James Long
St Andrews,Bristol
Summary
Holds the CII Level 4 Diploma in Financial Planning, demonstrating knowledge in Financial Services & Ethics; Investment Principles and Risk; Personal Taxation; Pensions & Retirement Planning; Financial Protection and Financial Planning Practice. Maintains a keen interest in the economy and financial markets, staying informed through industry news and professional development resources such as FT Adviser Industry News and Chartered Insurance Institute publications. Possesses strong analytical skills with proficiency in spreadsheets, ensuring meticulous attention to detail. Adept at synthesising complex information into concise key points, suitable for data entry within a client management system at a Financial Planning Firm. Career goals include advancing within the financial planning sector while contributing to informed decision-making processes. Motivated and detail-orientated individual with desire to gain work experience and learn from administrative team. Applies methodical, problem-solving approach to challenging tasks. Learns quickly and offers strong digital skills.
Overview
2
2
years of professional experience
14
14
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certificate
Work history
File Review Administrator
Hays
Bristol
2008.10 - 2009.03
- Assisted in retrieving client files from Boxklever and searching client database.
- Printed work front sheets and submitted them to file skimmer for processing.
- Updated data collection spreadsheets with information from skimmed work fronts.
- Maintained outstanding file queries spreadsheet with email information and completed cases.
- Prepared Boxklever files for return and updated file tracking spreadsheet.
- Organised filing for all completed transfer and drawdown work fronts.
- Downloaded requested client files from Thinc's FTP site for review.
- Filed all completed cases after full review.
- Enhanced team productivity for better project completion rates through effective schedule management.
Purchase Order Clerk
Hays
Bristol
2007.12 - 2008.08
- Entered all purchase orders promptly and resolved queries effectively.
- Date entry of sales invoices to enable inter-company payment.
- Organised filing system for all purchase orders efficiently.
Policy Servicing and Pensions Administration
Hays
Bristol
2007.01 - 2007.11
- Sorted and issued renewal packs on daily basis clearing months of backlogs.
- Sent customer requests for current valuations, backdated valuations, transfer values, and paid-up projections to retirement.
- Split work into partially insured and fully insured schemes for filing.
- Assisted with migration of data on accredited system due to department move.
- Collected clients' names and addresses from customer knowledge database.
- Entered quotes for immediate and secured lifetime care products onto computer.
- Processed quotes returned from underwriter, calculated premiums, and sent these to clients via email, post, and fax.
- Handled requests from clients by phone and communicated regarding any missing or incorrect information on quote request form.
Education
Advanced Level Diploma Units - Personal Finance
Chartered Insurance Institute
London 2011.04 - 2011.07
Diploma in Financial Planning - Personal Finance
Chartered Insurance Institute
London 2009.07 - 2010.06
Certificate in Financial Planning - Personal Finance
Chartered Insurance Institute
London 2007.01 - 2008.09
Certificate in Mortgage Advice - Personal Finance
Chartered Insurance Institute
London 2008.08 - 2008.11
Certificate in Equity Release - Personal Finance
Chartered Insurance Institute
London 2008.08 - 2009.03
Certificate in Financial Planning & Long Term Care - Personal Finance
Chartered Insurance Institute
London 2010.05 - 2010.06
BSc Economics and Business Finance - Economics
Brunel University London
Uxbridge 1993.10 - 1997.06
GCSEs - General Secondary Education
Millfield School
Street, Somerset 1988.09 - 1993.07
A-Levels -
Millfield
Street, Somerset 1991.09 - 1993.06
Skills
- Qualified to CII Level 4 Diploma in Financial Planning with specific technical knowledge in Pension Income Options; Financial Services, Regulation and Ethics; Investment Principles and Risk; Personal Taxation, Pensions and Retirement Planning, Financial Protection and Financial Planning Practice
- Kept up to date with FT Adviser Industry News and it's Continued Professional Development articles; Personal Financial Professional magazine; Personal Finance Solutions Radio and Podcasts; Personal Finance Solutions Power Webinars; Chartered Insurance Institute's Knowledge and Public Policy Affairs; CII's Learning Contents Hub and Personal Finance Society's Bi-monthly Technical News Bulletin
- Keen interest in economics and financial markets
- Good with numbers and spreadsheets with attention to detail and finisher
- Ability to look at large amounts of information and condense down into key points
- Typing skills for data entry for client management system within Financial Planning Firm would be suitable
Affiliations
- Cycling and enjoying Bristol's Green spaces
- Current Affairs
Certification
City and Guilds: Word for Windows; Excel and Access Level 1 & 2
Anchor Bible Training Centre Years 1 and 2.
