The Financial Planning Association (FPA) is calling for nominations for its annual advice awards, and entries are also open for a prestigious life insurance industry scholarship.
Submissions are now open for the FPA’s Best Practice Awards, which recognise those advisers who have delivered great results for their clients and have contributed to the profession through community involvement, mentoring and support for their local FPA member base.
There are three Award categories:
- FPA Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Professional of the Year Award
- FPA Financial Planner Associated Financial Planner (AFP) of the Year Award
- Future2 Community Service Award
Winners will be chosen from each state/region in all three categories, and the overall winner will be selected from these finalists.
FPA CEO, Mark Rantall, said the awards were timely given recent events in the industry.
“As a profession, we have been under intense scrutiny in the last 12 months, and now more than ever we need to be celebrating the best of the industry and those who not only comply with the FPA Code, but really make a difference in their client’s lives,” Mr Rantall said.
“We often hear stories of planners going above and beyond for their clients, and the FPA Awards are a great way to recognise their hard work and acknowledge the positive impact that financial advice can have,” he added.
The deadline for submissions for the FPA Awards is Friday 12 September and winners will be announced and profiled in October in the lead up to the 2014 FPA Professionals Congress on 19-21 November, where they will officially be presented with their awards.
In related news, entries are also now open for the ALUCA TurksLegal Scholarship.
The Scholarship offers life insurance professionals the opportunity to attend one of three major international life insurance conferences of their choice, while contributing to debate on cutting edge issues affecting the future of risk insurance in Australia.
Entry is open to financial members of the Australasian Life Underwriting and Claims Association (ALUCA) working in the life industry or working for life reinsurance companies, superannuation trustees or superannuation administrators. The scholarship was developed through a partnership between the ALUCA and law firm TurksLegal and provides entrants with a unique opportunity for professional development and recognition.
To enter, candidates must submit a paper (up to 2,500 words) on one of ten questions drawn from a broad range of topic areas pertaining to the life insurance sector. The successful applicant will be selected on a range of criteria including understanding and insight of the topic, sound evidence, research and presentation skills.
Last year’s winner, Linda Winterbottom, Claims Rehabilitation Consultant now at RGA Reinsurance said: “The ALUCA TurksLegal Scholarship provides an amazing opportunity to attend world class conferences with exposure to international best practice and innovation from other life insurance markets across the globe.
“The scholarship has become an industry event that creates a buzz every year. There are always a different range of questions, but there will inevitably be something that will allow incisive and thoughtful analysis of an emerging topic that really matters.”
Applications for the ALUCA TurksLegal Scholarship close at 5pm on Sunday 21 September. Winners will be announced at the 2014 ALUCA Conference, which will be held in Maroochydore from 18-22 October.
