So I hate actually doing exams as my anxiety goes through the roof and my brain turns off despite passing 15 of them since 2014! LTC is really getting alot more popular naturally due to baby boomers moving into this arena of advice needs.

Has anyone got tips / experience with CF8 LTC with CII, exam experience and thoughts, tips of remembering.

I do love bespoke training solutions digi workbooks, so I am looking to pick this up!

Thanks

Damian

I passed my DipPFS diploma November 2024. I'm not working in financial services, but I am planning on trying to do a career change to paraplanning at some point in the future. I have had a little break from the studying, but I'm now thinking about doing another qualification or unit, to keep building my knowledge.
I was thinking about doing the J09 unit to get the CII Certificate in Paraplanning, but because it's 100% coursework and I'm not working in the industry I think I might be a bit lost with it and struggle to complete the assignments properly without study support guidance.
I noticed that CISI also do a Certificate in paraplanning, and I think I can get credit for my RO3 and RO2 CII unit passes so I'll only need to complete the CISI Financial Planning and Advice unit to get the certificate. This unit is a 2hr MCQ exam, so no coursework to worry about.

Are there any disadvantages to swapping between CII and CISI qualifications? Alternatively should I try and stay with CII and just pick another CII qualification like the CII level 3 Award in long-term care insurance?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice.
Dan

Another step in the journey for CISI Scotland as we provide a full day of essential learning for all paraplanners in conjunction with our main sponsors TrinityBridge and Blackfinch.

On the day you will have the opportunity to hear from some of the leading experts in financial planning, paraplanning and investments in the UK. In the morning, Tony Whincup, Head of Investment Specialists at TrinityBridge will provide a macro-economic overview which directly impacts your clients including the discussion on the geo-political perspective. Alan Whittle MD Unburden Solutions will then help us to understand qualitative sustainability, with Giles Parkinson & Matthew Stanesby talk through Steering through the Volatility.

In the afternoon, we are delighted to have every paraplanners friend, Jackie Lockie discussing the Good the Bad and the Ugly. Discussing recent FCA Retirement Income reviews’ and how some cash flows might get you into a bit of trouble. Followed by a panel discussion with the team from TrinityBridge, Alan and Jackie led by Tony.

The day is then rounded off with a conversation with Paul Devine, Blackfinch and SJ MacDonald, Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie discussing IHT Business Relief, with the final speaker, Steven Nelson, Lang Cat taking us through the Paraplanner State of the Nation.

Want to attend but don't want to come alone? You are very welcome to invite a non-member guest!

This is the question (after they've agreed to change some of the question stem text):
Steve is in capped drawdown, with a maximum income of £20,000 per year available to him. For the purpose of calculating Steve’s available Lump Sum and Death Benefit Allowance (LSDBA), what is the value attributed to his capped drawdown?

Their correct answer is £400,000.

We understand how they arrive at this deemed overall capital value (£20,000 x 25 x 80%) = £400,000.
However, our main query is:

• if you're calculating the plan to get the available LSDBA, wouldn't you want the deemed tax free sum (£100,000) as opposed to the deemed overall value?

Any views greatly appreciated; we'll accept we need to wind our neck in if that is the general consensus!

Just seen that this page is no longer available. Anyone know if this is a permanent thing or just from the site refresh.

I use this feature semi-regularly, never enough to actually made paying for it worthwhile, but as a perk of membership it was a decent thing to have access to.

I am currently sitting J09 which is coursework based.

One of the questions requires you to use cashflows forecasts. I'm allowed to use cashflow modelling software. I was wondering if anyone has any guidance on if the cashflows outputs on a year by year basis should be included in the report. My concern with this is it will use a lot of my word count. My preference is to include a diagram with the results of the cashflow forecast as this won't use up much of my word count.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Many thanks

can someone explain the difference between the CII Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning and the CISI level 4 Diploma in Investment Advice?

I am wondering which one I should do as an aspiring career changer - from investment fund researcher/analyst to paraplanner

Thank you!

I'm currently writing my third assignment for AF8 and really struggling with identifying the starting position.

The question is to recommend and justify how the clients should use their holdings to produce a tax efficient and sustainable income.

However there is 4 years ish until they retire. The guidance states that the recommended income strategy may be based on a revised asset position if I have concluded this will be suitable and affordable for them. I started off by intending to come up with a completely new scenario for the start of their retirement, having moved relevant assets, used allowances etc however this is taking a significant amount of time, and will need explaining in the essay and use a decent amount of the word count, for something that isn't really relevant to what the questions is asking.

I therefore decided to just assume the assets remained the same except they are moved into appropriate underlying investments, grow at an appropriate rate and they receive employer pension contributions.

They'll also be in a future tax year when the actual income is taken! But again for simplicity I'm planning on just saying I've assumed allowances and tax rates have remained the same, although they will increase with inflation in the cash flow model.

