Are you an outsourced paraplanner?
Whether you’re the only employee of your paraplanning practice, or you lead a paraplanning powerhouse with employees and a hefty bank of clients, outsourced paraplanners share lots of things in common.
You just do.
But here’s the thing: despite the growing number of outsourced paraplanners in the UK these days, opportunities to get together to talk only about things that matter in the outsourced world, are surprisingly few and far between.
Switch off. Show up. Join in.
So, if you’re an outsourced paraplanner, here’s our invitation: at 10am on Friday 16 August 2024, set your notifications to ‘do not disturb’, click on the Zoom link in your event invitation and gather with other outsourced paraplanners across the UK for an hour of conversation, ideas and practical insights.
There’s nothing to prepare. Just come along ready to share your answer to one question:
‘What’s on your mind today?’
Spaces are limited. To save a spot hit ‘Book Event’ and look out for the calendar invitation in your inbox.
If you’re a paraplanner who lives or works in Bristol, north Somerset, south Gloucestershire, west Wiltshire or just across the bridge in Wales then our Bristol Assembly at 9.30am on Wednesday 12 June 2024 will be right up your street.
Organised by Plan Works’ Sian Davies Cole and Maddy Gooding of In Step Paraplanning this is your chance to catch up with paraplanners from your neck of the woods.
When you book your spot, you’ll be invited to shape the agenda by suggesting topics that you’d like the Assembly cover during the get-together at Little Stoke Community Hall, Little Stoke in north Bristol. (Why a community centre? Take a look at our recent blog post.)
To give you an idea of what to expect, at last October’s gathering of paraplanners at the equivalent event in London (The Other London Assembly), we exchanged ideas and perspectives on:
- the role of AI in paraplanning
- how The Consumer Duty was going in each others’ firms
- Recruitment
- Qualifications
- how to help new paraplanners joining your firm get on board and still be able to do your day job; and
- practical ideas about how to progress in your career when exams and you just don’t get on.
It’s the ideal chance to learn what’s going on in each other’s worlds, share ideas, and discover practical tips and illuminating insights – and tackle any other paraplanning topics that are on your mind when we gather.
Expect the same kind of thing from the Bristol Assembly on 12 June.
So how about it? Book your spot now.
If you’re a paraplanner who lives or works in striking distance of central London, then The Other London Assembly from 10am on Thursday 2 May 2023 will be right up your street.
Hosted by Dan Atkinson and Andy Schleider – and generously hosted by Barnett Waddingham at their London Wall Place office – this is your chance to catch up with paraplanners from your neck of the woods.
When you book your spot, you’ll be invited to shape the agenda by suggesting topics that you’d like the Assembly cover during the get-together.
At last October’s event, we exchanged ideas and perspectives on the two topics voted for by participants:
- the role of AI in paraplanning; and
- how The Consumer Duty was going in each others’ firms.
And in an open floor session to conclude the get together, topics raised included
- Recruitment
- Qualifications
- how to help new paraplanners joining your firm get on board and still be able to do your day job; and
- practical ideas about how to progress in your career when exams and you just don’t get on.
It’s the ideal chance to learn what’s going on in each other’s worlds, share ideas, and discover practical tips and illuminating insights – and tackle any other paraplanning topics that are on your mind when we gather.
Expect the same kind of thing from The Other London Assembly on 2 May.
So how about it? Book your spot now.
Richard Allum and Paradigm Norton’s Dan Atkinson get to grips with the topic of planning assumptions.
For what seemed like AGES, low interest rates and low inflation rates gave the impression that the factors affecting a client’s future were pretty predictable.
But more recently, roller-coaster interest and inflation rates, combined with pandemics and wars, could leave you thinking that the future is altogether more unpredictable.
But is it?
Assumptions that are fit for purpose
During this online Assembly, Dan and Richard explored ways to think about planning assumptions in future.
They considered the kind of indicators you can use to form a set of assumptions with the durability to withstand those periodic headwinds sparked by social, economic and environmental events – the kind that have dominated our lives lately.
Of course investments are important but healthspans, death, inflation, spending, retirement, care and more have the potential to feature.
And then there are clients with specific outcomes in mind to add to the mix – for instance, meeting school fees, saving to offset childrens’ university tuition fees or deposits for their first homes.
