Upskilling Beyond the Technical: Bring More Meaningful Skills to Clients with Mariette Tappan [Ep60]
Welcome to episode 60 of The Innovating Advice Show.

If you’ve been wondering about up-skilling beyond a CFA or CFP designation, and want to work more on the human side of money and increase your soft skills, this episode is for you.
I’m joined by Mariette Tappan, who holds the distinction of being the first Certified Financial Transitionist® in South Africa.
We chat about what a Certified Financial Transitionist — which is a designation from the Financial Transitionist Institute — does and why, after more than 25 years as a financial planner, Mariette was prompted to go down this path after having five clients pass away in one year.
This episode is not an ad for the institute or designation. Rather, it’s a look at the importance of always upskilling, even after decades in the profession, and the growing importance of being skilled in the human side of money, in addition to the technical side.
Resources
Guest Bio
Mariette Tappan holds the distinction of being the first Certified Financial Transitionist® in South Africa. In this capacity, she is pioneering Financial Transitions Planning, which recognises the unique and specific stages that we undergo when we are in transition. The training, which is open to Certified Financial Planners® and their global equivalents, equips Transitionists® to guide and counsel their clients through a variety of changes, all the while ensuring that their money can support any financial implications.
Mariette has been a Certified Financial Planner® professional with Liberty for over 25 years, and realised that she wanted to improve her empathetic and communication skills. The need for this was highlighted when five of her clients passed away in one year.
Mariette is drawn to nature, art, music and travel, her love for which she believes has equipped her with insight, inspiration and appreciation. This uniquely offers her the opportunity to enrich the lives of the people that she meets.
Timestamps
00:30 - Introducing Mariette Tappan
03:05 - What it means to be a Certified Financial Transitionist
04:13 - What it takes to become a Certified Financial Transitionist
05:09 - The differences in approach between financial planners and financial transitionists
08:17 - Why technical skills aren’t enough
11:18 - Deciding to become a financial transitionist
14:40 - What kind of transitions financial transitionists work with
16:39 - How other areas of study are brought together
20:23 - Why financial planning has to be more human
21:20 - When should people engage a financial transitionist
24:27 - Having difficult conversations with your clients
28:15 - The different way men and women approach transitions
32:40 - Talking about money with your partner
37:07 - Advice for women in financial services
Transcript
It can take up to a week for the transcript to be available. Email podcast@innovatingadvice.com with "Episode 60 transcript" to be notified when it's available.