I wondered if anyone else had completed AF8 and had a similar dilemma, and if so what route you chose to go down? I feel like I'm really overthinking it!

Looking some guidance for Assignment 3 of AF8. I passed assignment 1 and 2 quite generously considering the vague guidance from CII and I am starting assignment 3 now, with a deadline for submission of two weeks!!

For anyone who has done it and has been successful, I have been reading that the previous assignments are completely disregarded and the marker will not have sight - my questions are:

• For the purposes of the third assignment, do we assume any suggestions/planning considerations made in assignment 2 have been recommended and implemented previously and illustrate a new starting point or
• Do I include some of those previous planning considerations as actual recommendations in the final assignment?

Thanks in advance.

I have just sat RO6 at the start of the month and (assuming I have passed!) I am considering doing JO9 next.

Here are some of my questions:

• The CII give you 12 months for the assignments but is the full year really needed? I am new to paraplanning but have time to commit to the assignments.
• Has anyone done this unit and also completed an exam at the same time? I would be thinking about the October sitting of this year.
• Would you recommend getting the CII textbook?
• How good is the feedback the CII provide for each assignment?
• Are the assignments difficult?

Any thoughts/ tips on the module would be much appreciated! I would like to crack on with obtaining credits while I'm in exam mode.

Thanks in advance!
Meghan

Just wondering if anyone knows of any cashflow tools I could sign up for? I've tried looking online but most of them require you to book a demo first and only seem to be for companies. I also don't mind paying.

Thanks

I appreciate this has been discussed before however I am trying to get an up to date view.

Does anyone have an opinion on what study resources are considered the most useful from CII, Brand FT and BTS? I was thinking of just purchasing the exam from CII and getting a study book from on of the others. I learn best by doing past questions if that helps.

Thanks in advance!

How is everyone else feeling for the upcoming AF4 exam? I have been using the BTS Study Guide, along with Brand and CII past papers (including examiners notes).

Is there anything else I am missing or should focus on? with this being my first AF exam I am well and truly bricking it...

Russell, when aged 60, invested £20,000 in an onshore life assurance bond from which no
withdrawals have been made. It was fully surrendered just over five years later in the tax year
2023/2024 for £27,500. Russell’s other taxable income for the tax year, after allowances and
deductions, is £50,270, which includes £1,000 of interest. What amount of Income Tax, if any, will
Russell have to pay on surrender?
A. None.
B. £250
C. £300
D. £1,500

Caz

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• Regulatory change – latest proposals from Government and regulators – Steven Cameron, looks at the proposed regulatory changes from the Government and regulators. He discusses the proposed UK ISA, changing pension market dynamics and how the Government wants to use the investment superpower of DC pensions.

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So rather than wait for April, I was thinking about slightly pivoting towards the CISI PCIAM exam in November and then transferring the credits.

People who have sat both, which did you find more challenging and is there a lot of extra work to go into this exam? tips would also be very welcome.

Thanks in advance!

I subscribed and did my first assignment pre April 2024, so 2023.24 tax year. I'm now on assignment 2 and wondering that because I'm submitting it in the 2024.25 tax year, do I now base my answers on current 2024.25 allowances?

Specifically for example, in assignment 1 I made reference to CGT and dividend allowances based on 2023.24. However with these now having reduced in 2024.25, do I need to complete assignment 2 on the new allowances, or will the examiner look at allowances I'm using based on my enrolment start date (2023.24) and work on these?

One further question - the FF I have mentions that the clients utilised their ISA allowances, but as we're now in a new tax year, can I assume they haven't? The assistance on RevisionMate mentions to base answers on information in the FF, which would be that they have used it.

High chance I'm overthinking it, but any input or experience would be appreciated as the CGT, dividend and ISA allowances I'm assuming will all have an impact on my output!

A couple of months back I posted looking for some R02 support after failing twice. I have now passed and just wanted to post to thank everyone who commented support and advice.

I now have a new question, out of R03, R04 & R05, which would you suggest I go for next?

I'm looking at potentially starting the CII Level 6 Advanced Diploma. My situation is a bit complicated as I have the CISI Level 4 Diploma, plus some standalone CII qualifications (a couple of R0s, a J0, an LP) and a degree which, according to the CII site, will give me 30 credits at Advanced level.

My understanding is that I'll need to get a CII Level 4 Diploma first, and it looks like it makes the most sense for me to go down the Financial Planning rather than Regulated Financial Planning. Has anyone else dealt with this? I'm not sure who would be best to speak to at the CII to work out which prior learning credits I can use for what!

Does anyone have any good links to credible educational literature/videos/webinars that goes into more detail around the UK financial planning considerations for US citizens? Do any of the professional bodies have anything useful?

Looking online, there's either nothing I can deem to be credible, or it's just short articles/marketing pieces from tax service websites that go into little detail.

Appreciate the help

Thanks
Wild