Plotting a Chartered course

Wade Financial is fast approaching its first anniversary as Chartered financial planners, celebrating the acknowledgement of our impeccably high standards. But what does it mean for our clients?

Royal Charters have been awarded to bodies of excellence for a millennium, only conferred upon those professions which have demonstrated achievement over a sustained period of time. It is the gold standard for institutions that work within the public interest – including the Chartered Insurance Institute, who are permitted to bestow the exalted status upon insurers, insurance brokers and financial planners.

This status is not attained lightly, with every would-be Chartered firm having to meet the CII’s strict and rigorous criteria. Managing Director Stephen Conway currently holds individual Chartered status; the board and the majority of the customer facing staff are members of the CII; and our company’s values and practices are in keeping with the Institute’s Code of Ethics. By ticking all of the relevant boxes, Wade Financial have joined the elite club of financial planners that have earned the prestigious hallmark.

The gold standard for financial planners.

Chartered status is not just held in the highest regard by those within the Chartered community. Small and medium enterprises recognise its significance, whilst members of the public are attracted to the mark of distinction, setting us apart from non-Chartered planners. It tells existing and prospective customers that we continually strive to maintain the standards not only set by the CII, but by ourselves.

“There’s a lot more press out there now about professional standards,” insisted Wade Financial Director Ian Little. “I think there’s becoming a real link between professionalism in terms of skills, knowledge and experience, and the amount of money that you charge for your services. People are now starting to link the two, whereas in the past, the charges have been part of the contracts. Now they’re linking the charges of the added value we bring to the professional skills, knowledge and experience that we have.”

Attaining this gold standard should help Wade Financial attract more business, according to Ian. “I think it means more to new clients, particularly in the professional space, who are looking for either a new relationship with a financial planner that they want to send business to, or a financial planner that they wish to engage with themselves.”

In short, clients will expect high quality and trustworthy practice when they deal with a Chartered financial planning firm. You get all of that – and much more – when you walk through our door.