Hi Leroy,
I just read your pension question and see that you are also taking your QFA.
Here are some pointers based on my experience.
When I employ a tax consultant I look for a couple of things including qualifications and "bedside manner" but significantly I also look for experience gained in an established practice working with other experienced tax consultants.
My view would be that in order to be successful in tax advice you need around 10 years post qualification experience. Otherwise you run the risk of just completing tax returns and doing capital gains tax calculations for ever.
However, some of the best financial planners I know are not "traditional" financial advisers or bankers. In fact financial planning has very little to do with traditional financial services at all when it is done properly. People dont make financial decisions, they make life decisions that have financial implications. Good planners focus on their clients, not products or the direction of markets.
A good financial planner is more like an architect than a traditional product salesperson and in my view traditional financial services experience can actually be a handicap.
I speak to advisers every day about the "new model" for financial planning and a very high proportion of them either don't get it, or don't believe it .
Yet, next year the UK, India, Australia and Holland are all moving to ban commission payments to a greater or lesser extent for investment products.
Financial Planning is becoming a Profession around the world and if you want to help people to make smart decisions with their money, then I'd have a look at financial planning as a career. If you want to have a chat, feel free to give me a call.