I started my career as a candidate attorney with De Klerk & Van Gend Attorneys in 1998.  I was admitted as an attorney in February 2000, but at that stage I did not feel that the law was my calling.  I got introduced to the financial services industry by chance and I found it so interesting, that I changed occupations and became a Liberty adviser.  This was a massive challenge for me, but one that changed my life very positively.

 

I spent five years as a Liberty agent, getting to know the industry and learning new things almost every day.  This was a stage of learning for me and about questioning myself and others about the role and responsibilities of a good Financial Adviser.  I realised that to be truly professional in the financial services industry, one must be independent, because although Liberty was a fantastic company, a one size fits all approach was not how I felt clients’ needs were best addressed.

 

In February 2005, I reached a stage in my life where I felt confident enough to leave the protective environment of being a “tied agent” with Liberty.  It took me until May 2006 to get everything in place, which was when Subventum Financial Services CC was registered.  Subventum is Latin for “I come to help”, a name I liked because it was essentially how I saw my role as adviser.  I completed my Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning through the University of the Free State in 2006, allowing me to use the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^® designation.

 

I believe that the financial services industry in South Africa needs to embrace the idea of formal qualification of all advisers.  I would prefer that the minimum entry qualification for the industry be set at CFP^® level, ensuring that clients are advised by professionals, rather than good sales people.