Hester van der Merwe, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) professional at Ultima Financial Planners in Pretoria, is the Financial Planning Institute’s (FPI’s) Financial Planner of the Year for 2020/21. She won the coveted title at the FPI’s recent annual gala prize-giving dinner in Sandton.
The two runners-up were Henri le Grange, a planner at Old Mutual in Kimberley, and Johan Swart of PPW Associates, Klerksdorp.
The Financial Planner of the Year contest is open to CFP-accredited members of the FPI, the professional body for financial planners in South Africa.
The rigorous contest requires candidates to submit a detailed case study, undergo a practice visit (in the virtual realm this year), and to show their expertise on topics as varied as legislation, industry trends and technical information in a panel interview.
Van der Merwe, who has worked at Ultima Financial Planners since 2015, “set herself apart through the depth of her knowledge, the immense detail of her financial plans and her exceptional personal commitment to her clients”, according to the FPI.
She says she will use the platform to educate and inspire women from all walks of life, “whether it’s deciding to become a CFP, having the courage to take the bull by the horns in their own financial affairs, or even just asking to be included in the household’s financial planning process”.
Among other awards presented at the gala event was the inaugural Professional Practice of the Year Award, which was won by BDO Wealth Advisers in Cape Town.
PERSONAL FINANCE