The Devon Hotel in Exeter was almost not big enough to hold a record attendance for the first South West branch meeting of the year as 21 financial planners squeezed into the Edwardian Suite to hear two quality presentations which were very different, but equally valuable reports branch chairman Pete Matthew CFP^CM.
The first was a comprehensive guide to Exchange Traded Products presented by Frank Spiteri and Liz Wright of IFP corporate member ETF Securities. They have also put together a document called ETPedia which is CPD accredited by the IFP and deals with the subject thoroughly. Frank and Liz's presentation was at just the right level (at least for me!) and raised several intelligent questions from the attendees.

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After a break for coffee, South West branch member Denese Molyneux gave an impassioned presentation of the work of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. Denese reports that her career had been immeasurably bettered by sitting and passing the STEP exams, enabling her to increase her standing in the eyes of solicitors, who are now a major source of new client enquiries.
Feedback from the attendees on both sessions was excellent and it was great to see so many members there, with several attending for the first time.
As ever it was good to reconnect with friends old and new and to share best practice in these changing times. If you haven't yet attended your branch meetings, they are the best value investment of time you can get. So block out the diary now for your next branch meeting and come prepared to give to and receive from the cream of the financial planning profession.