Typing Course taken and passed in 6th Form at School.
Accomplishments
School Economics Prize
Timeline
Advanced Level Diploma Units - Personal Finance
Chartered Insurance Institute
2011.04 - 2011.07
Certificate in Financial Planning & Long Term Care - Personal Finance
Chartered Insurance Institute
2010.05 - 2010.06
Diploma in Financial Planning - Personal Finance
Chartered Insurance Institute
2009.07 - 2010.06
File Review Administrator
Hays
2008.10 - 2009.03
Certificate in Mortgage Advice - Personal Finance
Chartered Insurance Institute
2008.08 - 2008.11
Certificate in Equity Release - Personal Finance
Chartered Insurance Institute
2008.08 - 2009.03
Purchase Order Clerk
Hays
2007.12 - 2008.08
Certificate in Financial Planning - Personal Finance
Chartered Insurance Institute
2007.01 - 2008.09
Policy Servicing and Pensions Administration
Hays
2007.01 - 2007.11
BSc Economics and Business Finance - Economics
Brunel University London
1993.10 - 1997.06
A-Levels -
Millfield
1991.09 - 1993.06
GCSEs - General Secondary Education
Millfield School
1988.09 - 1993.07
Development and Learning since April 2009
- Chartered Insurance Institute of London Lectures from 1st November 2011 to 9th December 2025.
- CII's Learning, Learning Contents Hub from 4th February 2014 to 4th February 2026.
- Chartered Insurance Institute CPD Essentials from 13th November 2014 to 24th May 2015.
- CII Knowledge and Public Policy Affairs from 1st September 2015 to 4th February 2026.
- CII CPD Essential News for June 2015 to November 2015 and June to August 2016.
- Comprehensive study of 33 Insurance Companies; Fund Managers; Asset Managers; Life Assurance and Pension Companies and their individual products and services during the period 25th May 2015 to 21st January 2017. A list of 183 Life and Pension companies in the Bristol area was also made.
- My Personal Finance Solutions News for 12th August 2015 to 20th October 2025.
- My PFS Technical News Bi-monthly for 1st January to 31st December 2016.
- Mortgage Market Review from 1st January 2016 to 31st December 2017.
- Protection Market Review from 1st January to 31st December 2017.
- Personal Finance Society News update/My PFS Technical News Bi-monthly from January 2017 to 31st December 2017.
- Comprehensive study of the DWP benefit system on gov.uk and Bristol City Council Benefits and Housing Section during March and April 2017.
- Study of Armed Services Pension Schemes; Teachers Pension Scheme and NHS Pension Schemes during May to June 2017.
- Study of the Pension Regulator/Business Advisors/Automatic enrolment and Nest and their respective pension company providers during17th June 2017 to 16th Oct 2017.
- Personal Finance Professional Magazine from Autumn 2018 to Autumn 2025 (except Summer 2025).
- RO7 Advanced Mortgage Advice text book finished reading on 24th May 2019.
- AF8 Retirement Income Planning text book read for the period 25th May 2019 to 10th
- June 2019.
- AF6 Senior Management & Supervision text book read for the period 12th June to 24th June 2019.
- AF7 Pension Transfer text book read 25th June to 18th July 2019.
- Financial Times Adviser Continued Professional Development Articles from 7th November 2019 to 3rd February 2026.
- News and Insight, News, Chartered Insurance Institute from 6th January 2020 to 4th July 2021.
- Personal Finance Solutions Power Webinars from 12th February 2020 to 30th January 2026.
- Personal Finance Solutions Radio/Personal Finance Solutions Podcast from 3rd February 2021 to 30th October 2025.
- Technical Connection from 19th May 2020 to 20th October 2025.
- Financial Times Adviser News Articles from 19th February 2021 to 19th May 2024; 1st June 2024 to 12th December 2025 and 30th December 2025 to 2nd February 2026.
- Personal Finance Society Power Website from 12th February 2020 to 30th January 2026.
- Personal Finance Society: What's new bulletin from 17th November 2022 to 20th October 2025.