Join the IFW

We are a non-profit membership organisation working towards shifting the focus of the finance services industry away from selling products and towards the discovery and understanding of what clients actually want from their money by providing a forum for learning, sharing and growing.

You can read our Mission and Vision here.

The Institute for Financial Wellbeing, or IFW for short, is open to all who wish to better understand their relationship with money and works with members of the financial advice, financial planning and financial coaching community who want to improve their client’s financial wellbeing by helping them become happier and more fulfilled, not just wealthier.

As part of our membership communications, our Community space is an interactive place where our members can share ideas, ask questions, network and gain more financial wellbeing knowledge. Here’s a handy handy guide on how to use it.

Already a member? Visit your IFW community.

Visit your IFW membership resources portal.

The Portal is where you will find recordings of previous Wellbeing Cafes and Roundtable discussions, as well as financial wellbeing tips and other resources and recommendations.

Find the right membership for you:

Individual Member

You might be an Independent Financial Adviser, a Financial Planner, a Financial Coach, a Para-Planner, or anyone interested in Financial Wellbeing.

The benefits of IFW membership include:

  • A meeting place to explore and promote financial wellbeing

In addition, you will receive:

  • Unlimited access to our membership portal of curated and bespoke financial wellbeing resources
  • Paid access to accredited learning programmes
  • Unlimited access to our members-only online community
  • Free access to bespoke financial wellbeing research white papers
  • Free access to monthly Roundtable discussions, Wellbeing CafĂ© lunch and learns and learning discussions at the Forum for Coaches & Planners
  • Special member prices on IFW Conference tickets and external training opportunities
  • The opportunity to share learning and experiences and be part of the community that’s creating positive change across the finance industry.

The cost is just ÂŁ15 plus VAT per month.

To join the IFW, click here.

Why become a member?

The focus of the IFW is helping people to take control of their lives and create peace of mind around their finances. That’s what I do for a living, so why would I not join in with likeminded people? I love the wide range of disciplines and ideas that we access to help us be better at what we do. The IFW provides access to different ideas and ways of communicating with and helping our clients.” Nicholas Lee, Making Sense of Money

“The Institute for Financial Wellbeing brings together a great group of people at the forefront of changing people’s relationship with their money.” Ian Kemp, Serenity Financial Planning

“The IFW offers a great community and events, bringing a useful, effective and much needed element to our offering, The consideration of wellbeing in relation to serving financial planning clients can turn what is already an amazing career into a calling.” Emily Pool, Happy Planet Financial Planning

Read the IFW Membership document here.


Partner Member

It is our intention to develop a tiered structure for Partner Members, based upon the chosen level of engagement, balanced against the level of contribution, as described below.

The basic package that a Partner Member is offered is:

  • The IFW Partner Member logo to use on your website and emails
  • Visibility on the IFW website
  • Ability to participate in Regional meetings
  • Access to research findings

From there as a Partner you may choose those activities that you wish to engage with and a bespoke package is developed and a contribution agreed upon, such as:

  • The ability to fund and engage with research projects
  • To deliver co-branded IFW content/webinars
  • Survey IFW members
  • Exhibit and sponsor at IFW conference
  • Access to IFW learning programmes
  • Speak at the IFW conference
  • Consultancy on product development or embedding financial wellbeing in your business
  • Deliver workplace wellbeing workshops
  • Participate in the development of new financial planning tools
  • Opportunities to support IFW e.g. provide meeting space for regional meetings
  • Produce co-branded blogs and content
  • Develop co-marketing communications plan.

Please get in touch with us to discuss what you want from your membership, and we will tailor a package to suit you. Learn more

To view IFW Partner Members please click here.


Corporate Member

We appreciate that larger advice firms may prefer to offer membership of the IFW to their employees. This may also include other opportunities of working with the IFW, for example, joint research projects.

Get in touch, and we’d be happy to discuss this with you.

All our members receive:

  • Unlimited access to our membership portal of curated and bespoke financial wellbeing resources
  • Paid access to accredited learning programmes
  • Unlimited access to our members-only online community
  • Free access to bespoke financial wellbeing research white papers
  • Free access to monthly Roundtable discussions, Wellbeing CafĂ© lunch and learns and learning discussions at the Forum for Coaches & Planners
  • Special member prices on IFW Conference tickets and external training opportunities
  • The opportunity to share learning and experiences and be part of the community that’s creating positive change across the finance industry.

