It varies depending on your study method and how much time you commit each day. Our programme is designed so that if you spend 1 hour a day studying, you should be sitting an exam every 10 weeks and will have completed the six exam modules in just over a year. If you study for 2 hours a day you could halve that halve that time.

No, this is a fully inclusive community open to anyone that wants to study and train to work within the financial services or financial planning profession.

No, we are not an employer we are a training and development community for the financial planning profession; however, we are also supported by Recruit UK who are financial planning recruitment specialists so when suitable roles come up we will advertise them within the community. We will also provide you with all the financial planning careers education within the community to empower you to secure an entry level role within financial services or the financial planning profession.

Yes, the Financial Planner Life Academy is fully inclusive training and development community, everyone is welcome.

No, there is no fixed term contract for delegates of The Financial Planner Life Academy.

Our Financial Panner Life Academy community is built for online learning and development, this ensures that you can fit this around your life, however we will also hold events face to face.

Yes, can download the mighty networks app for your mobile phone and access the Financial Planner Life Academy on your mobile phone or tablet, as well as our desktop browser version.

No, you don’t need to leave your current employer to join the Financial Planner Life Academy. in fact, we don’t advise anyone to leave employment and join any financial planning academy unless they are 100% sure that it’s the right career for them and you are in a position to support yourself financially.

The Financial Planner Life Academy subscription fee is exclusive of exam/assessment costs and the CII membership, which is £84 per year, with a £37 one off admission fee.  Printed textbooks from the CII are an additional cost to both CII members and non-members or you can download a digital version for free if you are a CII member. see the full cost break down below.

The Regulated Diploma in Financial Planning is the benchmark qualification from the CII for Financial Planners. This consists of six exams ranging from R01 Regulations and Ethics to R06 Financial Planning with Investment, Taxation, Retirement and Protection exams in between. The first five exams are multiple choice with the final exam (R06) being a written paper based on two case studies.

There is no regulatory requirement for Paraplanners to hold a qualification however, many employers expect Paraplanners to hold the Regulated Diploma in Financial Planning. A stepping stone on the way to this is the CII Certificate in Paraplanning with consists of the first three exams in the Regulated Diploma (R01, R02 and R03) and then J09, a paraplanning module which consists of three written assignments.

Whilst there are no regulatory qualification requirements for Financial Planning Administrators, a great foundation qualification is the CII Certificate in Life and Pensions. This consists of three modules each with a multiple-choice exam covering Life and Pensions Customer Operations (LP1), Financial Services Products and Solutions (LP2) and Life and Pensions Principles and Practices (LP3).

Most employers expect protection advisers to hold two exams from the Regulated Diploma in Financial Planning, these being R01 Regulation and Ethics and R05 Protection. Both are multiple choice exams.

The benchmark Mortgage Adviser Qualification is the CII Certificate in Mortgage Advice. This consists of a Regulation and Ethics exam (either CF1 or R01) and the Mortgage exam CF6. Both are multiple choice exams.

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer for this question. The role of Financial Planner varies depending on company, location and whether you’re Employed or Self-Employed. Some companies will offer a larger salary, but less access to bonus, whereas others will offer lower basic salaries, but have more lucrative bonus structures in place to incentivise Financial Planners. What we can do is give an example of the typical earning potential for a Financial Planner in a variety of scenarios. Employed: In London, a Financial Planner can expect a salary banding between £40K-£100K depending on experience. Outside of London, salaries usually stay within the £30K-80K, but again, depending on experience and performance. Self-Employed: Financial Planners working on a self-employed basis will rely entirely on their ability to earn bonus, which comes from servicing self-generated clients. This can be down to location but is more often affected by an adviser’s ability to generate new business, uphold strong relationships with clients, and provide exceptional service. But it’s not unusual for an established self-employed adviser to earn £100,000+

Paraplanner salaries in the UK can vary widely based on experience, qualifications, location, and employer. Entry-level Paraplanners typically earn around £20K-£30K annually, while mid-level professionals with a few years of experience and qualifications might make between £30,000 -£45,000. Senior Paraplanners, especially in London and the Southeast, can command salaries ranging from £45,000 – £65,000. These figures can be supplemented by bonuses and benefits, with larger financial firms often offering more competitive packages. Download the latest Salary guide from Recruit UK – here.