Financial Alliance Wins 7 Trophies for Financial Planning Excellence

by MK Chan,Corporate Development Director, Financial Alliance Pte Ltd
(The contributor can be contacted at mkchan@fa.sg)

Financial Alliance and our financial consultants emerged winners at the FPAS Financial Planner Awards 2019, picking up 7 trophies at the gala dinner on 5 April 2019.

Into its second year, the Award organised by the Financial Planning Association of Singapore (“FPAS”) recognises financial planners in three sectors – Financial Advisory, Insurance and Banking – for their financial planning excellence. Each sector comprises two categories – Rising Star and Open Category.

5 Finalists Hailed from Financial Alliance

We congratulate our five Award finalists Ruben Ho, Zed Xiao, Yvonne Michelle Bey, Elise Lee & Melissa Peng for their stellar effort in producing comprehensive financial plans that impressed the panel of 14 judges. Zed Xiao, who participated in the Financial Advisory Rising Star Category, went on to beat 5 other finalists to win the FPAS Financial Planner of the Year Award in that category. All of them were presented trophies at the gala dinner held at The Fullerton Hotel. Ms Merlyn Ee, Executive Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (“MAS”), was the Guest of Honour.

Financial Advisory Rising Star category winner Mr Zed Xiao collecting his trophy from Mr Edy Hartono, FPAS President (right). (Photo courtesy of FPAS)

With one-third out of the 15 finalists in the Financial Advisory category coming from Financial Alliance, our keen support for high quality financial planning is evident. The 15 finalists were shortlisted from many more who had participated.

Announced in late 2018, this competition was open to licensed financial planners from the financial advisory, insurance and banking sectors, all of which are under the purview of MAS. To participate, each financial consultant had to submit to a written financial plan based on one of two case studies. Participants who were selected to be finalists made oral presentations to the judges. From there, the winner of each of the six categories was chosen. The participants’ submissions and oral presentations were judged on their understanding and analyses of the client’s situation, goals and needs as well as the suitability of their recommendations.

We are proud of all our financial consultants who have made the special effort to submit entries to this meaningful competition, regardless of whether they made it as a finalist. All our financial consultants are accountable to their clients and are encouraged to always apply the best practices in everything they do for their clients.

Financial Alliance Wins the Corporate Award

Financial Alliance won the Corporate Award in the Financial Advisory sector for having the largest number of financial planners among the finalists in that sector. Winning this Award would not have been possible without the enthusiastic participation of our financial consultants.

Mr Vincent Ee with Ms Merlyn Ee, Executive Director of MAS (left) and Mr Edy Hartono, FPAS President (right). (Photo courtesy of FPAS)

Financial Alliance Managing Director and Co-founder, Mr Vincent Ee, who collected the Corporate Award on behalf of the company, said, “As Singapore’s largest financial adviser, Financial Alliance has always believed in standing on the clients’ side and offering them sound and impartial financial advice. We naturally support endeavours to raise the standard of the financial advisory industry, and it is wonderful of FPAS to have organised this for practitioners. Our win demonstrates that we have a large number of financial consultants who have the professional skills and ability to craft sound financial plans.”

Apart from Financial Alliance, the Financial Advisory category had finalists selected from 8 other corporate participants. They were PhillipCapital and Unicorn Financial Solutions, who had two finalists each, as well as St. James’s Place, Finexis Advisory, IPP Financial Advisers, PIAS, SingCapital, and Manulife Financial Advisers, who had one finalist each.

AIA won the Corporate Award in the Insurance Category for having 4 out of 8 finalists. The other finalists represented Great Eastern (2 finalists) and Prudential (2). Fielding 15 out of 21 finalists, DBS Bank won the Corporate Award in the Banking Category, which saw other finalists coming from HSBC Bank (4), Citibank (1) and UOB Bank (1).

Guest of Honour Ms Merlyn Ee presented the Corporate Awards.