“Coming into the profession, I thought it was all about the technical expertise, all about the technical knowledge. Having the technically correct answers, knowing everything. But I realised it’s actually more about the human; figuring out what the client wants out of their future because they’re the expert in their lives.”
Rudolph Geldenhuys (pictured), a senior financial planner at WealthUp and this year’s FPI Financial Planner of the Year, shared this and other insights in a recent video interview with Moonstone.
On 13 August, the financial planning community gathered at the Century City Conference Centre for the Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa (FPI) gala dinner, a highlight of the two-day Professional’s Convention. The evening was filled with anticipation as industry leaders celebrated the year’s top achievers.
The most awaited moment of the night was the announcement of the prestigious Financial Planner of the Year award. After a rigorous evaluation process, three standout professionals emerged as finalists: Gareth Collier, director and shareholder at Crue Invest; Rudolph Geldenhuys, senior financial planner at WealthUp; and René van de Spreng, wealth manager and director at Apex Private Wealth.
As the audience created a lively drum roll by tapping on their tables, the winner’s name was announced. When Geldenhuys realised it was his name being called, he described the experience as surreal.
“And in that moment, it was just an overwhelming sense of emotion. And just like the culmination of a whole year’s worth of work.”
Moonstone caught up with Geldenhuys a few days after the event to get his thoughts on several topics. He spoke about his motivation for becoming a financial planner, the importance of understanding your client’s “why”, the implications of the two-pot retirement system, and how recent political changes are shaping investment advice.