The Blue Chip 100th edition is a testament to the collaboration and dedication of everyone involved: Clive During, managing director, Chris Whales, publisher, Rob Macdonald, independent consultant, the sales team, Ashley van Schalkwyk, production, Elmethra de Bruyn, designer, Simon Lewis, online editor, as well as Charlene Steynberg, Kathy Wootton and Sharon Angus-Leppan in the administration and accounts department, the FPI as well as our advertisers, contributors and loyal readers.
On page 10, FPI CEO, Lelané Bezuidenhout, says, “This partnership matters because professional financial planning does not grow in isolation. It grows through collaboration, consistent communication and shared commitment. It grows when standards are explained, when excellence is celebrated, when difficult issues are discussed honestly and when the profession sees itself reflected in credible, thoughtful content. Blue Chip has played a meaningful role in making this possible.”
Financial planning is about people not products, it is about trust and impact, not numbers, performance charts or brands. Financial planning’s value lies in the conversations that we have with our clients.
“In a world where trust is increasingly valuable, the role of financial planners has never been more important. They guide clients through life’s most significant decisions, from retirement planning and wealth creation to risk management and estate planning. Consumers place trust in our profession and maintaining that trust requires a steadfast commitment to professional standards,” says FPI chairperson, Olethwu Masango (page 23).
On page 24 Kirsty Scully, FPSB chairperson, says, “As we look towards the future, our success will not be measured purely by numbers, but by the impact we have on the lives of the people we serve. Because at the heart of financial planning is a simple but powerful truth: in times of uncertainty, people still trust people.”
“Trust lives with people and conduct, not with logos,” adds Flynn Robson, director and head of private clients, Otto1890 (page 40). “Clients don’t buy a brand; they buy disciplined decision-making, sound governance and advice given in their interest.”
Financial Planner of the Year 2025/26, Nicola Langridge, is about to hand over her baton to the next winner of this esteemed award. “Good financial planning is not about products, performance charts or trying to predict the future. It is about understanding what matters most to our clients and helping them use their resources to support the life they want to live,” she reflects (page 22).
“That’s why every conversation matters. Advisors shouldn’t explain products; they should explain the why. Clients remember the reason they made the decision.
“Product knowledge matters, but clients act when they understand why a solution matters to their lives. When clients understand the why, the products follow. Advice becomes more than selling; it becomes protecting what matters most,” says Walter Combrink, Momentum Financial Planning’s life risk and fiduciary manager (page 52).
Rob Macdonald, independent consultant, explains that research repeatedly shows a client’s experience is shaped less by the technical sophistication of the advice, the quality of the products or funds or even the cost of the service, than by the quality of communication. “Life is full of transitions, many of them unpredictable. Yet human beings are wired for certainty and often make poor decisions when that certainty disappears. One of the most valuable forms of certainty a financial planner can offer is clear communication,” he says on page 72.
Being a good financial planner means being a good human being. Blue Chip wishes the three Financial Planner of the Year finalists and all the other finalists the best for the awards.
Enjoy this edition as well as the next 100!
Alexis Knipe, Editor
Blue Chip Journal – The official publication of FPI
