This week, Barry O'Mahony (pictured), was awarded the 2013 financial planner of the year by the Financial Planning Institute (FPI) at a cocktail evening at the Sandton Convention Centre.
O'Mahony, a certified financial planner and founder of Veritas Wealth Management, has been in the financial planning industry for two decades.
“Winning this award has been a dream come true and I’m honoured to have been selected considering that it’s one of the highest accolades in our industry. The title will allow me to further attest to the value of attaining a CFP designation as well as empowering the broader public to make better financial planning decisions.”
As the financial planner of the year, O’Mahony will also serve as the FPI and CFP professional designation brand ambassador.
O’Mahony said that despite many people knowing what to do about their finances they need advice to show them how to handle it properly.
“Some of the problems clients need guidance with are dealing with debt, saving for retirement ad getting their wills in order. When it comes to insurance many people are unaware that they are under or over-insured and financial planners are there to help them to get it right,” said O’Mahony.
Godfrey Nti, CEO of the FPI said O’Mahony’s passion and substantial financial planning experience has positioned him as an asset to the financial services industry.
What makes a top financial planner?
Tsholofelo Dihutso, spokesperson for the FPI, said O’Mahony was selected from close to 50 initial entrants who had to go through three stages of elimination before the winner was selected.
“In the final round a panel of independent judges asked the entrants a variety of questions to see how well they understand the legislation and the industry itself. This award has been running for 13 years and what we aim for is not just to profess being a professional financial planning institute, but also a way to inform consumers on who the top people are to engage with when it comes to their finances. The FPI’s vision is that everyone will get access to assistance with their finances,” said Dihutso.