Marc Harrison – Chartered Financial Planner & Fellow of the Personal Finance Society

Last week I finally achieved PFS Fellowship status, which is considered to be the most prestigious level of achievement and the premier qualification in the financial services industry.

People describe a lot of things as “a marathon not a sprint” and in this case, for me at least, it’s been very true!

It’s taken 23 exams over a 30 year period to get there (OK, I had a big break in the middle!) and for everybody else out there who’s trying to better themselves by taking any industry exams, I thought I that would share my top 5 thoughts about the journey:

  1. It’s worth it. It’s not just about having the badge, it’s what I have learned along the way. I’ve had plenty of older advisers tell me that it’s a waste of time and that they don’t need to do it because they have 30yrs experience, but every time I took a new exam, I updated my knowledge and improved my game.
  2. We owe it to our clients. The more you know, the more updated you are, the better you can look after them.
  3. It creates business opportunities. The knowledge I have picked up along the way has opened up discussions I couldn’t possibly previously have had.
  4. It impacts the advice you give – for the better. The last exam I took was the Chartered Alliance’s Certificate in Climate Risk Certificate in Climate Risk (cii.co.uk). It’s not cheap (£595!) and wasn’t easy, because climate risk a subject that I had no base knowledge of. Now that I have completed the learning material & passed the exam though, I’m introducing it into client meetings more and more and feel I can speak around ESG in a way that a lot of other advisers can’t.
  5. Eat, sleep, study, repeat. OK, not quite that bad, but I found that forming study habits was the key to passing exams first time. I found a study system that worked for me and repeated that blueprint every time.

When my completed CII learning statement arrived, it felt like a great summary of a tough, but very worthwhile journey.

Society of Later Life Adviser (SOLLA) accreditation was useful to complete to ensure that people are better informed about the variety financial issues of later life.

Lastly, I’m always open to any suggestions about what to do next that can enhance my skills and knowledge.  All new suggestions are welcome!

Marc Harrison FPFS Certs CII CRP (MP & ER)
Chartered Financial Planner

At Money & Mortgages, our team are happy to arrange video meetings and phone appointments.  For more information please contact us on 0161 505 0601 or via email info@moneymortgages.co.uk