05.02.2024 Views

Blue Chip Issue 90

Blue Chip Journal – The official publication of FPI Blue Chip is a quarterly journal for the financial planning industry and is the official publication of the Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa NPC (FPI), effective from the January 2020 edition. Blue Chip publishes contributions from FPI and other leading industry figures, covering all aspects of the financial planning industry.

Blue Chip Journal – The official publication of FPI
Blue Chip is a quarterly journal for the financial planning industry and is the official publication of the Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa NPC (FPI), effective from the January 2020 edition. Blue Chip publishes contributions from FPI and other leading industry figures, covering all aspects of the financial planning industry.

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BLUE<br />

CHIP<br />

FPI | Financial Planner of the Year<br />

THE ULTIMATE ACCOLADE<br />

The FPI Financial Planner of the Year competition is renowned for its rigorous evaluation process that<br />

showcases the exceptional skills and abilities of the finalists. Lara Warburton, CFP®, stood out among a<br />

group of finalists including Thomas Brukman, CFP®, and Noel de Kock, CFP®, to secure the coveted title.<br />

Congratulations on your achievement, Lara! What does<br />

winning the award mean to you?<br />

The gala awards dinner is such a special occasion. The FPI pulls out<br />

all the stops to make it special, and many industry stalwarts and<br />

previous winners attend each year. It is a celebration of all that is<br />

good in our profession – young achievers excelling in their studies,<br />

meaningful contributors to our profession, practices that excel and<br />

of course, the FPI Financial Planner of the Year, which is the final<br />

award of the evening.<br />

Integral Wealth, the business I manage founded in 2016, was a<br />

finalist in the Professional Practice Award category, so I felt like a<br />

winner already, but nothing could have prepared me for when my<br />

name was announced as the winner. I felt so elated and excited.<br />

I was overwhelmed by all the people who came to personally<br />

congratulate me and the fuss everyone made about me, especially<br />

by many of the previous award winners who were there.<br />

Since then, I have been inundated with flowers, emails, calls<br />

and WhatsApps, I have received hundreds of LinkedIn contact<br />

requests and I can see that many of my clients see me in a different<br />

light. It has been quite overwhelming and incredibly exciting.<br />

I underestimated the warmth and recognition I have received<br />

from financial planners, as well as from industry players like the<br />

product and service providers we work with. Our profession is<br />

kind and gracious.<br />

What was your motivation for entering the award?<br />

When I entered the competition, I knew that winning the award<br />

would be the ultimate accolade for me as a financial planner. I have<br />

always strived to keep informed on changes in our profession and<br />

with best practices in all we do, and being a finalist or winning<br />

would bring a great deal of personal satisfaction. Winning the<br />

award would be an endorsement of excellence and the highest<br />

achievement possible. I know how highly regarded this award is in<br />

our profession, and I know many of the previous winners whom I<br />

respect tremendously. Winning the award also brings professional<br />

recognition – recognition from one’s peers is high praise indeed as<br />

they truly understand all the challenges we face.<br />

What has been the highlight of your career (besides winning<br />

the award)?<br />

There have been many highlights in my career regarding clients’<br />

lives that have changed, and the gratitude I have experienced<br />

Lara Warburton, CFP®, Managing Director, Integral<br />

Wealth Management<br />

30 www.bluechipdigital.co.za

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