Spring is in the air and so is a lot of excitement around what is happening at the Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa (FPI) and the financial service industry at large. Some reflection on what has taken place before we jump into what is coming for the rest of the year:
Retirement Conference
CPD hours: 5.5 (4 technical and 1.5 ethics)
The FPI hosted a successful Retirement Conference in partnership with the Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA) and the Institute of Retirement Funds Africa (IRFA). The conference reflected on over a decade of regulatory changes due to the retirement reforms that started back in +-2012. Members and speakers from the FPI, ASSA and IRFA also reflected on what to expect from the Financial Sector Conduct Authority’s (FSCA) harmonisation project (harmonising all sectorial laws into the Conduct of Financial Institutions (COFI) environment), especially in the retirement space.
Key Individual Workshop
CPD hours: 4 (ethics and practice standards)
For some time, the FPI has recognised that the world of the Key Individual (KI) has evolved drastically since FAIS came into effect. Under the COFI matrix a KI’s role and responsibilities will expand even further as they are a key person as defined in the Financial Sector Regulation Act 9 of 2017 (FSR Act). The KI Workshop took place in partnership with the Compliance Institute Southern Africa (CISA) and the Institute of Risk Management South Africa (IRMSA). Both speakers, Hildegard Lombard and Christopher Palm, left some great insights for the KIs that joined us online for the workshop.
If you missed the Retirement Conference and/or the Key Individual Workshop, you can still register for the events via www.fpi.co.za.
A massive thank you to all our attendees, sponsors, speakers and the FPI team for making this year’s convention yet another roaring success.
FPI networking sessions
During August and September, the FPI hosted a series of in-person member networking sessions that focused on the 2023-2025 strategy planning and a general update from the Institute. A massive thank you to the professional members who attended the sessions – Team FPI gained a lot of insights into what members need in the profession over the next three years.
Professional Competency Examinations
Well done to all the candidates who passed the March, June and September Professional Competency Examinations (PCE). It is a massive achievement and great recognition of years of hard work. For those who missed the PCE this year, the first PCE sitting for 2023 will be in March.
Membership renewal 2023
Membership renewal is opening on 1 November 2022. Be sure to renew your membership before 31 December 2022 to qualify for the early bird discount. You need to complete your CPD upload by 31 May 2023 – all you need to do between 1 November and 31 March 2023 is to renew your membership (ie complete your declaration and pay the required membership fee).
Annual refresher 2023
Good news! The annual refresher will be in-person in February 2023. It is time for FPI professional members to enjoy the benefit of peer-to-peer collaboration over a cup of coffee and catch up on the latest technical content when it comes to professional financial planning. The in-person events will be followed by an online event for those members who could not make it across the country. Registrations will open in November 2022.
Financial Planning Week and WFPD
A big thank you to all who celebrated the sixth annual World Financial Planning Day (WFPD) on 5 October with us! The theme this year was Live your Today – Plan your Tomorrow.
The FPI celebrated Financial Planning Week in South Africa (3-7 October) that focused on topics such as children and money; managing risk in your life; managing your finances in tough times and the benefits of working with a financial professional. Thank you to all who contributed to making WFPD and Financial Planning Week a success.
Convention 2022
The theme for this year’s Professional Convention is The Time is Now. Thank you to all our local and international speakers for sharing relevant content with our professional community. Topics covered at this year’s convention include, but are not limited to:
- Understanding the psychology of money
- Helping clients through transitions
- FPSB global update
- The need for regulators to understand the value of CFP® professionals and title protection
- The fight for talent
- Global standards update
- Client engagement via the use of video and other client platforms
- Resilience and reinvention
- Leadership, mentorship and coaching
- Electronic wills and digital assets
- Ethical investment and the climate emergency
- Investing for impact
- The new world of work and the impact on client engagement
- Start giving back (consumer education)
- FSCA regulatory update
- Motivational talks
A massive thank you to all our attendees, sponsors, speakers and the FPI team for making this year’s convention yet another roaring success.
In closing
2022 flew by and so will the last quarter of the year. All the best for the rest of 2022 and may 2023 be a fantastic year where we all reach new heights and discover more innovative ways of serving the profession as well as the communities that the profession serves.
Until next time,
Lelané Bezuidenhout, CFP®
CEO, Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa
