Conrad Toner of True North Retirement Counsel in Peterborough, Ontario, and Hyder Hassan from the Canadian Western Bank in Calgary, Alberta, were both named as first runners-up at the PlanPlus 2016 Global Financial Planning Awards.

While the American financial planner Rose Swanger was the overall winner or the Americas region in the recent PlanPlus 2016 Global Financial Planning Awards, the organizers say the competition was so close that they decided to name the two Canadians as joint runners-up.

The contest was open to advisors who hold a recognized professional designation and who are members in good standing of a financial planning association or other professional body. Advisors submitted plans they had drawn up for clients, which were then ranked by an expert panel according to the "actions, creativity, and professionalism" that they demonstrated in helping people meet their goals and objectives.

In this year's competition, there were national competitions in Canada, Germany, Singapore and Malaysia, and the top three candidates in each group moved on to compete in the global awards finals.

“Having recently won the Canadian Financial Planning Award competition I never imagined that I would make it so far in the Global Awards”, said Toner. “Ending up as a 1st runner up is an awesome feeling! Having a chance to be questioned by the judges was a great experience and for me validated that I’m on the right path with my planning approach”.

“A special thank you to my mentors, external partners, and the leaders at CWB Wealth Management for their support in innovating and implementing a world-class financial planning process that aligns with today’s best practices and helps our clients achieve financial success," added Hassan.