Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Professionals Show Strength in Industry Awards

October 24, 2002, Toronto - Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®) professionals continue to earn their place in the winner's circle of two industry award programs. CFP professionals dominated the fourth annual Advisor of the Year Awards, announced this week, with three of the five regional award winners holding CFP designations. All five of those earning honourable mentions are also CFP professionals. This is the fourth consecutive year that CFP professionals have been honoured in this program.

Earlier this month, The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc., (CFP Board), Denver, announced the recipients of its 2002 Article Awards and honoured Jim Otar, a CFP designated planner from Ontario, for his authorship on a three-part series of financial planning articles. Otar now holds the double distinction of being the first to receive the award in two consecutive years and the first non-American recipient ever. The CFP Board is the owner of the CFP certification marks worldwide.

"Once again, professionals holding the CFP designation show their strength in various facets of our industry. We congratulate them all and acknowledge their contribution in raising the standards within the financial planning profession," says Don Johnston, president of Financial Planners Standards Council (FPSC).

The Advisor of the Year Awards, created by Advisor's Edge, Advisor.ca and Objectif Conseiller, honours Canada's most outstanding financial advisors for professionalism and dedication in serving the needs of their clients. To be considered for the award, advisors submit real-life case studies, outlining a client's financial situation and the solution provided.

"These awards are not about simply honouring investment performance. They are about making a contribution and difference in people's lives. These professionals are being recognized just as 1536 individuals are preparing to take the CFP exam in November. Those who voluntarily pursue the CFP designation know it marks the highest standard of professionalism in the financial planning industry and these awards are one of many ways in which this excellence shows up," adds Johnston.

2002 Winners of the fourth annual Advisor of the Year Awards:
* Biographies of CFP finalists will be posted in the media section of the FPSC website at www.cfp-ca.org.

Ontario Region: Lance Howard, CFP, CLU, and Patrick Keyes, BA Hons., of The Lance Howard Group, Cartier Partners, London, Ontario.

British Columbia/Territories Region: Malcolm Ross, CFP, of Invest-A-Flex Financial Strategies, IPC, Vancouver, B.C.

Prairies Region: David Christianson, CFP, R.F.P., TEP, of Wellington West Total Wealth Management, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Atlantic Region: David Morgan, FMA, of CIBC Wood Gundy, Saint John/Moncton, New Brunswick.

Quebec Region: Christian Boucher, F.Pl., of inExtenso, Cartier Partners Quebec City, Quebec.

Advisor Awards Honourable Mentions:

Mary Thorpe, CFP, of Cartier Partners in Burlington, Ontario.

Ralph Zielsdorf, CFP, CLU, of Zielsdorf Financial, Assante in Calgary, Alberta.

Sandra Mews, CFP, of Cartier Partners in Sudbury, Ontario.

Sheila Munch, CFP, of Page and Associates in Oshawa, Ontario.

Timothy R. Paziuk, CFP, CLU, CH.F.C., of TPC Financial in Victoria, B.C.

Financial Planners Standards Council is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to benefiting and protecting the Canadian consumer by establishing and enforcing education, examination, experience and ethics requirements for financial planners who choose to earn the CFP designation. There are currently more than 14,000 planners licensed to use the CFP marks in Canada, and approximately 72, 000 CFP professionals in 17 countries around the world. See www.cfp-ca.org for further information.

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Media contact:
Eileen Chadnick/Chadnick Communications 416.631.7437 or eileen@chadnick.com