Andy_Schleider
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There are also events run by the Sussex CII if you can get to Crawley. Run by John Trayner, they get booked up quickly. You can book them online through the Sussex CII events page
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I passed the PTPA in December, after failing the previous 3 sittings of AF7. I didn't do any more study other than brushing up on a couple of points, plus I deal with DB pension transfers in my day to day work. The knowledge from AF7 definitely ca…
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In a previous company we assumed 2.5% inflation, and a growth rate commensurate with the risk rating of the client, which ranged from 2% at the bottom end to 8% at the top end. Of course it was completely meaningless, not helped by the fact that …
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I haven't seen any comments that correlated engagement with experience, perceived or otherwise. I think the overall message is that it should be personalised to the client's own situation. In some cases the clients say they understand when they …
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Thanks Benjamin for your input - really helpful Yes, at first glance it looks easy to use, but I can see how easy it is to get unstuck if there is not a structure in place. I have gone back and corrected everything, set up a system for coding…
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Each company is different. A lot of companies pay for the study materials and then a limited number of exams (my previous company was 1 exam). It depends on how generous they are - there is a thread on employee benefits which shows that some are m…
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Hi Aimee Can I ask, why did you start with R03? My journey with the R0 exams started with R01 as I felt it was likely to be the least interesting of the units. I then did R02 and by that time, I had a fair number of years' experience and also t…
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Mine was the opposite. Yes, I had some calculations but nowhere near the number I was expecting. Most of them were pure knowledge, lifted straight from the textbook (eurgh!). You need to be careful with the time as well. 1 hour seems like enough…
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I have 365 for myself and collaborate with a client using google. I really dislike google docs (almost as much as Macs, but there is not a lot in it!). I love MileIQ which you get with 365 for free. Install it on your phone and it tracks your j…
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Have you thought about doing a bit of freelance work for an outsourced paraplanner? This is where I started while I was still employed, and I made sure it didn't affect my day job. There are more than a few people on here who are in a position to,…
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Hi Sam As someone who has gone down the outsourced route in the past year, here are my answers to some of your questions. I must have missed your post otherwise I would have responded earlier! For my Terms of Business, I spoke to Bridget Juck…
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I'm not yet in a position to take on any staff, but costs of various things would certainly be a consideration before I started offering employee benefits. I'm not even paying my own pension contributions from the company yet in an effort to maximi…
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I think there's a queue @Jona!
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If it's necessary for the job the employer should pay. You've an even stronger case if they put you through exams, but most of them are happy to cover the fees anyway
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I would also attend PFS events as they are mainly free and held relatively frequently. Studying is a way to smash the annual CPD requirement out of the park, however it is likely to be quite focussed on one subject, and don't forget about the 15 ho…
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People do fail these exams, which is why there is so much help out there to try and help you through. In one place I worked, several people failed R04 in the space of about 3 months. As long as you put in the right amount of study, there is no r…
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For many more, @Redawg31 PP is a profession in its own right, as many people on here will attest. That said, I am not sure whether or not it will take off either. The standard for a long time for a senior paraplanner is level 4 diploma as a mini…
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I think the parents would actually need to pay the bills so that no money passes through the daughter's hands
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I don't think so. They are not gifting their daughter the money. As you said, it is the parents hosting the event so I don't see how this can have any IHT implications. My understanding is they could pay for the wedding and still gift the daugh…
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That's probably a good idea and could also serve as a discussion point as everyone seems to have a different idea on this!
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The initial thought I had was that you could request a covering letter with the CV as part of your recruitment process. However if you use recruitment agencies this may be difficult to arrange. The only other way is for them to show you examples…
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I worked for the Jobcentre/Benefits Agency for about 6/7 years before managing to escape, and my financial services career actually started at NPI (a great company to work for, sadly destroyed by AMP)
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Don't worry. I keep failing AF7 so hoping the PTPA result goes my way instead. I'm fed up with it tbh - I should be getting ready for the last of the 4 AF exams I needed in April for Chartered, but I can't get past this exam. I'm doing DB trans…
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It is a difficult one. As what I would class a 'big player' @richallum (I guess) feels that he is of a size now where he thinks it is necessary. Certainly a couple of years ago he didn't think he needed it. There are plenty of outsourced parapl…
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If the client requires you to have PI, send them the bill for the premium!!
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I wrote into my terms of business that the responsibility of the advice sits with the adviser, and in the case of any claim, the liability is limited to the cost of the work in question. I'm not FCA regulated and I feel that my terms adequately cov…
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If you're looking at pensions, then J05 and AF7 are good together. AF8 is similar in content to J05 I understand as it's broader than AF7 but it's coursework and I've seen varying feedback on this particular qualification. It's probably best to ge…
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Good point @arongunningham, but it could also subtly alert other outsourced paraplanners that he is available if needed
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@CCatkins12 said: "I have seen a few threads on freelance/ one person band use of platforms and research tools so I will look at these for some more detail. I.e. cost of licences. I imagine there would of course be an initial out lay to take into a…
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Well... I took the view that my freelancing activities were being done outside of work hours, and were not impacting on my day job. I did throttle back a little bit when I got near to my exams, but took on more afterwards. I forgot to mention to…