Chartered status, explained

Since 1912 the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) has been raising standards and highlighting distinction in the finance sector. It awards Chartered status to individuals and firms for achieving eminence in their field.

To become a Chartered firm means making a public pledge to maintaining the highest professional standards. Chartered firms must achieve and sustain a level of expertise, integrity and client-centricity, underpinned by excellence in qualifications, commitment to ethics, good business practices and professional development. When you Choose Chartered, you choose a firm that has reached an objective standard of knowledge and conduct.

The CII sets the bar, a firm meets it.

Chartered financial planners and their service

Financial planners enable us to realise our financial goals. Whether advising on pension solutions, investment portfolios or financial protection, financial planning firms are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to ensure standards of advice are met.

Chartered financial planners make sure these standards are not just met, but exceeded. A Chartered professional is a benchmark of competency, integrity and professionalism in an ever-changing financial sector.

Chartered financial planners represent the highest professional standards. Thanks to expertise maintained through continuous professional development, membership of the Personal Finance Society and application of the latest market practices, they are able to advise on matters as diverse and complex as the implications of bereavement, divorce and tax efficient investments. They fulfil an important role in society.

Your professional standards, upheld by Chartered planners

Financial sector professionals are duty-bound to deliver standards of professionalism and expertise that result in positive outcomes, therefore clients expect the same from anyone they may be referred to for related services.

To be referred to a Chartered financial planner is to be in safe hands. They have made a commitment to delivering high standards, then placed a public badge on that commitment. They have put their practice up for independent, objective assessment, and been accredited for doing so.

In order to receive their status, Chartered financial planning firms must meet similar criteria. They commit to a full financial planning service and make a Chartered financial planner available to every client, or, if they are a specialist firm, they offer a referral process. At least 50% of advisers at Chartered firms must be Chartered, together with at least one board member. Meanwhile, the entire board, along with 90% of a firm’s customer-facing staff, must be members of the CII, or the Personal Finance Society – the professional body for the personal finance sector. Governing all this are core values, practices and diversity and inclusion policies that align with the CII’s Code of Ethics.

Recommending a Chartered expert to your clients

Find the details of every qualified financial adviser and firm by using the Personal Finance Society’s free and impartial directory www.thepfs.org/yourmoney/find-an-adviser/. Search and filter practitioners by specialism, location and professional status. Refine searches to specifically show members with Chartered status.

The Chartered badge proudly tells you when a professional has made a public commitment to upholding the highest standards and putting you first.

The badge says it all.

Website: cii.co.uk/charteredfinancialplanners

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