The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment is encouraging UK Financial Planners to back its national annual consumer campaign - Financial Planning Week - which will run from 7-11 October.

The publicity campaign aims to promote the “life-changing value” of Financial Planning through PR, social media, pro bono guidance for consumers, local campaigns and media coverage.

The CISI is the London-based professional body which runs the Certified Financial Planner designation held by about 1,000 UK planners. More than 4,000 Financial Planners and Paraplanners are in the CISI’s wider Financial Planning Forum.

The annual CISI campaign, which will encourage UK consumers to benefit from a free, one-hour, Financial Planning session, is an opportunity to showcase to the UK public the professionalism of CFP practitioners, says the CISI.

The body says the campaign in 2018 was a “significant success” with over 90 firms offering surgeries across the UK and nearly 1m hashtag impressions recorded on Twitter.

Financial planners in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are encouraged to:

• Join the campaign to help highlight the real benefits of Financial Planning
• Consider offering one-hour free consultation surgeries, either in person, via skype or over the phone for members of the public
• Take part in “Ask a Planner” online sessions and offer written responses to individual’s queries
• Provide talks to local schools across the country to share the merits of the Financial Planning profession as a career
• Use these hashtags: #FPWUK #Planwell2livewell

Jacqueline Lockie CFP, CISI head of Financial Planning said: “This is our chance to demonstrate our planners’ social responsibility credentials for all consumers to understand the real benefits having a financial plan can bring them. 

“We will start off with participating in IOSCO’s World Financial Planning Day as part of World Investor Week on 2 October and then focus on UK Financial Planning Week to help consumers here.”

Martin Ruskin CFP, chairman of CISI Financial Planning Forum said: “There are so many people out there who might have a pension, but they don’t have a plan - this national campaign gives our Financial Planning community a chance to help those who might not have or may never even consider seeking help.

“We see it as a chance to really make an impact and a difference to people’s lives and to help encourage the public to start thinking about how they plan to achieve their dreams. Plus, it is so easy to get involved, and can be as simple as sharing the main messages on your Facebook or Twitter accounts.”

• Financial Planners who are members of CISI Financial Planning Forum and wish to sign up to CISI Financial Planning Week can go to cisi.org/registerfpweek