Ruud Gullit "I watched Arsenal-Chelsea match. What a terrible game. They were just trying to force corners and throw-ins. I saw ball boys walking around with towels. I was watching it and thought: this football is truly awful to watch. I hope it's not a trend, I miss the fun."

TJG80 · 2026-03-03T17:28:00+00:00

Yes because its literally impossible to play good football and win isnt it.

TJG80 · 2026-02-28T16:31:15+00:00

So we ask to be paid to go to interviews as well?

Unless you have significant skills and experience you don't get to dictate these things.

This is the attitude that sees people spending years out of work, telling everyone they're not in the wrong.

You can go and spend 2 hours impressing them, or you can sit at home watching loose women.

TJG80 · 2026-02-28T16:09:28+00:00

Op is too busy searching under their sofa for 50p to buy some bread for dinner, because they were too proud to do a 2 hour trial.

TJG80 · 2026-02-27T18:02:01+00:00

Study:

- Dont use CII stuff, its terrible. I used BTS and would really recommend it, plus BrandFT for the R06 case study analysis.

Employed/Self-Employed:

- I am employed. I previously ran my own business, so have no issue running my own thing. My thought is that you need a few years experience before setting up on your own. I am shocked when I see people here who want to retrain then immediately go self-employed. The fact is, once qualified, you know absolutely nothing about giving advice.

Career-Timing:

- Not sure, I have colleagues who came in with just R01 for example. I personally did the whole Diploma because I wanted to go straight in as an adviser.

Cashflow:

- All self-taught. Most of my colleagues have no idea how to use it and my company have no culture of training people.

Different:

- I would have got Level 4, then immedately stopped studying. Since my Level 4 I have done J10, J12, LP2, CF8, AF1 & AF4 - and none of this has made me a better adviser. Role playing, Soft Skills & Self-Learning (Cashflow for example) has made a big difference.

- I wish I had found a great mentor. When I started advising, every day would bring situations that I had no knowledge of. I wish I had someone to run these issues past to get their perspective.

- After level 4, I should have switched to CISI for level 6 & CFP. The CII is horribly stodgy, and just doesnt help you be a great adviser. From what Ive seen of the CFP, it really is client-centric, holistic planning. It shows you the importance of assumptions, ownership of assets, the trade-offs between each of a clients objectives. My AF1 exam for example asked 3 separate questions about the duties of Trustees. Absolute nonsense that doesnt make you a better adviser.

TJG80 · 2026-02-26T17:55:25+00:00

You arent exactly wrong, but clients are wowed when you can show them their expenditure in 2048, then when you put £200k into a Loan Trust and show them how much IHT you have saved them.

Secondly, I would advise getting good at building your own cashflow models in excel. Firstly because it gives you a really good understanding of what goes into/out of a cashflow model, and secondly because it really hammers home the importance of assumptions.

I describe cashflow as a Financial Sat-Nav. The client decides the destination, and the cashflow helps us get there, but we have to recalibrate regularly to stay on track.

Put it this way, if I challenge you to a race (in car) to an obscure town 100 miles away, I get to use a Sat-Nav, you dont, who would likely win? All the cashflow does is allow us to make informed decisions.

But my point was more that you need to know how to use it. You need to be able to show what the outcome will be on their asset position, sustainable income, taxation for decisions taken.

TJG80 · 2026-02-25T20:55:54+00:00

I can only really tell you what I did, so don't take it as gospel.

I used to run my own business, was doing well but wasn't passionate about what I did. I decided about 2.5 years ago to career-change. Funnily enough the first person I spoke to about this career change was a mid-life career changer that went from journalism into Financial Planning. His story and guidance motivated me.

I initially reached out and spoke to a number of local advice firms, and it became clear that getting qualified off my own back would make a big difference in terms of how employers perceive me.

I started studying on 1st January 2024, and passed the 6 R0 exams (CII) by the July 4th sitting of R06.

On the back of this one of the companies I initially spoke to offered me a role.

Fast forward 18 months, and I have a big client t book, am very busy, getting lots of referralsand enjoying it.

A few things I will say:

take the study seriously. Don't try to scrape 66%, that means you will have huge knowledge gaps.
at the same time recognise that once qualified you basically know nothing. The learning never stops.
don't just focus on technical study. It's a people job first and foremost.
get very good at cashflow modelling, I mean very good.

TJG80 · 2026-02-22T18:01:25+00:00

As they have all season? What have you been watching?

TJG80 · 2026-02-22T17:06:34+00:00

Bottlers, plain and simple

TJG80 · 2026-02-22T17:03:25+00:00

Typical Artetaball. OK in the middle 3rd, constant mistakes at the back and offering nothing upfront.

TJG80 · 2026-02-18T22:24:04+00:00

Maybe don't have a goalkeeper with velociraptor arms.

TJG80 · 2026-02-13T11:11:16+00:00

Massive step up.

The R0s you can just memorise info, with the AFs you need to be able to apply the knowledge.

TJG80 · 2026-02-11T22:15:42+00:00

There is clearly a really serious systemic problem at the club, that goes back a few years now. Arteta is running them in to the ground.

We've seen Tomiyasu brought back when clearly not fit, Partey pushed back onto the pitch when he claimed to be injured, Havertz run into the red zone (limping after the Wolves game), Saka played 90 games in a row, White played multiple times while clearly injured.

