On Thursday 7th October Mary Hemingway, an Independent Financial Adviser with Truly Independent, was awarded the title of Financial Adviser of the Year- Scotland and NI at the prestigious Women in Financial Advice Awards held in the City of London.
This is the 4th year the awards has been held and it aims to promote Financial Advice as a profession for Women, who currently only make up around 14% of Advisers nationally. Indeed, Mary is one of only a couple of female IFAs in the Scottish Borders, an imbalance she is determined to correct, “Women don’t become financial advisers because it isn’t a visible profession to young people, most advisers I know fell into it by accident but with the average age of adviser now 57 there is a desperate need for more young people, Women especially!”
The judging panel at Professional Adviser praised Mary for hitting the ground running in her Coldstream based IFA practice, which is part of national advice firm Truly Independent, whilst juggling being a new mum and the challenges of Covid. Mary credits her success over the last couple of years to a strong entrepreneurial streak and prides herself on always being friendly and accessible to clients and other professionals. “Financial Advice isn’t just for rich people! My clients are all normal, hardworking families in the Scottish Borders that value an easy to understand, honest approach to help plan their financial futures”.
This prestigious win comes on the back of a highly decorated year for Mary who was named the Unbiased Financial Adviser of the Year 2020, and also the Prestige Financial Adviser of the Year in North England 2021. In November her tenure as a Director of the Scottish Borders Chamber of Commerce will come to an end and she plans to dedicate extra energy to ensuring the profession she loves is accessible and open to more people across the Scottish Borders.