Katherine Cramsie has been named the national winner of the 2005 Paraplanner of the Year Award, which follows her announcement as the state winner for New South Wales.
According to Australian Unity Investment head of marketing — distribution, and sponsor of the award, Leanne Kyle, Cramsie’s “experience and professionalism really stood out”.
Kyle adds: “But what really caught our attention was her passion for paraplanning — she lives in Bathurst and drives to Sydney every week to continue working at Mercer. She also is active in mentoring other paraplanners and voluntarily works on mentoring programs.”
Cramsie began her career in 1997 while studying a bachelor of business, majoring in accountancy, at the University of Technology, Sydney, during which she was selected for an entry-level paraplanning role at Associated Planners.
She then moved to a role at Mercer Wealth Solutions, which Cramsie says offered a larger team environment that allowed her to discuss and brainstorm strategies with colleagues and work on a broader range of clients and strategies.
Currently, Cramsie is continuing to paraplan for one adviser at Mercer, while also beginning to establish her own client base. She says: “Keen to always improve my skills, not just technical, I also co-present at client seminars.
“Through the seminars we promote client awareness of financial planning issues, and help educate clients to equip them with better knowledge to be able to manage their financial affairs.”
According to Cramsie, one of the most vital aspects of her role is delivering Statements of Advice that are personally tailored to a client’s circumstances.
She says: “I am one of the chief writers of Mercer Wealth Solution’s Statement of Advice templates, which are distributed for use throughout our network of advisers Australia-wide, and I am responsible for ensuring that the templates are kept up-to-date with changes in legislation.
Cramsie has also demonstrated a real dedication to educating other paraplanners entering the profession. She explains: “I am often a point of call for paraplanning queries nationally. Assisting them to develop their skills in areas such as building confidence in face-to-face contact with clients, VisiPlan modelling, dealing with difficult client situations, and developing presentation skills is an enjoyable part of my work.
“Recently, I have been involved in devising a proposed mentoring program for FPA [Financial Planning Association] members to satisfy the experience requirements to achieve CFP designation.”
Ultimately, Cramsie hopes to become a qualified financial adviser.
