Meet the new Financial Planner of the Year

Certified financial planner Rudolph Geldenhuys from WealthUp in Durbanville, Western Cape, is the Financial Planning Institute’s (FPI) Financial Planner of the Year for 2024/25. He received the award at the FPI awards ceremony and gala dinner this week at the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town.

This prestigious award represents the pinnacle of recognition in the financial planning industry. The competition is known for its rigorous evaluation process, comprising three rounds that showcase the skills and abilities of the contestants. The two runner-up finalists this year were René van der Spreng, CFP from Apex Private Wealth; and Gareth Collier, CFP from Crue Invest.

Geldenhuys graduated from the University of Stellenbosch with a BCom in 2012. He pursued his education at the University of Stellenbosch Business School, earning a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning in 2014, followed by a Specialised Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning from the University of Free State in 2018, where he achieved top accolades in investment planning and financial planning law. Since 2016, he has been a CFP registered with the FPI and was recently appointed to the FPI’s Western Cape regional committee.

Speaking to Personal Finance, Geldenhuys said he couldn’t be more thrilled.

“I’m absolutely blown away by the outcome. It’s what I planned for when I entered, but half of me didn’t expect to walk away with the award, and I’m very grateful – it’s a wonderful opportunity to help grow our business and have an even greater impact on the lives of our clients.

“We’ve done well, but the whole process has stretched us and forced us to look at a couple of key areas where we can do better. In the coming year, as Financial Planner of the Year, I’m excited to say ‘yes’ to anything and everything that will allow me to grow as an individual, but also to improve the lives of clients and promote the financial planning profession,” he said.

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