My final year was the most enjoyable time of my education, as my workplace experiences in Brussels enriched my studies through the academic theories. Upon graduation, I decided to further my formal business education before returning to the industry. I enrolled for a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in International Business & Strategy at Aston Business School.
Throughout my M.Sc. studies, I retained my industry connections. My dissertation “Institutional Entrepreneurship in the International Financial Services Sector?” was an IFA Industry case study and achieved a distinction from Aston Business School. I went on to be awarded an M.Sc. with First Class Honours.
Achieving First Class Honours presented an opportunity to study an M.Sc. in Finance at EHDEC Business School in Nice. This experience was both challenging and rewarding. Following my B.Sc. and M.Sc., I attained my Investment Advice Diploma (IAD) from the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investments (CISI) qualifying me to provide Financial Advice to a UK FCA standard. The most transparent advice model available globally. As such, whether UK or non-UK residents, my clients have the comfort of knowing I am qualified to a UK gold standard.
Previous to the FCA’s introduction of RDR, any individual could call themselves ‘a Financial Adviser’. This change in regulation ensured that Financial Advice became a profession. Only those qualified to were able to provide advice. I welcomed this change as it raised the bar of financial planning, and I enjoyed my FCA studies.
I have subsequently also passed my Pension Transfer Specialist (PTS) examination, the examination required for providing Defined Benefit Transfer advice. This was a challenging examination, with few participants enrolling for the examination each year. For me, this is the gold standard that all Cameron James IFAs must reach.
