By Lora Benson
For those of us trying to improve our financial fitness as part of New Year goal setting, CISI financial planning professionals are ready to offer free introductory sessions during CISI’s Financial Planning Week, which will run nationwide from 26 January to 1st February 2026
Financial Planning Week is an annual campaign organised by educational charity and professional body, the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI). The campaign aims to help encourage people to improve their relationship with, and understanding of, their money and finances.
The campaign is led by CISI CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals which is the highest-level financial planning certification in the UK and recognised globally with over 230,000 CFP professionals. Those offering complimentary financial planning sessions during Financial Planning Week are listed here.
Money stresses for all of us can include cost of living pressures, which may feel perpetual, with people being worried about how to make their money stretch long term. Consumers may also be worried about mortgage payments or rising rents or be anxious about pensions, retirement funding, managing credit card balances or loans. These money issues emerge at differing life stages, and this is where a CISI CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ can offer a qualified, professional helping hand.
A financial planner helps consumers focus on their goals, aspirations and concerns. They are qualified to look at the bigger picture to produce a holistic strategy for people with a financial plan ie live your today and plan your tomorrow. This is distinct from financial advisers who focus solely on a single aspect, which may be your money and investments, helping you buy a financial product suitable for a particular need. A financial planner looks at the whole picture and uses their expertise to help create an overarching strategy to protect you and/or your family.
For CISI, financial inclusion is an important topic, and it takes pride in its role advancing the dissemination of knowledge and learning for public benefit. Financial planning has financial literacy at its core and UK Financial Planning Week ensures everyone has access to a free support session to kick start a money conversation for all.
Tracy Vegro OBE, CISI CEO said: “CISI Financial Planning Week shines an annual spotlight on the value of professional financial planning, financial literacy and helping UK consumers take control of their finances. This year’s campaign follows the release of the government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy. We were delighted to lend CISI’s support to the Economic Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Rigby launch last year, and the team are developing new free key stage three resources, Moneybase, that will offer school students practical money skills.”
To find out more about CISI Financial Planning Week, visit the CISI Wayfinder website at https://financialplanning.cisi.org/cisiweb2/wayfinder/tips-and-tools listing CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals or CISI Accredited Financial Planning Firms™.
Financial planners UK-wide will be supporting CISI Financial Planning Week with activities including sharing articles and guides, hosting a free one-hour financial planning session and heading into their local schools to talk about financial literacy. Look up Financial Planning Week online or search #FPWUK on social media for more.