The financial advice sector’s largest professional membership body is hosting its biannual graduation today.

Some 259 Chartered Financial Planners are involved.

Of the 433 graduates formerly recognised today, 259 have reached Chartered status, 14 have reached Associate level and 160 have been inducted as Fellows, including the PFS’s youngest ever Fellow, Investment Quorum wealth manager Vito Faircloth, 22.

Each year, the PFS invites all members who qualify as an Associate or Fellow, or achieve Chartered status, to one of two graduation days where they are formally recognised in front of hundreds of their friends and family members.

Their achievements will be celebrated at two ceremonies held at the Chartered Insurance Institute’s Great Hall, where graduates and their families will hear from PFS president Nick Turner, chief executive Keith Richards and 2016 Chartered Financial Planner of the Year Kate Gannon.

Mr Richards said: "The level of professionalism within the personal finance sector continues to be enhanced each year and I congratulate all of our graduates on their achievements and their commitment to ongoing learning and professional development.”

“The profession continues to evolve, with recognition and demand for professional advice on the rise. I wish all graduates every success as they continue to develop their professional careers and act as ambassadors and advocates for the financial planning profession.”

Ms Gannon, who achieved Chartered status and became a Fellow of the PFS in 2013, said: “The benefits of ongoing professional development and learning cannot be underestimated, and have helped me achieve my professional goals and ambitions. I congratulate all graduates on reaching an important milestone in their careers.”