Nathan Valbonesi CFP™ Chartered FCSI, who leads the growing investment and wealth advice team at Weatherbys Private Bank, has won a top industry award after completing the two highest qualifications possible in financial planning and wealth management.
Nathan is one of only a very small number to have achieved the Level-7 postgraduate professional awards administered by the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI), which is the professional body and educational charity that sets standards for financial services professionals in the UK.
There are just 1,064 holders of the Certified Financial Planner certificate, and 3,110 CISI Chartered Wealth Managers. Very few hold both qualifications.
Moreover, Nathan’s major case study submission for the financial planning award achieved the highest mark of the year and an award from the CISI. As a consequence, he is now not only a Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Wealth Manager but has also been asked to sit on the CISI exam panel.
He says: “Over the past 20 years I must have spent thousands of hours studying for exams – first in England, then in Australia, where I lived for a decade and had to requalify, and now back in England, so I guess I’ve had a lot of practice at them!
“I love this job. We meet clients at all stages of life, hearing their stories, their challenges, and helping them. My big motivation has always been finding the right solutions, keeping it simple and understandable, even when that is technically complex – And for that you need the knowledge these qualifications bring.”
Weatherbys CEO Quentin Marshall said: “We are committed to providing our clients with the best advice possible – and that means the best advisers possible. Nathan is a great reflection of that culture, and an inspiration to his colleagues, too. We’re hugely proud of what he’s achieved.”
CISI CEO Tracy Vegro OBE said: “It’s vital that we have a well-trained adviser community and the CISI qualifications, continuing professional development and lifelong learning help raise industry skills and standards. This is crucial in maintaining consumer trust and confidence. Not many advisers reach the top rung of both the financial planning and wealth management qualification ladders. To do so – and as well as Nathan has done – bears testimony to his dedication and talent.”
