THEONIEL MCDONALD, CFP®
Senior Financial Planner, Wealth Associates
Why did you enter the Financial Planner of the Year Award?
I entered because I am proud of the advice process we’ve built and believed it could stand alongside the best in the profession. The awards offered an opportunity to benchmark our work against leading practices, test ourselves against peers and see where we can raise the bar even further.
What have you learned through the process of entering?
One key lesson I’ve learned is that we often spend too much time working in the business and not enough time working on it. This process highlighted the importance of regularly stepping back to review our processes, tools and templates – and making that a priority at least once a year.
How has the process of applying for the Financial Planner of the Year Award benefitted or changed your business?
Although we have always prided ourselves on delivering comprehensive financial planning, measuring our work against the FPI’s financial planning framework showed areas where we could refine and strengthen our approach. It has inspired meaningful enhancements to our plans and given us a fresh perspective on how to elevate the value we deliver to clients.
What changes would you like to see in the industry?
Too much of our industry still focuses on single-need plans. Advisors often gravitate to the areas they are most comfortable with or where their process is strongest. I would like to see comprehensive financial planning elevated, with greater emphasis on all six components of planning. Advisors don’t need to be experts in every area, but we should be able to identify gaps and know when to refer clients to trusted specialists. This shift would strengthen client outcomes and reinforce the professionalism of our industry.
I would like to see comprehensive financial planning elevated, with greater emphasis on all six components of planning.
What are your long-term objectives?
My long-term objective is to make a meaningful difference not only in the wellbeing of my clients, but also in the broader financial planning profession. I want to elevate the perceived importance and value of advice, while making it more accessible and relevant to the average South African.
| About Theoniel McDonald I believe financial planning should give you more than spreadsheets and projections, it should provide clarity, confidence and control over your future. For over 20 years, I have helped ambitious professionals, families and founders navigate life’s most important financial decisions: from building wealth and protecting loved ones to succession, retirement and legacy planning. As head of financial planning at Carmel Wealth and senior financial planner at Wealth Associates, my mission is simple: to make the financial journey straightforward and empowering, helping people move from uncertainty to momentum. I began my career with a passion for solving problems and bringing structure to financial challenges. Over time, I learned that planning is not just about numbers, it is about people. Money choices are deeply connected to values, family and purpose. This insight has shaped the way I work: deeply personal, always strategic and grounded in trust. Today, I lead our advice philosophy across the group, ensuring our planning culture is evidence-based, human and future-focused. I partner with clients to design strategies that preserve and grow wealth across generations, building long-term relationships that adapt as life evolves. |
NICOLA LANGRIDGE, CFP®
Wealth Manager, Private Client Holdings
Why did you enter the Financial Planner of the Year Award?
I attended the FPI Convention Gala Dinner for the first time in 2017, just a year after becoming a CFP®. That evening, my colleague, Mark MacSymon, won the prestigious Financial Planner of the Year Award. Watching him during the year that followed gave me a front-row view of the incredible platform this award provides to educate, inspire and empower others. I decided that year that when I had the necessary experience, I would enter as I, too, want to contribute to the profession in a meaningful way.
What have you learned through the process of entering?
Preparing for this award encouraged me to pause and consider my strengths, weaknesses and the ways in which I am contributing to the profession. This exercise highlighted just how passionate I am about being a spokesperson for the industry. I believe financial planning has the power to change lives, not only through technical excellence, but also by incorporating behavioural insights that help clients align their decisions with their long-term goals.
How has the process of applying for the Financial Planner of the Year Award benefitted or changed your business?
Private Client Holdings has been working on refining our processes, both through a regulatory and efficiency lens, with teams consistently focused on improvement. The application process allowed me to stress-test these processes and provide constructive feedback to our teams, which helps ensure that we remain ahead of industry standards.
I believe financial planning has the power to change lives.
What changes would you like to see in the industry?
