Aviva Financial Adviser Academy - for IFAs or ... who?

agarnett

Thanks bowlhead, I think you just confirmed much of what I had deduced and written about, and don't you worry about what time I have to spare. I'll worry about that. And frankly, since I already got the premier insurance qualification donkeys years ago, I would wonder which of the multitude of lesser qualifications touted that I could use to supplement and bolster my original foundations if I ever wanted to return to becoming a Chartered Insurance Practitioner of some description.

Nevertheless, nice to hear such from such a high knowledge base individual as yourself on the subject. Remind us again - what knowledge base that would be in your case? I still don't really know which educational body or bodies are now providing the paper which the majority of IFAs rely on (and which companies like Aviva rely on) confirming that a financial advisor is qualified to negotiate and transact plans on behalf of clients. Is it CII or one of the others that have sprung up?

How can I or anyone else ever consider appointing one if I haven't a clue what sort of "professional" they really are if I discover they use "memos to self" templates (provided by one of the biggest purveyors of ever changing product post sale) to keep tabs on their own study in a form that is presentable to whomever it is that checks. Who does check? Is it CII again or who?

Talk about tick box compliance - that form I stumbledupon and came here to highlight as the subject for this thread might well take the biscuit!

Wikipedia does provide some pointers. Apparently, the level of study necessary is thought to be equivalent to the first year of a degree.

A degree from which university in what sort of subject? Exam papers seem to be multi-choice. They can be quite testing if designed well, but are they? I expect the CII ones are pretty good but there seem to be far more examining bodies than just CII these days, and the lists of individual courses seem to have got horribly mixed up with major qualifications like ACII and FCII. Surely those two should remain aloof in separate lists?

Anyway, from some Googling this morning and because everyman and his dog seems to have had a go at defining what qualifies an IFA to practise as one, I naturally ended up at UNBIASED.CO.UK where all the whole of market or restricted whole of market advisers can apparently be found listed and which is often quoted in this forum as a place punters can visit to find an IFA in their area?? Not even you are immune, I see, bowlhead99, although I see you may only have given them a mention a couple of times, whereas some regulars seem to do it all the time?

Me being me, I decided to look at the people behind UNBIASED.CO.UK on companieshouse.gov.uk website. Wheels within wheels and all that?

I don't think we need to look much further than the first couple of former directors I fancied I'd seen in other lists, now do we? Click on their names and round we go in circles - directors of major financial services companies and lo and behold - Aviva and Friends Life included in Spades! Oh and a couple of clicks and a common address for unbiased Limited gets us into another company with common directors and a whole raft of Sesame Bankhall companies ... great website that companies house one ...

Nuff said for this morning?

Who are you regulars trying to kid? Yourselves mainly, I guess! We all need to be loved, don't we?

HappyHarry

Have you considered taking the qualifications necessary to be an adviser? You could gain some knowledge, and then you will be able to answer some of your own questions and concerns?

I found the level 4 qualification much tougher than first year of university. However, that may be down to the fact that my first year of university wasn't my most productive year ever in terms of study.

The piece of paper you maybe referring to is a Statement of Professional Standing (SPS), issued by accredited bodies, including the CII. To get this piece of paper, you need to be level 4 qualified, and complete the required amount of CPD, a lot of which must be structured. The accredited bodies check the CPD records of at least 10% of those that apply for their SPS, and will withhold issuing the SPS until satisfied. Without the SPS, one can not provide regulated advice.

Just to note, unbiased.co.uk is a commercial site, which charges advisers to be listed, and charges advisers for leads. Far from all advisers are on it, as many have decided not to pay their fees.

agarnett

HappyHarry wrote: »

Just to note, unbiased.co.uk is a commercial site, which charges advisers to be listed, and charges advisers for leads. Far from all advisers are on it, as many have decided not to pay their fees.

Oh dear, I don't suppose many punters realised that, nor the Aviva and Sesame past/(current??) connections with it.

Thanks for explaining a bit from your end.