Insights

A soothsayer is a person who is supposed to be able to foresee the future. In the eyes of their clients, financial advisers and paraplanners are assumed to have this attribute. Advisers, assisted by their paraplanners, look to the future in terms of ensuring that their clients have adequate retirement income, look to the future in terms of inheritance tax planning and look to the future in ensuring that wealth is maintained and passed down to future generations.

As AI continues to gain new and ever more complex capabilities, particularly when it comes to crunching data, are financial advisers and paraplanners about to see significant changes in the way they work?

Every year sees thousands of divorces and endings of civil partnerships. These can often result in significant financial issues for the separating parties and problems can be exacerbated when there are children involved. Not only has the ongoing ownership of assets to be determined, or split, but maintenance might have to be paid. Assets such as pensions will also need to be considered.

Are you thinking about qualifying as a financial adviser? No matter your career background, if you have good communication and organisational skills, and can write up reports, a rewarding career as a financial adviser could be for you. We put together some advice on how you can become a financial adviser, what the job involves, and what sort of education you need.

Sonny Kurmi tells us about his journey from a Saturday job in a local bank to setting up his own financial advisory firm and achieving chartered status.

Having a professional designation from an accredited body is a well-established way for financial advisers and bankers to demonstrate their commitment to their profession. It also happens to be an essential requirement for some roles.

Have you recently graduated or just left school? Perhaps you’re thinking about what to study at university? Whatever stage you’re at, if you like a challenge, working in a team and solving problems, a career in finance could be for you.

Given the cost-of-living crisis, it’s no wonder people are looking at how to cut their outgoings. But as a mortgage or financial adviser, you need to help your customers make the right decisions. Gordon Reid looks at how you can help customers stick with policies they may not think they need, but definitely do.