A newly qualified Certified Financial Planner says planners gain respect from clients through their work for them, not from certificates hanging on the wall.

A debate has been raging over which title – Chartered Financial Planner or Certified – is more valuable or if the two are equal. An FP Today Poll found 55% of readers who voted placing Chartered highest, with about 22% voting for Certified and the same proportion for equal.

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But Craig Chapman CFP^TM Chartered MCSI, managing director of Money Plan-it (Wealth Management), believes this is not something that bothers the clients.

Mr Chapman’s firm has recently become appointed representatives of Best Practice IFA Group, a network of Chartered Financial Planners.

He told FP Today: “Regarding Chartered versus Certified, personally it’s not something that I place any great importance on, neither do I think clients will either.

“The real mark of professionalism and respect from clients comes from the work that we do for them, not the specific details of any certificates which are placed on our wall.”

Mr Chapman, who runs the Leatherhead based Financial Planning firm, said he was delighted to achieve CFP^TM status after two years of hard graft.

He said: “It is a great feeling to be recognised now as a leading Financial Planner and to hold the only globally recognised qualification in Financial Planning.

“For me this was a personal challenge and eventual achievement which I found satisfying and it will no doubt improve my confidence in the work which I do for my clients.

“Any adviser who has gone to the lengths of achieving a level 6 qualification or beyond has clearly committed themselves to lifelong learning and are dedicated to their chosen profession.”

He said: “In terms of financial qualifications, the CFP process was different to anything else I have achieved to date. The case study is much closer to real life than technical / knowledge based exams and it requires deep analysis and problem solving skills to complete.

“I was told by many that it was impossible to pass first time and highly unlikely to pass on the second attempt too! To finally get the conformation in January of this year it was a mixed feeling of satisfaction and relief."

Money Plan-it (Wealth Management) has offices in both Leatherhead and Westhill in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.