This article brings you a bit of a ‘triple act’ in exploring how three members of the We Complement team got into paraplanning. Amy North, Head of Client Accounts tells us how they each came to be where they are and the similarities and differences along the way.
Nobody really plans to become a paraplanner. Most people seem to discover the profession somewhere along the way.
At least, I’ve never met anyone who said: “When I grow up, I’d love to spend my days writing suitability reports and chasing providers for missing information.”
More often it starts somewhere else entirely. A job in administration leads to something more technical. A pensions role edges closer to advice support. One day you realise you’ve become the person people come to when something needs researching, sense-checking, or explaining properly.
And then, somewhere along the way, you realise you actually quite like it.
I’ve been working alongside paraplanners for nearly five years now, and the time has genuinely flown. I didn’t come from a paraplanning background myself, but spending time around people who care deeply about getting the details right has given me a huge appreciation for the role they play in the advice process.
For this article, I spoke to three members of the team at We Complement about how they found their way into paraplanning, what surprised them when they started, and what they would say to someone considering the profession today.
Their journeys are all different, but the themes are surprisingly familiar.
Hannah: From investment administration to paraplanning
Hannah’s route into paraplanning began in investment administration at a discretionary fund manager. Like many people in the profession, it wasn’t something she had originally planned.
“I’d finished my degree and was applying for lots of roles but not hearing much back,” she says. “Then a recruiter found my CV on Indeed and asked if I’d be interested in applying for an admin role. That’s really how I got started.”
Working in investment administration gave Hannah a strong grounding in how portfolios are structured and how investments are implemented in practice. Over time, that experience naturally led her towards the more technical side of the advice process and eventually into paraplanning.
“I did a lot of the provider chasing and background work in my admin role, which is something that still helps now. Being organised and paying attention to detail are probably two of the most useful skills you can bring into paraplanning.”
Now a key member of the team at We Complement, Hannah spends much of her time reviewing investment portfolios and supporting advisers with the implementation and development of centralised investment and retirement propositions. She holds the CISI Level 4 Diploma in Financial Planning and the CISI Level 6 Certificate in Advanced Financial Planning.
For Hannah, one of the most satisfying parts of the role is when everything finally comes together in a well-structured suitability report.
“Sometimes you open a case and think, I’ve got no idea where to start with this, especially if the information is a bit sparse. But once you start working through it and asking the right questions, you get there in the end.”
Her advice for anyone considering paraplanning is to remember that the role can look very different depending on the firm.
“The title ‘paraplanner’ can cover a lot of different responsibilities. The team around you and the training you receive make a big difference. If you’re early in your career and feel like you’re not progressing or learning as much as you’d hoped, it’s worth exploring other opportunities.”
Outside of work, Hannah enjoys life in Somerset with her husband, experimenting with watercolour painting, baking what she describes as “very good triple chocolate brownies”, and unwinding with games like Animal Crossing and Hogwarts Legacy. She’s also a proud owner of guinea pigs.
Claire: From pensions administration to suitability reports
Claire’s journey into paraplanning began in pensions administration, working with occupational money purchase and final salary schemes.
That role involved detailed benefit calculations and technical work, which later proved to be a valuable foundation when she moved into writing suitability reports for an advice firm.
“I completely fell into it,” Claire says. “The company I worked for had a financial advice arm and I gradually moved across into paraplanning.”
For Claire, the role really clicked when she began focusing fully on paraplanning rather than a mix of admin and support work.
“I liked the process of putting all the pieces together to build a solution for the client and then communicating that clearly,” she explains. “I’ve always enjoyed the writing side of the role, probably more than the numbers.”
Her background in pensions, particularly defined benefit schemes, has also proved invaluable.
“It’s an area that can still feel quite complex for many people in financial services, so having that experience has definitely helped when working on certain cases.”
One of the things that surprised her when she first moved into paraplanning was how much reliance advisers sometimes place on the paraplanner’s technical knowledge.
“You do often find yourself sense-checking ideas or challenging assumptions. And sometimes advisers carry a lot of client information in their heads that hasn’t quite made it into the file yet, which can make things a little more interesting.”
Despite the technical complexity, Claire still enjoys the core craft of paraplanning.
“The aim is always to explain the advice clearly so the client understands both the recommendation and the reasoning behind it.”
For anyone considering paraplanning as a career, Claire believes it’s a role that suits people who enjoy problem-solving and building solutions behind the scenes.
“If you enjoy understanding what a client is trying to achieve and helping design the solution, even if you’re not the person delivering the advice, paraplanning can be a really rewarding role.”
Outside of work, Claire and her husband enjoy travelling, particularly to Japan and Southeast Asia. She also enjoys running, weight training, and spending time with their golden Labrador, Summer.
Lucy: From financial administration to paraplanning
Lucy’s route into paraplanning began somewhere quite different from financial services.
After completing a degree in Film and TV Production, her original plan was to work in the creative industries. But practical realities soon came into play.
“I’d moved out of my parents’ house and quickly realised I needed a stable income,” she says. “Work in film and television can be unpredictable, so I decided it would be more sensible to find a regular office job.”
That decision led her into financial administration, where she gained an early understanding of how financial advice works behind the scenes.
Over time, she began to take on more technical work and gradually moved into paraplanning.
“The moment it really clicked for me was when I started getting more involved in report writing,” she explains. “I realised that paraplanning isn’t just about research and technical knowledge. It’s also about being able to explain complex financial concepts in a way clients can understand.”
Lucy says she particularly enjoys the process of carrying out the technical research behind a recommendation and then shaping that work into a clear and structured report.
“There’s a real sense of satisfaction in producing something well thought-through and well written that supports the adviser’s advice.”
Her early experience in financial administration also gave her a broad understanding of the full advice process, from the first client conversations through to implementation.
“Having seen how gaps or inconsistencies in information can create problems later on, I place a lot of importance on making sure the information we’re working from is clear and complete.”
For Lucy, one of the most rewarding aspects of paraplanning is the combination of technical work and collaboration.
“I really enjoy researching the recommendation and working with the adviser to explore different options so we can reach the best outcome for the client.”
She also believes paraplanning deserves more recognition as a career path.
“For a long time, there’s been an assumption that people in financial administration will eventually become advisers. But paraplanning can absolutely be a career in its own right.”
Outside of work, Lucy enjoys travelling, photography and spending time with her dog. She’s also an enthusiastic baker, which she says helps her switch off after a day of technical research and report writing.
A profession many people discover by accident
If there’s one thing that comes through clearly from these conversations, it’s that paraplanning rarely follows a straight path.
People arrive from pensions administration, investment operations, client support roles, and sometimes completely different backgrounds. What keeps them there are the similar combinations of skills: curiosity, attention to detail, and the ability to turn technical recommendations into something clients can genuinely understand.
It might not always be the most visible role in financial planning, but it is certainly one of the most important.
And after spending the last few years working alongside paraplanners, one thing I’ve noticed is that they tend to share a few common traits such as healthy level of perfectionism, a collaborative mindset, and an impressive ability to answer obscure questions during the occasional office quiz.
None of which, funnily enough, are things most people realise when they first fall into the profession.
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