It’s celebration time once more at Clear Future Financial Planners! Following on from becoming the first financial planning company in Gloucestershire to achieve B Corporation status, two of its female staff have now successfully raised their professional status in financial planning.
The company is particularly delighted because they’re helping to fly the flag for women in this sector, where currently only 16% of financial planners and 23% of Chartered financial planners are women.
Michelle Morgan, a financial advisor, has advanced to become a Chartered Financial Planner, and Serena Davies, the company’s Technical Administrator, has earned her Regulated Diploma in Financial Planning. These qualifications are highly regarded in the financial planning industry. Becoming chartered is a major milestone for a financial planner, demonstrating a deep level of expertise in areas such as pensions, retirement planning, investments, and lifestyle financial planning. Achieving the Diploma qualification shows Serena’s commitment to having a wide knowledge base in her work supporting Clear Future’s advisers.
Both qualifications were awarded by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), a respected UK professional body with over a century-long history. The CII’s reputation for promoting public trust in the financial planning and insurance sectors is well established, both in the UK and internationally.
For both Michelle and Serena, studying for these qualifications required significant dedication and effort, with tough examinations that tested their knowledge. Michelle, who recently transitioned from the Regulated Diploma in Financial Planning, reflected on the challenging experience: “It felt like training for a marathon!” she said.
She continued “I would get up at 5.30 most mornings to study, and probably put in about 10 hours every week on top of work and family life.” Despite the demands, Michelle’s perseverance paid off. “It was tough to keep the momentum up, but pushing through was incredibly rewarding,” she added.
Michelle also emphasized the importance of working with qualified financial advisors: “There’s still some scepticism about financial advisors but, knowing first-hand what advisors have to go through to qualify, I can say that choosing an advisor who’s chartered is the best step towards allaying those worries.”
Serena, who also balanced her study efforts with family and work, expressed her excitement at receiving her diploma. “I’m over the moon to have passed my exams and achieving my diploma is a huge personal achievement,” she said. Serena is now more confident in her financial planning abilities and feels better equipped to help clients achieve their goals. “Financial planning is about more than just pensions and investments,” she explained. “It’s about empowering people to take control of their lives and secure their desired future.”
Simon Evans, who is MD of Clear Future, is delighted with their achievements but finds it puzzling why more women aren’t entering the profession.
“The evidence is that women make excellent advisors – five of the six individual Personal Finance Society (PFS) Award winners in 2023/24 were women, and women have won the most prestigious PFS Award – the Chartered Financial Planner of the Year – for three consecutive years.”
He continued “I think it’s important to understand why more women aren’t entering this profession so we can remove those barriers. I’m so pleased for Michelle & Serena as I want Clear Future to play its part in encouraging more women into the financial planning world.”
As for that extra time they now have each week, Michelle is channelling those marathon-like feelings into a running challenge during December to raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital, while Serena is enjoying a well-deserved break after her intense study period. Both women have set an inspiring example for others in the financial planning world.
