Godfrey Nti, FPI CEO.
The Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa (FPI), a South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) recognised professional body for financial planners in South Africa, is proud to announce that Peter Hewitt, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional and founder of Efficient Advise practice, is the 2014 Financial Planner of the Year winner.
The Financial Planner of the Year Award is the highest accolade a professional financial planner can obtain. Sponsored by Personal Finance magazine, the competition consists of three rounds during which entrants must qualify to go through to the next round by submitting a comprehensive financial plan, completing various interviews and evaluations. Independent judges range from academics, industry experts and FPI Board members who participate in each round.
Godfrey Nti, FPI CEO commented, “This award provides us with an incredible platform to celebrate our professional’s excellence in financial planning services, while in adherence to globally set standards. I would like to take this opportunity to applaud everyone who entered the competition this year.”
“On behalf of the Institute, I would also like to congratulate Peter Hewett on receiving this year’s award. His ample financial planning experience has positioned him as a phenomenal pillar to the financial services industry and an excellent role model for the upcoming generation of financial planners, who will go on to build their own successful independent practices in the future.
Furthermore, we would like to extend a warm appreciation to the judges for ensuring that the award judging process progressed smoothly.” added Nti.
Hewitt started his career 23 years ago in the Fiduciary and Trust Services and later the Private Clients Management arena. Over the last five years, he has built an advisory practice with an infrastructure consisting of an operations team and 63 advisors who service over 8000 clients nationally.
Speaking directly after receiving the award, Hewett commented, “I am honoured to be named the recipient of this award; it came with a lot of hard work that proved to be worth it in the end. I look forward to working with FPI in advocating the values of the organisation on behalf of my profession and ensuring that we drive consumer financial literacy across South Africa.”
FPI would also like to acknowledge the two finalists of the 2014 Financial Planner of the Year Award:
Runner-up - Donovan Adams, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional and retirement specialist at Chartered Wealth Solutions in Johannesburg. Originally from Port Elizabeth, he holds a BCom Honours degree (NMMU) and an Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning Law (UFS). He believes effective financial planning to be an on-going process that is unique to each individual: “The best financial plan is the one that merges your life with your money in a way that is personal, meaningful, efficient and easy to understand.”
Second runner-up - Bruce Fleming, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional, obtained his B.Com LLB degree from the University of Natal (PMB) in 1994. He successfully completed his Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning in 1999 and then, in 2001, went on to complete his Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning. He specialised in asset types and investment instruments as well as principles of portfolio planning and management. Over and above these achievements, Bruce also decided to do an extra subject in Estate Planning in 2006.
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