Pashley additionally outlined the reasons why she sought to set up this qualification, emphasising the importance of building advisers’ confidence.
“I invested in this idea because I didn’t want any new financial adviser going into the industry to be told via their existing qualification ‘you’re chartered therefore you must know what you’re doing’.
“I feel like this could sometimes lead to people internally feeling like an imposter and thinking ‘I know I’ve got all the qualifications under the sun but I’m not entirely sure what I’m doing’.”
She wanted to make the big academies which are offered by larger companies available to everyone and that the qualification was the best way to do so.
After writing the textbook, Pashley went to the Scottish qualifications authority and told them she wanted to put together her qualification, who agreed and quoted her a price.
“I ended up investing my life’s savings into myself and it paid off, and paid off big,” she said.
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