^® and Senior Financial Adviser at Evergreen Wealth Professionals, said that that the high calibre of entrants made the awards decision a difficult one.

“We were looking for true excellence in financial planning. For us, that translates as the ability to provide clear, easily-understood advice which clients can follow to reach their financial goals. It sounds simple, but requires the combined ability to genuinely engage and communicate with clients, along with the technical skills required to provide the most appropriate advice,” Ms. Weissel said.

Mr Stout CFP^® is a certified practicing accountant (CPA) who has been a business owner of a number of successful Perth-based financial planning practices and is currently a Director of HPH Financial Planning. He is the Chair of the WA Chapter of the FPA, makes regular contributions to the Money section of the West Australian, and appears regularly on Perth radio 6PR as a money and personal finance expert.

Mr Stout said that” I look at the people who have won this award before me and they are the financial planners I look up to. They are people who consistently give great advice and I am privileged to be placed on the same level as them. We all care about people, we’ve all got empathy. And we are all driven to give the best advice that we can to really help people improve their financial situation.

“I am very proud to be recognised for what I do by the FPA. I see the tireless effort they put in on behalf of their members and I am grateful for that. My clients trust me and know that I care and this award will certainly help because its shows my clients that I am recognised for what I do among my peers.”

In conclusion, Mr Rantall highlighted the FPA’s longstanding commitment to raising standards in the financial planning industry, and the integral part that the awards play in that process.

“By recognising and rewarding planners who live the FPA values and standards and in so doing consistently deliver great outcomes for clients, we’re providing the role models and benchmarks that will inspire and raise standards across the whole profession. This is the best way to show Australians that our profession is both worthy of their trust and offers them the best and most reliable path to financial wellbeing,” Mr Rantall said.

The state winners for the FPA CFP^® award were also presented yesterday.

State Winners:

The post Australia’s top financial planner honoured at FPA Professional Congress appeared first on AdviserVoice.