Professional bodies are an influential feature of any paraplanners careers, whether we’re members of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI), Personal Finance Society (PFS), or pay for LIBF courses.
So we fork out for fees, collect our CPD, and maybe sit an exam or two. But are we really getting the most from these organisations?
What do they offer that can support us in our careers? And is one more suited to me than another? Or are all three much the same?
That’s what this Assembly was all about. We invited Chris Morris from CISI, Nicola Mellor from the PFS, and Sally Plant from LIBF to field questions posed in advance and in the chat by paraplanners.
Note: Because technology didn’t work the way it’s supposed to, Sally wasn’t able to join us on screen BUT she did join us in the Chat while her colleague (and director of financial services at the LIBF) John Somerville, was able to join Richard, Chris and Nicola on screen (from about 15 minutes in).
It’s a great conversation from start to finish and comprehensively explored:
- What specific support does each body offer paraplanners – and what makes the difference between them
- How can paraplanners influence the work of the organisations and how to get involved
- Whether there’s a place for paraplanner-specific qualifications
- How does membership work, what are the costs involved, and why do you need to maintain a membership (for PFS and CISI)
Plus plenty more.
What can you expect to take away?
Once you’ve listened or watched, you’ll have a much clearer understanding of what each professional body offers, which could be the right one for you, and how you can get more value from your membership.
Look out for another installment in 2026
There was so much to talk about that we didn’t manage to address even 50% of the questions that paraplanners had submitted so we’ll be setting up a second session featuring Chris, Nicola and – hopefully – Sally early in 2026.
