With a natural instinct for managing money, Duncan Fernie found himself drawn to the world of finance long before he realised it could be a career. We sat down with him to hear more about his path into the profession, what drives him, and what excites him most about the future of financial planning.

Duncan, what led you to become a financial planner?

There was never a desire to be a financial planner to begin with, however, I was naturally good with money. I knew I wanted to live in St Andrews, my hometown, and therefore would have to save hard for a deposit for my first home. During my time at university, I also worked a full-time job and somehow managed to cobble together a deposit for a one-bedroom flat in an ideal spot. I researched how to make money grow and started contributing to regular savers and investments from an early age (when the bank used to offer that). After graduating from university, I handed my CV in to local banks and picked up a job at Abbey National (now Santander). I was surprised to find out that planning people’s finances was a real and solid career. It seemed logical to explore this as a career as I’d already been studying it for myself.

If you weren’t a financial planner, what career might you have pursued?

In reality, I would have probably ended up being a teacher or lecturer. Although, I do dream of becoming a songwriter!

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

I enjoy being able to help people. I find the moment a client reveals they trust you and that they know you’re on their side to be a massive reward.

How do you unwind after a busy week?

I struggle to unwind! Typically, I play piano to de-stress or take the kids out to play golf or football (not sure if that is unwinding or more distracting).

What are you excited about in the future of financial planning?

Technology excites me; I feel our industry has been trapped in the 80s for a long time. The changes AI is bringing, together with the increasing diversity of advisers, should only improve the quality of financial advice we can give and assist people that cannot afford advice. Financial planning is not just for the wealthy; the majority of people start with little. I hope the good in technology will assist millions more in achieving financial freedom.

What's the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

My gran used to say, “The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it.” .

You recently gained your Chartered Financial Planner status. Can you tell us a bit about what gaining this qualification means to you?

There’s a sense of achievement that comes from gaining chartered status. I never thought I would be sitting exams at age 37. During the process, I got married and had two kids. Balancing life and work was more complicated than I’d anticipated. Reflecting on this, if I knew financial planning was a career path when I was at school or university, I would have joined the industry immediately and would have become chartered whilst I had fewer commitments.

I think it shows resilience and determination to improve as a person with something you’re passionate about. By achieving these qualifications and continually growing my knowledge, I hope to provide the very best outcomes for my clients while assisting colleagues and new advisers starting their careers.