In the midst of economic turmoil, uncertainty and nervousness, never has there been such a need and demand for professional Financial Planners, writes Justin Urquhart Stewart, marketing director of Seven IM.

Mike Stafford CFP^CM of Stafford and Co in Hertford- one of the first firms to become an IFP Accredited Financial Planning Firm- recalls a week to remember.

Sean Gray and Jim Thomson, founding directors of Thomson Gray Wealth Management, explain how, with a little help from Russell Investments, they are tweaking their processes and management to enable profitable growth in their business while adhering to an RDR- compliant fee structure.

Pershing, a BNY Mellon company, has entered the independent financial advice market with the launch of a custodial platform in October.

As announced during the Annual General Meeting of the IFP held on 3 October at Celtic Manor resort, the IFP has welcomed two new CFP^CM professionals to its board of directors.

This August, while not seeing very much in the way of sunshine, Scotland did see the first meeting of its IFP Scottish Branch with Nicola Jackson CFP^CM as the new branch chair.

In a change to previous years, this year’s two-day Scottish conference and dinner will take place at the Marriott Glasgow.

The annual meeting of IFP Branch Chairmen took place on 14 September at the delightful Hogarth’s hotel in Solihull. There was an excellent turn out, with much to celebrate as well as planning for growth over the next few years.

Branch meetings are a great way to keep up to date and network with other professionals in your area. Following recent nominations there are a number of changes to branch chairmen within of the IFP’s branch structure.

After a summer break, the Cotswold branch met in Cheltenham in September to hear from Neil Bailey FIFP, CFPCM of Fortitude Financial Planning.