Don’t miss out
Tune in and you’ll discover you’re in good company. Not only is Dan responsible for Paradigm Norton’s financial planning assumptions, he also owns a crystal ball (he actually does) so – one way or another – he’ll have all bases covered.
Listen now
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Host Caroline Stuart from Sparrow Paraplanning is joined by Heather Hopkins of NextWealth to explore how financial advice practices have addressed – and continue to address – the demands of The Consumer Duty.
What did we cover?
As well as recapping what firms are expected to do about the Duty, Caroline and Heather consider the opportunities it presents. Over the course of the lunch-hour session two significant themes emerge:
- how firms are demonstrating the value of their advice; and
- how to prove that clients really understand what they can expect from their financial plan
To bring the topic to life, Heather shares insights from consumer research recently carried out by NextWealth that reveals what clients value – essential intel for paraplanners crafting suitability reports and reviews.
With its focus on practicalities of implementation illuminated by evidence from original research, it promises to be a really informative and engaging hour.
Rebalancing portfolios is a familiar task for paraplanners. Periodically – often after a client’s annual review – we make sure that fund allocations are tweaked so they’re true to original investment goals.
But how does rebalancing work from a platform’s point of view?
During this second episode in a three-part series on life behind the scenes at platforms, Transact’s national sales manager, Stuart Fleat, walks you through the rebalancing process.
In just four minutes, Stuart explains how a platform calculates and processes sells and buys, how long it takes and how to check tax impacts upfront.
Listen now
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Missed out on the first episode?
Catch up now with the first episode in this bite-sized Assembly series.
Part 1: A bite-sized Assembly on what happens when you place a trade on a platform. In just 5 minutes and 23 seconds, Transact’s Glen Sweet lifts the lid on what happens behind the scenes at a platform.
In the last of his quartet of bite-sized Assemblies on investing, Timeline investment strategist, Laurentius van den Worm, tackles the topic of market forecasting.
Given our recent experience with high inflation, higher interest rates not to mention pandemics, wars and conflict, is there much point attempting to forecast the future?
Or put another way: what’s the outlook for forecasting (geddit? 😉)
Tune in and you’ll soon discover that Laurentius thinks three things are worth remembering:
First, active managers rarely outperform the market long-term. Investors should get low-cost market exposure rather than try to beat it.
Secondly, missing just a few of the stock market’s best days over decades can seriously affect overall returns. Timing the market is extremely difficult, so investors should stay invested.
And finally, equities have created significant wealth over the past century and remain an essential feature of long-term financial plans.
What’s more fixed income can help reduce volatility (and traditional asset allocation still makes sense despite recent volatility).
The takeaway? Long-term historic trends remain a pretty sound basis for forecasts despite recent volatility. And equities tend to reward patient investors with long time horizons.
Rather than market timing, appropriate asset allocation and risk management enable investors to endure short-term swings.
But don’t take our word for it. Listen yourself now.
Listen now
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Missed out on previous episodes?
Catch up now with the first three episodes this bite-sized Assembly series.
Part 1: On modern portfolio theory. Laurentius explores modern portfolio theory’s key principles – like diversification and concepts such as the ‘efficient frontier – illustrating the topic with practical examples.
Part 2: On asset allocation. Join Laurentius as he explores the topic of asset allocation, asset classes, diversification of risk, real estate investment, and performance of real estate investment trusts compared to global equities.
Part 3: On sequencing risk. Laurentius brings the issues of sequencing risk to life by using an example of two sisters with equal returns but different retirement income due to market loss timing. (And explores essential concepts along the way too.)
About Laurentius van den Worm CFA
Laurentius joined the Timeline Investment team in January 2022 after moving to the United Kingdom from South Africa. He serves as an investment strategist who oversees the fund research and selection, asset allocation and portfolio construction functions in collaboration with the CIO.
Laurentius has seven years experience in the South African investment markets. In his previous role, he served as an investment analyst and financial consultant in the wealth management industry in South Africa, where he gained experience in various financial activities, including portfolio management, investment research, financial analysis, and wealth management.
