The Financial Planning Institute (FPI) recently announced the three finalists in the prestigious 2018 FPI Financial Planner of the Year competition. 

In the final round, which took place last week, the three entrants were required to answer questions from a panel of judges on industry trends, topics, technical information and legislative changes. 

The winner will be announced at the 2018 FPI Awards ceremony gala dinner, sponsored by Alexander Forbes, on August 22. 

All entrants in the Financial Planner of the Year competition are members of the FPI and hold the Certified Financial Planner accreditation.

The three finalists are: 

  • Janet Hugo, director of Sterling Private Clients, who was also a finalist in last year’s competition. Hugo is a regular guest speaker on radio and television, and frequently contributes to articles for the press. She has been actively involved with FPI since 2009. 
  • Hardi Swart, co-founder of Autus Family Office and founding member of the Young Advisor Forum. Swart is regularly quoted in the media and writes about financial planning and investments in a range of publications. 
  • Louis van der Merwe, the co-founder and director of WealthUp, an FPI-approved practice. With a passion for technology and entrepreneurship, Van der Merwe has spent the past 10 years providing advice to individuals and companies.