March 2022 signified an important shift for 2plan as we welcomed more than 250 advisers and firm representatives to our National Conference - the first ‘in person’ full company gathering since 2019. Hosted at The Vox - Birmingham's cutting edge conference centre - we presented a full day of talks, industry discussions, and networking alongside our annual awards.

Across the day the 2plan team presented updates on company developments and enhancements, alongside presentations from Omnis Investments, Openwork, and Fundhouse, within an overall theme of Together Towards Tomorrow setting the positive tone for the day.

James Marshall, Head Of Business Growth And Recruitment at 2plan said: “We’ve gone through such a period of change and as a company we’ve adapted well. Now we are emerging from a largely online world and getting back to an element of normality, we’re finding we are not only working smarter but we are being more effective in how we support our advisers and firms and in what we can enable them to do in their own work.”

As part of the day’s content 2plan gave an overview on how profits are being reinvested to further enhance IT and improve security of data to ensure everyone working across, with and within the company is as effective and compliant as they can possibly be. In addition, it was revealed that advisers and firms will soon have access to a new professional marketing suite of materials to enable them to extend the reach of their businesses with a consistent brand and a set of clear messages to both engage new customers and build deeper relationships with an existing clientbase.

An update was also given on the measures being taken to ensure that advisers and firms are well-placed to deliver above and beyond with regards the new FCA Consumer Duty, set to be rolled out across the industry over the coming months. The new duty seeks to ensure financial advisers provide consumers with information they can understand, offer products and services that are fit for purpose, and provide helpful customer service. 2plan has always placed duty of care and client needs at the forefront and will be working with advisers and firms to reinforce processes and continue to lead best practice in this area.

2plan CEO Chris Smallwood added: “Despite the obvious challenges over the past two years, performance at 2plan is good with strong ongoing recruitment and increasing annual profits. We are a forward-thinking company, committed to evolving alongside the world around us and we never rest on our laurels. Every 3 months we ask advisers for feedback and we react to what they tell us. We never want to stand still. Our aim is to make sure that we and all those who work with us have all they need to be the best they can be at any given time.”

Ultimately the 2022 National Conference delivered the message that 2plan seeks to empower advisers and firms to ‘be what they want to be’ and to ‘dance to their own tune’. Part of the 2plan appeal is the fact we are small enough to offer a personal touch and individual support, but large enough to offer a fully comprehensive and impressive package to rival all others in the wealth management arena. The culture at 2plan reflects this, and many advisers attribute their satisfaction with 2plan being thanks to a friendly environment and one that isn’t as ‘cold and corporate’ as many firms working in the same business arena. This is clear to see through the number of advisers that join 2plan after being with another wealth management network.

James Marshall adds: “It’s a really interesting time for financial services and as we look back on the last two years with a sense of pride in what we’ve achieved, we also can look forward with a sense of excitement. We’ve had another strong year, we’re announcing new recruits all the time, and we’ve noticed some really interesting shifts - over the last year we’ve recruited more women than before and we’ve got more younger people coming through now. It’s really great to see the demographics changing in this way, as it can only be a great thing for the resilience of the industry. The future for financial services certainly looks bright from 2plan right now.”