I would like to see more young advisors qualifying as CFPs® to ensure that the financial planning advice the public receives is of the highest ethical standard. I believe it is critical to educate the public regarding what to look for when choosing an advisor so that they receive professional, ethical and truly client-centric care.
What are your long-term objectives?
I am determined to continue empowering my clients to achieve their wealth management goals, providing guidance, clarity and support at every stage. As a finalist for this award, I am an ambassador for the profession. My grounding in behavioural finance gives me a unique lens to highlight the “human side” of wealth management, focusing not only on markets and returns but also on listening, understanding and helping people live meaningful lives. In the long run, I hope to help build a profession that not only attracts but retains passionate, values-driven financial planners who can carry our industry forward.
| About Nicola Langridge Nicola Langridge joined Private Client Holdings in 2016, growing into wealth management from a strong foundation in unit trust operations with a local asset manager. She holds a BBus Sci (Honours) in Finance from the University of Cape Town and a postgraduate diploma in financial planning from the University of the Free State. At Private Client Holdings, Langridge follows a goals-based process that is part of a Family Office approach to wealth management. This complex structure effectively positions client capital to achieve meaningful outcomes. Langridge has a strong grounding in behavioural finance, which she applies to ensure clients make better long-term decisions by understanding their biases, values and emotional responses to money. She has a special interest in empowering women to take charge of their financial affairs and she is committed to providing comprehensive, professional and client-centred advice. Having travelled extensively, Langridge is now settled in her birthplace of Cape Town with her husband and two children. The family spends their free time on the beach and in the ocean. |
BRENDAN DUNN, CFP®
Executive Head Johannesburg, Hewett Wealth
Why did you enter the Financial Planner of the Year Award?
Since I learned about the award more than 10 years ago, I dreamed of one day reaching the high standards of the planners that had won it. After nearly 10 years in the industry and with the encouragement of my colleagues, I decided to enter this year. I wanted to test myself and to learn and improve in the process.
What have you learned through the process of entering?
That I am on the right path in terms of how I do financial planning and how I serve clients.
How has the process of applying for the Financial Planner of the Year Award benefitted or changed your business?
To make the final three of this competition is a great honour for me and the business I work for, Hewett Wealth. It is an objective confirmation of our excellence in terms of how we do financial planning and how we serve clients. It therefore enhances our marketability and referability. I have also gained much greater confidence and belief in myself as a planner and the way I think about financial planning.
What changes would you like to see in the industry?
I would like to see more young planners joining and becoming well established. Mentorship and support are key in this
regard. I would like to see more engagement with students, getting more people interested in their own financial planning and as a potential career path. I would like to see much more focus on education and the creation of educational resources for the public.
Since I learned about the award more than 10 years ago, I dreamed of one day reaching the high standards of the planners that had won it.
What are your long-term objectives?
I want to give back and uplift the financial planning profession, by mentoring and helping bring through more young planners and equipping them with the skills to bring through the next generation and the next, etc. I want to create more high-quality educational content (videos, podcasts, articles and maybe even write a book or two).
| About Brendan Dunn Brendan Dunn obtained a BCom Honours degree in Accounting Sciences from the University of Pretoria and completed his articles at TGVN Auditors, registering as a chartered accountant (CA(SA)) in 2016. In 2016, he joined Verso Wealth as a paraplanner, obtaining his postgraduate diploma in financial planning through the University of the Free State and becoming a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®. He served as a financial planner from 2018 until the end of 2020 and then worked in asset management with Galileo Asset Managers before joining Hewett Wealth in 2023 as a financial advisor and is now the executive head of Johannesburg. Dunn chose a career in financial planning because it married his purpose of helping others with his love for investments, analysis and strategy. He is passionate about financial education and the mentoring and support of young financial planners. Dunn is married to Jacqui, and they have a four-year-old daughter, Kylee. He is an avid road runner and has completed seven Comrades Marathons and counting. |