Laurentius holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Investment Management and a post-graduate diploma in financial planning from Stellenbosch University. He obtained his CFP® designation in South Africa in 2017 and is CFA Level 3 qualified in the UK.
The team from Transact recently joined us to record a series of fantastic 5-10 minute audio treats. We hope you enjoy them.
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes when you place a trade on a platform? In this bite-sized Paraplanners’ Assembly Transact’s head of distribution, Glen Sweet, does just that.
In just FIVE minutes, Glen tells host, Richard Allum, all about trading points, settlement periods (including the difference between settlement of equities and funds), reconciliations, execution prices, trading windows…you get the idea.
When you consider the intro takes about 60 seconds it’s AMAZING how much insight and knowledge Glen packs in to his remaining 4 minutes and 23 seconds.
So if you’ve ever wanted to lift the lid on the workings of a platform, tune in to this episode for insights galore!
In the third episode of his series of bite-sized Assembly on investing, Timeline’s Laurentius van den Worm takes on the topic of sequencing risk.
In just 15 minutes he offers a working definition of sequencing risk he brings the topic to life with an example of two fictional sisters who – despite enjoying identical returns over their 30-year retirement journey – experience starkly different levels of income during…all because of the consequences of sequencing risk.
What’s more, Laurentius explores pound cost averaging and ravaging as well as the ‘4% rule’.
For paraplanners keen to top up on your investment know-how, it’s the ideal lunchtime listen.
Listen now
By loading the tweet, you agree to Twitter's privacy policy.
Learn more
Missed out on previous episodes?
Catch up now with the first two episodes this bite-sized Assembly series.
Part 1: On modern portfolio theory. Laurentius explores modern portfolio theory’s key principles – like diversification and concepts such as the ‘efficient frontier – illustrating the topic with practical examples.
Part 2: On asset allocation. Join Laurentius as he explores the topic of asset allocation, asset classes, diversification of risk, real estate investment, and performance of real estate investment trusts compared to global equities.
About Laurentius van den Worm CFA
Laurentius joined the Timeline Investment team in January 2022 after moving to the United Kingdom from South Africa. He serves as an investment strategist who oversees the fund research and selection, asset allocation and portfolio construction functions in collaboration with the CIO.
Laurentius has seven years experience in the South African investment markets. In his previous role, he served as an investment analyst and financial consultant in the wealth management industry in South Africa, where he gained experience in various financial activities, including portfolio management, investment research, financial analysis, and wealth management.
Laurentius holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Investment Management and a post-graduate diploma in financial planning from Stellenbosch University. He obtained his CFP® designation in South Africa in 2017 and is CFA Level 3 qualified in the UK.
Timeline’s Laurentius van den Worm returns for the second in his series of four fast-paced fact-filled bite-sized Assemblies.
In the last episode, investment strategist Laurentius looked at modern portfolio theory (you can watch or listen to that episode after this).
This week, he takes on the topic of asset allocation.
Watch and – in less than 20 minutes – you will explore what asset allocation is and why it’s important. You’ll consider the characteristics of assets classes and what different types are. And you’ll dig into the question of whether asset class really are helpful if you want to diversify risk. Plus you’ll discover what the nature of the risks are.
Laurentius also asks why real estate is important before setting out the potential routes to gain exposure to property in a portfolio.
Finally, he takes a look at the performance of real estate investment trusts vs global equities – including a brief look at the correlation between global equities and real estate and what it tells us about the nature of diversification benefits.
Download Laurentius’s slides
Throughout his talk, Laurentius refers to a slidedeck. Follow the link below to download the slides as a PDF.
About Laurentius van den Worm CFA
Laurentius joined the Timeline Investment team in January 2022 after moving to the United Kingdom from South Africa. He serves as an investment strategist who oversees the fund research and selection, asset allocation and portfolio construction functions in collaboration with the CIO.
Laurentius has seven years experience in the South African investment markets. In his previous role, he served as an investment analyst and financial consultant in the wealth management industry in South Africa, where he gained experience in various financial activities, including portfolio management, investment research, financial analysis, and wealth management.
Laurentius holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Investment Management and a post-graduate diploma in financial planning from Stellenbosch University. He obtained his CFP® designation in South Africa in 2017 and is CFA Level 3 qualified in the UK.