Diary of a wannabe adviser: week two

Lewis Benson is the new blood everyone keeps saying the advice space needs. He is 20, a degree student, and he really wants to be an independent financial adviser. Follow Lewis on his journey from wannabe to winner on IFAonline.co.uk...

Week two:

Lewis is a member of the Aviva Future Adviser Academy.

"After our first day it was straight down to business learning not just about Aviva but about issues around the National Employee Savings Trust (NEST) and auto-enrolment.

Now seems a great opportunity to talk to employers about NEST, as in time everyone that employs someone is going to have to take action on this.

I also learnt about the world of annuities; there are so many options to consider. Initially I thought an escalating annuity was the one to go for but it seems to take ages for the income to catch up with one that does not escalate.

"We also had an interesting session looking at different types of risk profile questionnaires and the initial documents advisers use with clients. It was strange to see so many different versions and styles; I had expected a standard approach but this wasn’t the case.

"Our presentation skills workshop was amusing, though we weren’t laughing when we were given a group task to prepare a presentation on NEST. We got useful feedback though and I learnt a lot.

"Next week I am off to Croydon to spend time at one of Aviva’s regional offices. I’m looking forward to seeing all the theory I have learnt being used in the real world."

Read Diary of a wannabe adviser: week one HERE