Back story: Rebecca Taylor CFP™ Chartered FCSI
Rebecca Taylor CFPTM Chartered FCSI, a CISI Financial Planning Forum member, talks about her career
What originally made you decide to pursue a career in financial planning?
To be honest, I don’t think it was ever a conscious decision. I ‘fell’ into financial advice, in the same way a lot of people have I guess, and financial planning came along a few years after I qualified. At the time, I had no idea there was a fundamental difference between advice and planning, I just wanted to better myself with a highly respected qualification. The CFPTM certification assessment process was the start of a change for me that marked the beginning of a new business model and a whole new way of working with clients. It even changed the way I thought about the people we work with.
The IFP merged with the CISI recently. How have you found being a CISI member so far?
In some respects it is business as usual as a member, although I might confess I quite like the CPD system compared to the IFP one, it is far more user friendly! I also like the fact that although the planning content has continued with the CISI, there is also easy access to technical resources on a wider range of areas.
What does your role entail within Aurea? What are your main challenges at the moment?
I am the Managing Director of Aurea Financial Planning. I am very fortunate to be working with a great team that enables me to spend all my time meeting clients and working on the general business. There are always challenges. For example, I would like to be able to look after a wider range of people and find it difficult to turn people away. Ideally I would like to be able to create an alternative offering with a different service level and price structure.
What is your role within the Financial Planning Forum within the CISI and on the CISI board?
I have a varied role at the moment. The CISI has a broad business base and is also global, so there is a lot for me to learn as a board member. Fortunately my experience with the Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB) has helped widen my knowledge of international businesses. I represent the financial planning community on the board and it is great to hear the interest from the other board members who are unfamiliar with the types of business models that financial planning members would typically operate within.
What do you consider to be your biggest achievement to date?
Without doubt it has to be completing the merger between the IFP and the CISI. For me it was seeing a vision of what the future could look like and then working with the others involved in the process of deciding how it could be achieved, where the compromises would come from and of course where the overall wins were. I will forever be proud that this has come to pass. While there were of course doubts at times, I have always been able to see a clear path of what we could achieve together.
What are you looking to do next in your career?
We have recently rebranded Aurea and will be looking to move the business forwards.
What do you enjoy doing outside work?
I enjoy keeping fit and am quite competitive. I have cycled competitively for many years although this year I am trying something new and entered some triathlons. I also spend a lot of time at home with my husband and our many animals, we have two horses, two dogs, eight sheep and quite a few chickens roaming around which keeps us busy.
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