Skip to main content
Personal Finance Professional – setting standards and guiding the profession - return to the homepage Personal Finance Professional logo
  • Search
  • Visit Personal Finance Professional on Instagram
  • Personal Finance Professional on Twitter
  • Visit @PersonalFinanceSociety on Facebook
Visit the website of the Chartered Insurance Institute Logo of the Chartered Insurance Institute

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • News analysis
  • Features
  • Study room
  • Opinion
  • PFS Radio
  • Digital magazine
Quick links:
  • Home
  • Personal Finance Professional Issues
  • AUTUMN 2021
News

Key skills for fresh financial planners revealed

Share on
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in
  • Mail
  • Print
Open-access content Monday 27th September 2021
web-p8-9-News-Office-meeting_shutterstock_1456384769.jpg

Financial advisers believe personal skills are the most important competency requirement for fresh entrants to the profession. Having the right attributes for successful social interaction is the key skill for those entering the profession, according to 70% of PFS members who responded to a social media poll in June.

Roughly a quarter of the 290 responses (68 financial planners) said technical knowledge was the most vital quality for those embarking on a career as a financial planner or paraplanner.

Computer literacy was cited as the highest-priority capability to have for those beginning their financial planning career by 3% of those surveyed and 4% felt literacy was the top skill fresh entrants needed to have on their first day in the profession.

Sarah Lord, president of the PFS, said: “Personal skills are an important attribute whatever role you undertake in our profession to work well with both colleagues and clients, but they are particularly important for the role of the financial planner.

“Strong technical knowledge and great personal skills are a powerful combination when working with clients.

“It is human nature for clients to want to work with individuals who are knowledgeable but the key is being able to translate

the knowledge acquired through qualifications and on-the-job learning into an easy, understandable form for clients.”

The Chartered Insurance Institute has spent more than a year interviewing and collating the views of more than 200 market and HR leaders to map the skills, knowledge and behaviours they believe businesses and individuals will need now and in the future.

Image credit | Shutterstock

PFP_Autumn 2021.jpg
This article appeared in our AUTUMN 2021 issue of Personal Finance Professional .
Click here to view this issue

You may also be interested in...

web-p8-9-News-city-of-London_GettyImages-1207460928.jpg

PFS collaborates with ITN for building financial resilience programme

Launching in November, the PFS and ITN Productions Industry News will be co-creators of a news-style programme, exploring the importance of competent financial planning in a pandemic-informed world.
Monday 27th September 2021
Open-access content
web_p9_News_Qualifications_CREDIT_shutterstock_347537057.png

Update on pension transfer qualification changes

The CII has written to members to provide an update on the CII’s changes in response to Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announcements on pension transfer qualification requirements. Many advisers working in pension transfer activities already meet these requirements but it is important that you review these if you are unsure.
Monday 27th September 2021
Open-access content
web-p6-7--News-Shappi-Portrait.jpg

Personal Finance Awards 2021/2022

Join us at 16:30 on Tuesday 2 November for the Personal Finance Awards as we recognise and celebrate outstanding individuals and firms who strive to deliver exceptional consumer outcomes within the financial planning profession.
Monday 27th September 2021
Open-access content
web_p9_News_Care_CREDIT_iStock-1160196463.png

PFS reacts to care funding plan

The PFS has responded to the government’s care funding plan announcement in September. Matthew Connell, director of policy and public affairs at the PFS, said: “For far too long a solution to fix the care funding crisis was kicked into the long grass by past governments resulting in far too many people’s lifetime savings being obliterated by their care needs.
Monday 27th September 2021
Open-access content
web-p6-7--News-Justin-Urquhart-Stewart-Headshot.jpg

PFS reveals plans for virtual conference

The PFS’s Annual Conference and Personal Finance Awards will return in November and this year will be entirely digital.
Monday 27th September 2021
Open-access content
web-p8-9-News-Growth-investment-conceptual-_GettyImages-1202238437.jpg

A practical guide to sustainable investing

The PFS has published a guide for advisers on sustainable investing. In launching the guide, the PFS is recognising a permanent shift in the investment market.
Monday 27th September 2021
Open-access content

Latest from News

fx

PFS Publishes Consumer duty good practice guide for financial advisers

In support of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) flagship regulatory reform, the Consumer Duty, the PFS has created a good practice guide for personal finance firms.
Friday 17th February 2023
Open-access content
zx

PFS responds to future disclosure framework discussion

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published its Discussion Paper on a Future Disclosure Framework.
Friday 17th February 2023
Open-access content
td

PFS hosts first graduation ceremony since 2019

The PFS once again welcomed members to a graduation ceremony for those qualifying as Chartered financial planners, Associates or Fellows of the PFS in the period 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2022.
Friday 17th February 2023
Open-access content

Latest from AUTUMN 2021

web-p50-Sarah-Lord-.jpg

President's opinion - Serving up technology

PFS president Sarah Lord on how introducing technology can benefit the client journey
Monday 27th September 2021
Open-access content
web-p49--finance-calculations-shutterstock_1829378897-[Converted].jpg

Q&A - Autumn 2021

The CII Financial Assess training package tests your knowledge of key financial topics
Monday 27th September 2021
Open-access content
web-p47-House with for sale sign ---GettyImages-1130127407_ext.jpg

Technical Q&A Autumn 2021

Technical Connection answers questions on probate and pensions
Monday 27th September 2021
Open-access content
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in
  • Mail
  • Print

BECOME A MEMBER

BECOME A MEMBER

SUBSCRIBE TO PRINT

SUBSCRIBE TO PRINT
PFP
​
FOLLOW US
Twitter
LinkedIn
Youtube
CONTACT US
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7880 6200
Email
Advertise with us
​

About the PFS

About us
Membership
Qualifications
Events

PFP magazine

Digital magazine
Podcasts
Blog
News

General Information

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy
Think Green

Get in touch

Contact us
Advertise with us
Write for PFP Magazine
Want to receive PFP Magazine
Not a member but interested in knowing more? Click here.

© 2023 • PFP Magazine is published by Redactive Media Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part is not allowed without written permission.

Redactive Media Group Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