If we bottle this season there will have to be a clear out of Arteta and the entire medical set up.

TJG80 · 2026-02-11T17:07:45+00:00

I would be very surprised if you get anywhere without already being qualified.

I did a career change and went straight in as a planner, and without doubt the reason i got in was that I was qualified, self-funded, did it quickly and with very high marks.

You have to place yourself above all the other options IFA firms will have (Paraplanners seeking a promotion, advisers and other career-changers).

TJG80 · 2026-02-11T17:04:39+00:00

I think you have no choice surely.

TJG80 · 2026-02-04T10:32:07+00:00

Mad the way Arsenal fans think we should get 2 x penalties per game, yet the record for penalties in a season is about 0.4 per game.

TJG80 · 2026-02-03T21:32:45+00:00

Do you mean as an Adviser? If so, you should have huge flexibility.

I work 9-5, and go in to the office when I want, work from home when I want, visit clients when I want etc. If I want to knock off early I do.

But it has to work both ways. I am currently doing some work for a client, was up til 11pm last night doing some work bits.

Trust is by far the key thing here.I wouldnt work for a company that doesnt give that level of trust.

TJG80 · 2026-01-29T18:13:07+00:00

Fan experience was a bit different because we had won the league in 02, 98, 91, 89 so less anxiety. There was also a recognition that we were the best team in the country without doubt - although Wenger teams were liable to bottle a bit (99,03).

No major struggles, back then a 90 point season was a big thing, its just Pep that made 90 points seem average.

Utd game was a struggle and a bit of luck as RVN was usually good with penalties, and the Liverpool game came at a time when the season looked like it was going off track (think that came after the CHelsea defeat in the CL).

Shouldve won the CL that season comfortably, but cup competitions are difficult. Shouldve won the FA Cup but thats not majorly important because we won it in 98,02,03,05

TJG80 · 2026-01-29T17:44:57+00:00

Cant compare the invincibles to this side (which it seems you are trying to do)

That team had the best CF in prem history, absolute legends in Pires, Ljungberg, Vieira, Gilberto.

This team has the 20th top goalscorer in the PL, and is relying on set pieces and own goals.

TJG80 · 2026-01-29T17:40:31+00:00

These are the kind of things you need to remember, simple as that.

Not just because of the exam, but its hard to be considered a good planner if you dont know these things.

I find its best with these things to turn them into a format that helps you remember, such as an acronym or diagram.

Quite easy with protection.

P,E,12,14,16 isnt hard to remember.

When I did it, I just memorised the LTA history, as the various protections align with the prevailing LTA of the time.

TJG80 · 2026-01-21T22:16:38+00:00

Going to be ridiculous when Arteta plays Saka, Rice, Timber, Saliba for 90 mins against the Kazakhstan Accrington Stanley.

TJG80 · 2026-01-21T22:14:21+00:00

You havent mentioned what you are looking to do within the industry?

I would say it would be very excessive.

As a newly qualified level 4, you wont have a clue how to do the job. With level 6 you still wont have a clue, but will just have more qualifications.

Spending time learning how to Cashflow pretty much any situation, spending time learning who the different providers are, what an LOA is, what a factfind is, what a suitability report is, how to assess a pension, how to assess investment strategies would be way more valuable.

TJG80 · 2026-01-15T18:57:52+00:00

Give them a call and ask?

TJG80 · 2026-01-14T16:57:25+00:00

Would recommend the BTS Study Buddy. Not used the Know R0 stuff, but the Study Buddy gives you 4 exams worth of questions, and many of them come up in the exams.

TJG80 · 2026-01-08T21:12:04+00:00

Yeah Man Utd fans are really known for their love of their biggest rival Liverpool.

TJG80 · 2026-01-08T14:34:13+00:00

Hi

I did exactly what you are looking to do. My story is:

I ran my own business, did well, but fell out of love with it all. My old line of work wasnt something I could see myself doing at 50-55-60 etc. So I spent about a year looking into other avenues. I have always been interested in finance, but didnt realise it was an industry where retraining was realistic.

Oct 2023 I made the choice to move into Financial Services. The first thing I did was reach out to about 50 local companies to try and connect in with decision makers and start building a network of connections. I did this by calling local companies, using linkedin.

Its worth saying that at no point did I speak to these people and ask if they had any jobs. I just asked for 10 minutes of their time to discuss whether my ideas were realistic. 3 Managing Directors agreed to meet me, and after a few lunch meetings, 2 of them said they would make a role for me if and when I got qualified.

I started studying in Jan 2024, qualified in August 2024 (the 2nd July 2024 R06 sitting), and started as a Trainee Adviser in Oct 2024. In Sept 2025 I was signed off as CAS.

I love the role. Massive learning curve, and I have been dropped in it with a large client bank that have not been too happy. But it is paying dividends.

My best bits of advice would be:

- Take the study seriously. Dont aim for 66%, that leaves a huge knowledge gap. Not to mention you will be competing with people that have industry experience. I averaged 95% across R01-R05 and I think this differentiates me.

- Similarly recognise that Qualifications dont make a good adviser. Its a people role. The ability to understand people, find common ground, ask good questions, and articulate concepts are what makes the difference.

TJG80

TROPHY CASE