The FAAA has presented Kristine Pham of Lipman Burgon and Partners with the Gwen Fletcher Memorial Award for semester one of 2023.
The association says that the award, which is named after the late ‘First Lady of Financial Planning’, recognises the highest performing student in the CFP Certification Unit for each semester, with demonstrable dedication to providing high-quality financial advice.
It notes that Pham, who is a financial adviser at Lipman Burgon and Partners based in Sydney, joined the firm in 2021 and has seven years-experience in financial planning. She completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce at the University of NSW, and holds a Diploma of Financial Planning at the Monarch Institute.
Pham says the CFP Certification Program was a rewarding experience and she’s glad she persisted “…because it definitely required a lot of work and rigour to complete.”
“It is quite easy to become distracted by the noise when it comes to advising on certain topics with clients. The CFP program encourages you to step back and see the bigger picture, which goes a long way when advising in the real world,” she adds.
FAAA chief executive officer Sarah Abood says Pham is a “…shining example of what the financial planning profession can achieve for clients when it’s at its best. Gwen was dedicated to the highest levels of professionalism in financial planning, and I have all the confidence in Kristine’s ability to live up to that legacy.”
Abood notes the CFP Certification Program will continue to be an important part of the FAAA’s work “…to advance the financial planning profession and equip planners with the skills and confidence needed to provide the best quality financial advice to Australians…”
The association says the CFP designation is the largest and best-recognised financial planning designation globally, with more than 213,000 CFP professionals worldwide, an increase of nearly 5% from last year.
Click here for more information on the certification.
