It’s always nice to get dressed up for an event with our fellow financial planners, which is exactly what we did for the recent Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) Financial Planning Awards.
But this wasn’t just any night out. This would turn out to be a night to remember as Berry & Oak was named the CISI Accredited Financial Planning Firm™ of the Year for the second time.
This prestigious award is a huge honour bestowed by one of the leading professional bodies in the financial sector. It means a lot to us, but it also means a lot for our clients. We’d like to take the opportunity to share some of our thoughts about the award and why it is so special for everyone we work with.
One of the top awards for the financial planning profession
The CISI Accredited Financial Planning Firm™ of the Year award recognises the outstanding contribution the winner makes to the lives of their clients and the wider financial planning profession.
Only Accredited Financial Planning FirmsTM, of which there are currently less than 70 in the UK, are eligible to apply for the award. According to CISI, these firms “represent the leaders in the UK financial planning profession, so this is a particularly prestigious title to win, proving the winner’s credentials as one of the UK’s top financial planning firms”. We like to think of it as the “Top Gun” award for the profession.
Our clients are in safe hands
While awards are something we’re very proud of, the real joy in these wins is knowing how much of a difference we are making to our clients and their future.
Our entry for the award detailed the values we live by and the work we do each day. In addition, we shared data demonstrating the positive results of applying these values to the lives of our clients and the wider financial planning profession.
Applications receive a thorough vetting process from a judging panel of our peers and industry giants, followed by an in-depth interview.
The judges agreed that all the different elements of our work add up to a service that makes a genuinely life-changing impact on the people we serve and the people we work alongside in our profession.
That’s always been our aim, but to have the seal of approval from such an esteemed panel confirms that our clients really are in safe hands.
Our team members make the magic happen
Delivering these kinds of results is not something that our directors and financial planners could do alone.
At Berry & Oak our entire team comes together to achieve amazing things for our clients – that’s how the magic really happens. It’s our colleagues, their individual strengths, and our sense of camaraderie when we work together that allow us to do what we do.
So, as we celebrate our award win, we are also celebrating our team, without whom it couldn’t have been possible. We also look forward to growing our team in the future with like-minded financial planners, paraplanners and client support, to help us serve the increased number of clients who are requesting to work with us. Check out our careers page if this sounds like a role for you.
We hope to inspire other financial planning firms to apply
This award is not just about us: it’s also about our impact on the wider financial planning profession.
We hope that our win will inspire other firms to put themselves forward for this award in future years, particularly those who didn’t apply this year. By going through the awards process (even if you don’t win) you will learn a lot about your own firm, and it might spark some ideas for future development.
If you’d like to learn more, you can read about our experience of winning the award in 2019 on our website.
Being part of this select group gives all of us the opportunity to make significant positive change to the financial services profession. That’s something we’re proud to support, and we look forward to seeing who will receive the accolade at next year’s ceremony.
Get in touch
If you’d like to know more about how the team at Berry & Oak can support you, let’s have a chat. Email clientservice@berryandoak.com or call 01937 223055.
