The relationship between Financial Planners and Paraplanners was the topic this afternoon as Louise Oliver CFP^CM and Claire Goodwin talked about their relationship at Taylor Oliver.

The pair were speaking at the IFP's first Financial Planning Day held in London.

A key point to come from the speech was the impact of the Paraplanner attending the client meetings.

Ms Goodwin, Paraplanner at the firm, said: "I get so much value from attending client meetings and the clients appreciate having the benefit of two experts and two points of contact.

"It also means I know what to do straight away and Louise doesn't need to give me a de-briefing after every meeting."

Ms Oliver, partner at the firm, said: "Having an in-house Paraplanner is vital for us, the clients get to know her and it gives me more time to actually listen to the clients and what they want knowing that Claire is taking the notes and the paperwork is ready."

Ms Oliver also spoke about a tactic they used during client meetings involving drawing a family tree.

"One of the things we've found enhances the experience is to ask clients to draw a family tree. They talk about their aunt or their children and the impact they have on their lives.

"People start to talk about who is important to them and until we know that we can't create a plan."

Financial Planning Day is a one-day conference held by the IFP and is the first in a series of technical events run by the IFP in place of regional conferences.

Other speakers during the day include Tina Weeks from Serenity Financial Planning, Shane Mullins from Fiscal Engineers and Robert Lockie from Bloomsbury.