In addition, Corporate membership benefits include the following:

  • The IFW Corporate Member logo to use on your website and emails
  • Opportunities to get involved with bespoke financial wellbeing research including option to influence and fund or co-fund the research paths we select
  • A monthly Corporate-only newsletter on upcoming IFW events
  • The option to take part in quarterly update sessions to track progress and engagement (let us know if there’s anything you’d like to us to share with IFW members). One of these will be a group session where you have a chance to meet and network with other corporate members
  • Visibility on the IFW website as a company at the forefront of financial planning, including your company logo and bio
  • Discounts on IFW Conference tickets for you and your employees
  • Discounts on financial wellbeing training for you and your employees, including on the Financial Wellbeing Certificate course.

View the IFW’s Corporate Members.

Download the IFW’s Corporate Membership brochure.

 

 


Accredited Practice Member

The IFW has a wealth of content from presentations to podcasts to articles that highlight and explain the what and how of Financial Wellbeing. If your organisation would like the opportunity to access IFW branded content for your own delivery and to display the IFW logo, then the Accredited Practice membership could be for you.

The benefits of membership include:

  • Access to IFW workplace wellbeing workshops on a per use or agreed usage basis
  • The IFW Accredited Practice Member logo to use on your website and email
  • Listed as Accredited Practice Member on IFW website

Accredited Practice Members will be required to pass the IFW audit; see details here.

It is a prerequisite that at least 50% of the regulated advisers and paraplanners within the firm that successfully completes the IFW Audit / IFW Accreditation process will become members of the IFW before the award is granted.


Research Member

IFW research members are Universities and academic institutions. Joining as a research member provides you with:

  • The ability to take part in & deliver research
  • Access to National & regional speaking opportunities
  • Access to research announcements
  • The ability to exhibit Nationally & regionally
  • Access to member survey data
  • The opportunity to place content in the IFW monthly newsletter
  • A listing as Research Partner on IFW website / Ability to use IFW logo.

To view IFW Research Members please click here.


Associate Member

In the interest of supporting and achieving our mission and vision, the Institute of Financial Wellbeing collaborates with organisations actively working towards active positive changes in the UK’s financial services industry and across financial education generally.

Associate Membership of the Institute is a no-cost affiliation, open to non-profit and charitable organisations with an interest in the topic of money and wellbeing, and who offer education and support services to those in need.

Please contact members@ifw.org.uk for further information.

The IFW’s Mission

Our purpose is to educate, empower and support people of all ages in every community to feel safe  and confident around money by creating a space for conversation, collaboration and positive change.

The IFW’s Vision

To have been instrumental in ensuring every adult and child has access to a financial wellbeing pathway by 2030.



Principles by which Partner Members must abide

We want Membership of the IFW to mean something. A company accepted as a Member of the IFW should be seen as a company which is committed to making wellbeing integral to their business. We therefore want firms who actively promote wellbeing both internally and externally.

We also want firms who aspire to this. We want firms who might teach us a thing or two about wellbeing, as well as those who are willing to learn.

In order to become a Member therefore, a firm must explain how financial wellbeing aligns with their brand values. Then they must prove it.

We will provide a series of questions and tests for a firm to complete. This methodology (designed by wellbeing measurement experts Happy City) is published on our website here.

Firms who pass this assessment will then be invited to join as a Partner Member or Associate Member.

IFW Audit Review

For those firms who wish to use IFW content for their own delivery and to display the IFW logo, we assess whether a firm is practicing financial wellbeing principles by asking you to assess the various aspects of the business against accepted research on the topics of money and happiness and provide evidence where requested.

The assessment looks at three areas of the business:

Part 1: The Service Proposition

Part 2: Training and competence

Part 3: Employee Wellbeing

We will respond when we have assessed your submission. Assuming a pass, we will then provide the IFW logo for you to use on your website

We request that firms wishing to become Accredited Practice Members must complete and pass the Audit.

The cost of the Audit is £600.00 plus vat for submission and annual renewal with a resubmission fee of £300.00 plus vat.  It is a prerequisite that at least 50% of the regulated advisers and paraplanners within the firm that successfully completes the IFW Audit will become members of the IFW before the award is granted.

For further details of the Audit Review process, please enquire now.

Get involved

We love to hear from individuals and organisations who would like to get involved.