Nearly 100 Paraplanners and expert speakers have headed to teepees in Northants for the annual Paraplanners’ Powwow ‘unconference’ which gets under way today.

The event, the fifth Powwow, has been a sell out and will see 80 Paraplanners and another 15-20 expert speakers and other guests taking part, nearly 100 attendees in total. Many will be donning the traditional Powwow warpaint as they get together to swap technical knowledge and experience and listen to industry experts. The agenda has been decided by the Paraplanners themselves.

The new host this year is Caroline Stuart FPFS, a Chartered Financial Planner and head of technical at Financial Planning firm DB Wood in Newark. She has taken over as host from Paraplanner Richard Allum who continues to work with a team of volunteers, including Caroline, to organise the popular event he founded over five years ago which has spawned regional and online howwows and mini-powwows.

Highlights this year will include investment expert Justin Urquhart Stewart, co-founder of 7IM, who is the ‘Powwow Guru’ speaker, a tax ‘hackathon’ with James Hay’s Neil MacGillivray and many other expert speakers. 

This year will see sessions on report writing, how to influence your own company, compliance, teach-ins and other topics relevant to Paraplanning. 

Powwow host Caroline Stuart said she was “thrilled” the Powwow had sold out and was looking forward to hosting the event. Nearly half of this year's attendees are new to the event.

Read more of Caroline’s comments on what’s happening at Powwow on Financial Planning Today here.

Asked if she was looking forward to the event, Ms Stuart said: “It is a little daunting but I’m really looking forward to it. It’s the Powwow, so it’s such a friendly atmosphere and you know everyone is on your side so I’m sure it will go swimmingly!"

"The support has been brilliant, what people don’t often fully realise, myself included until this year, is the amount of work that goes on to arrange it and that there’s the most amazing team busy organising the Powwow. Every detail is considered to make it the best event it can be; the Powwow team are just fantastic at what they do which is why it is so loved, and I have been supported at every single point, making my job actually really very easy!”

• Check back with Financial Planning Today today and tomorrow to check on updates.

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