The search for Australia’s top financial planners has kicked off again with submissions to the prestigious 2014 Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA) Awards now open.

Mark Rantall, CEO of the FPA, says that the awards are timely given recent events in the industry, “As a profession, we have been under intense scrutiny in the last 12 months, and now more than ever we need to be celebrating the best of the industry and those who not only comply with the FPA Code, but really make a difference in their client’s lives.”

The FPA Code of Professional Practice holds members to a high standard of ethics, practice standards and professional conduct. The FPA Awards recognise financial planners who adhere to this Code and provide superior results for their clients.

“We often hear stories of planners going above and beyond for their clients, and the FPA Awards are a great way to recognise their hard work and acknowledge the positive impact that financial advice can have,” Mr Rantall said.

“Winners of the FPA Awards will be those planners who have complied with the Code, delivered great results, and contributed to the profession through community involvement, mentoring and support to their local FPA member base.”

The FPA Awards, previously known as the Best Practice Awards, have become a recognised and coveted symbol of trust and reassurance to Australian consumers looking for advice from a financial planner. Previous winners of these awards have experienced benefits from both a personal and business perspective.

James Kenny, winner of the 2013 CFP® Professional FPA Award: Winning the ‘2013 FPA Certified Financial Planner® Professional Best Practice Award’ has helped to promote, differentiate and add greater credibility to my service offering as a professional Financial Planner. In an evolving profession, the FPA awards provide an invaluable opportunity to promote our profession and the value of great advice for consumers. Although the prize that I received as a category winner was noteworthy, it really paled in comparison to the significant boost in business that I’ve experienced, largely due to the publicity and media opportunities that followed. I would encourage all Financial Planners that provide high quality, professional advice to their clients to enter the 2014 Awards and benchmark their advice against Australia’s best Financial Planners.

All members of the FPA are eligible to enter the awards. As with previous years, the FPA Awards will be divided into three categories:

  • FPA CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Professional of the Year Award
  • FPA Financial Planner AFP® of the Year Award
  • Future2 Community Service Award

Winners will be identified for each region and from these winners, a national award will be presented.

The deadline for submissions for the FPA Awards is Friday 12 September and winners will be announced and profiled in October in the lead up to the 2014 FPA Professionals Congress on 19-21 November, where they will be presented with their awards.

The three national winners receive free entry to the Professionals Congress and $5,000 towards either a client event or professional development.

For more information and details on how to enter the awards, please visit www.fpa.asn.au/awards

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