Associate Firm
Becoming an Associate Firm publicly aligns your firm with the largest professional body for the financial planning sector.
Associate Firms voluntarily demonstrate the adoption of the professional standards set by the Personal Finance Society enabling them to stand tall behind a culture that places clients and staff at its heart. Firms will enjoy a closer association with us as we strive to build public trust in financial services and elevate the importance and value of financial wellbeing through regulated personal finance and Investment advice. On successful application firms are able to evidence their commitment to clients and broader stakeholders through the use of an Associate Firm mark. Firms will also receive the mark as an office plaque and will be listed as an Associate Firm on the Personal Finance Society’s website.
Eight Core Principles
- Act in the best interests of clients, using a customer charter to aid transparency
- Demonstrate integrity, probity and fairness by aligning with the code of professional ethics & conduct
- Comply with the spirit as well as rules of regulation
- Comply with the spirit as well as the rules of employment law
- Invest in your people by funding a policy of ongoing training and professional development
- Operate a clear diversity & inclusion policy, for both your staff and clients
- Operate a policy of corporate social responsibility
- Adhere to transparent governance standards and processes.
Shared Vision
As individuals and firms, we have the power to build confidence in our services and earn the trust of our clients; but it is only by uniting behind a shared vision that we can influence the future direction and trust of our sector. The Personal Finance Society is part of the Chartered Insurance Institute; our purpose is driven by our Royal Charter commitment, granted by the sovereign on the advice of the Privy Council, to secure and justify the confidence of the public in our profession. We do this by:
- Raising professional standards through knowledge, development and good practice sharing
- Our members commitment to a code of professional ethics, behaviour and culture
- Engaging with regulators and policymakers to improve outcomes for consumers.
Our strapline, Standards. Professionalism. Trust., embodies our commitment to driving confidence in the power of professional standards. Your support will help us achieve this vision.
Eligibility
Associate Firm is primarily aimed at individual financial advice practitioner firms; regulated firms whose purpose is to provide regulated financial advice and planning (independent or restricted) services to consumers. For large national financial advice practitioner firms or those with multiple trading entities and/or advice networks please contact us to discus your specific requirements. Support firms can also demonstrate their alignment with professional standards and commitment to practitioners in the sector. Support firms are non-practitioner firms, including but not restricted to:
- Outsourced paraplanning firms
- Compliance consultancies
- Product providers
- Investment Management Companies
- Training organisations
- Platforms
- Advice software providers
- Research firms
- Legal firms
Fees
Associate Firms pay an annual license fee, which for practitioner firms is banded according to the total number of employees:
- 0-10 employees - £250 p/a
- 11-25 employees - £300 p/a
- 26-50 employees - £350 p/a
- 50-99 employees - £400 p/a
For non-practitioner, support firms, including product providers, platforms and training organisations there is a yearly flat fee of £650.
Directory
Browse our A-Z list of Personal Finance Society Associate Firms.
Further Information
- Get in touch if you have questions or need guidance before submitting an application.
- Terms and conditions
- Guidelines for how to use the Associate Firm mark
- Resources to help you promote to your clients the benefits of working with an Associate Firm
