Blue Chip Issue 82

FPI AWARDS PRACTISE

FPI AWARDS PRACTISE MAKES PERFECT The second-ever FPI Professional Practice of the Year Award, which recognises that successful financial planning is always a team effort, was won by Gradidge-Mahura Investments in 2021. The runners-up and very close contenders for the award were Crue Invest and BDO Wealth Advisers. Blue Chip spoke to the top three nominees. GRADIDGE-MAHURA INVESTMENTS Craig Gradidge, CFP®, Investment and Retirement Planning Specialist Congratulations to the team for winning the Professional Practice of the Year Award! FPI has reported that they could not imagine a more deserving winner and commended you for always going above and beyond for your clients across South Africa over the years. In your opinion, what is the fundamental reason for your success? I believe that there are several key reasons; firstly, putting the client at the centre of what we do, secondly, having an analysis-based financial planning process, and lastly, continuous professional development of staff. These drive a lot of how we run our business and the results that we achieve. Please outline your mission and your offerings? Our mission is to contribute towards the ongoing professionalisation of financial planning. We also have a responsibility towards helping the sector transform by demonstrating black excellence in a very tangible way. We have received messages from other black practices who have been inspired to join the industry after learning about GMI. We believe that a transformed financial planning sector will grow the market substantially over time. Our service offering is comprehensive financial planning including retirement planning, investment planning, estate planning and risk planning. What is the company’s focus for 2022? We run a 10-year business strategy. In 2019 we outlined the vision for 2030. In 2022 the focus is on building up the asset management and asset protection parts of that bigger strategy. How have you espoused FPI’s Code of Conduct into your business? A lot of the Code of Conduct is built into our advice and service processes. So, it forms part of our DNA, and has since we launched the business in 2008. Each step of the advice process has ethics and professionalism baked in. Why choose Gradidge-Mahura Investments? What sets you apart? We are independent which allows us to put client interests ahead of our own. We are professional in our conduct. We place significant emphasis on client confidentiality. Finally, we are transformed at every level of the business. What is Gradidge-Mahura Investments’ (GMI) philosophy? We can do well by doing good. 54 www.bluechipdigital.co.za

FPI AWARDS "It is humbling to be singled out as a finalist particularly when one reflects on the level of professionalism being displayed by all FPI Approved Professional Practices in South Africa." - BDO Wealth Advisers Why did you enter the FPI Awards? We believe that it is important to measure ourselves against the best in the industry. It is one thing to say that we are professional, it is something entirely different for an independent body to say that we are professional. It is part of our ongoing development and growth process. What did you learn through the process? We learnt from the various experts involved, especially what they focused on in their questioning. This gave us a sense of the key issues that they see when it comes to running a professional practice. We took the learnings from the 2020 competition and focused our efforts on improving on those areas in 2021. Please add a message of motivation to the professional practices that may be battling amid the current time of inflation, deflation and uncertainty? Focus on the process, the outcomes will take care of themselves. The winners in the long term are those firms that can deal with the boredom of doing the basics right over and over and over again. There are always challenges facing advisors and their clients. The trick is to move forward despite these challenges and to focus on those issues we can control. Would you like to add anything? We would like to see more black firms joining the ranks of Approved Professional Practices. This would mean a lot to us and to the industry and help motivate more black professionals to join the industry. Together we can reach out to untapped sectors of the economy and grow the market for professional advice. CRUE INVEST: RUNNER-UP Craig Torr, CFP®, Director Congratulations to the team for your success in the 2021 FPI Professional Practice of the Year Award where you achieved the runner-up position. In your opinion, what is the fundamental reason for your success? Teamwork and a shared vision of success. We have a phenomenal team of 15 people who have a shared vision for Crue Invest. We are all passionate about helping people make the right financial decisions, and I think our achievement is testament to this. We have worked hard on creating a culture of teamwork and mutual respect, and we’ve put our clients at the centre of our business. How have you espoused FPI’s Code of Conduct into your business? High ethical standards form the backbone of our business and are in everything we do. The acid test in everything we do is whether it is in the best interests of the client. By putting the interests of the client above everything else, the rest of FPI’s Code of Conducts fall into place and becomes inherent in every aspect of our business process. Why choose Crue Invest? What sets you apart? A genuine desire to help people make good financial decisions and our commitment to remaining a niche, personalised practice. We form a relationship of deep trust and mutual respect with each of our clients. We know each and every client personally. We are not a financial planning factory that chases targets, and our remuneration structure supports this. As feebased professionals, our team is incentivised to build long-term relationships with our clients and to help them achieve their financial planning goals over time. What is Crue Invest’s philosophy, mission and area of expertise? Our mission is to help people create and protect their wealth. We have a team of in-house experts including financial planning, tax and legal experts who are specialists in their respective areas. All our advisors hold tertiary qualifications and either hold the CFP® designation or are currently studying towards it. Since inception, we have been intentional about financial education and this includes ensuring all members of our team are able to continue learning and studying so as to enhance their expertise. We believe strongly in educating the consumer, and we spend a lot of time running workshops and writing articles designed to provide the consumer with as much information as possible. Why did you enter the FPI Awards? We want to continually improve our service offering and entering the competition is a good way of gauging our business against the best in the country. It helps us to take a good look in the mirror and to evaluate our business critically with a view to improving and enhancing our client offering. As members of the FPI, it is important to us to know how we fare against other practices nationally, and FPI’s feedback and input is important to us. www.bluechipdigital.co.za 55