PlanPlus has announced the winners of its annual financial planning competition.

Earlier this year, PlanPlus invited financial planners to submit a copy of a comprehensive plan that they had prepared and presented to a real client. The competition was open to all Canadian financial advisors who were members in good standing with a financial planning association or other professional body and who hold a recognized professional designation. Their submissions were judged by a panel of five experts according to the quality and breadth of their recommendations and how well they addressed the clients' best interests.

Winners advance to the finals

The winner of the PlanPlus Canada National Financial Planning Awards is Conrad Toner, an advisor with True North Retirement Counsel. The second and third place entries were both from advisors affiliated with Investment Planning Counsel: the first runner up was Allan Norman of Atlantis Financial, while the second runner up was Jason Pereira of Woodgate Financial. The winners automatically advance to the finals of the PlanPlus Global Financial Planning Awards for the Americas region.

The announcement was made at the Canadian Institute of Financial Planners' (CIFPs) annual congress in Orlando, Florida on May 24. "There are many great financial planners in Canada who help solve the financial problems of their clients every day," commented CIFPs president and CEO Keith Costello. "Unfortunately the media focus is too often on investments or products and not the value of financial planning advice. We are proud to be a founding sponsor for a competition that focuses solely on financial planning excellence."