Having experienced economic hardship firsthand, Renato Manias CFP® has forged a career built on a strong commitment to education. This commitment has seen him take out the Gwen Fletcher Memorial Award for Semester 1.

Renato Manias CFP^® has known true financial hardship. Growing up in São Paulo – Brazil’s largest city – he has clear memories of the hyperinflation that gripped Brazil in the 1990s. One of his strongest recollections of this time was seeing the desperation on his parents’ faces when learning that the Government was going to freeze 80 per cent of every Brazilians financial assets.

“Brazil was going through a period of hyperinflation. The Government kept printing money, which meant goods and services were increasing by 2,000 per cent a year,” Renato explains. “The Government thought that the way to tackle hyperinflation was to stop people from spending money. Everybody’s personal assets were frozen for 18 months, which became a massive issue for all Brazilians, as they didn’t have money to pay for even basic essentials.”

This was a very confusing and challenging time for Renato and his family, which led them to relocate to Australia in 1999. But the memories of that financial hardship lingered with the formative 10-year-old and helped pave the way for his career as a financial planner.

Eventually, Renato went on to complete Bachelor of Economics and Commerce degrees in 2013, where he quickly realised that financial literacy was the key to improving the financial wellbeing of people. On graduation, this realisation led to his first job working in a financial planning firm, where he came to appreciate the unique role financial planners have in helping clients make informed financial decisions.

“I was particularly drawn to the coaching aspect of financial planning, which helped seal the deal for me to pursue a career in financial advice,” he says. And it’s a decision he has not looked back on.

A desire to achieve

Eight years later and today, Renato is an Associate Financial Planner working at Melbourne-based firm, Moneylab. He is also the recipient of the prestigious Gwen Fletcher Memorial Award for being the highest performing student in Semester 1 of the CFP^® Certification Unit for 2021.

Renato’s decision to take the next step with his professional qualifications and complete the CFP® Certification Program was his overwhelming desire to attain the highest designation within the profession.

“When I first started financial planning in 2013, it was at a time when the profession was being heavily criticised for its low entry level and the lack of relevant tertiary education of many planners,” Renato recalls. “So, I was determined not to take any shortcuts with my professional development. I completed my Master of Financial Planning in 2019, which then led me to undertake the CFP^® Certification Program in 2020.”

Renato’s commitment to learning and professional development – which also includes completing additional units of study in ethics, the Accredited Aged Care Professional™ program, and the SMSF Advice program – has taken him eight years of solid study.

Personal commitment

Renato accepts that his strong commitment to learning and professional development hasn’t come easily, having exacted considerable demands on his career and personal life. But the secret, he says, to juggling these demands is time management.

“The CFP^® Certification Program isn’t easy, particularly when you’re working full-time. So, it’s essential that you stick to a study schedule. By doing so, you’re less likely to become overwhelmed when assessments or exams are due.”

A definite strength of Renato’s approach to study was never leaving assignments or exam study to the last minute. Instead, he would immediately begin working on his assignments, while ensuring that he studied for no more than two hours each day over the period of each course.

The 32-year-old also acknowledges the support of his employers, work colleagues and partner throughout his CFP^® Certification Program studies. This included being granted study days, which meant he didn’t have to drawdown on his annual leave.

However, despite his approach to study and work, there is one aspect that Renato emphasises all practitioners should always prioritise, and that’s looking after their own mental health.

“If you are struggling, you should not be afraid or embarrassed to say you’re not okay and to seek help,” he says.

And that’s precisely what Renato did last year, when he admits to experiencing his own ‘dark period’. However, he was able to get through this period with the support of his partner who encouraged the young professional to seek help.

“You definitely need to prioritise your mental health, because life is fleeting and it shouldn’t just be about work. You need to live your life and enjoy it!”

Validation of work

Winning the Gwen Fletcher Memorial Award for being the highest performing student in Semester 1 of the CFP^® Certification Unit for 2021 is something Renato is clearly excited about but humbled to receive.

“Gwen Fletcher AM was a lifelong campaigner of improving the financial literacy of all Australians. So, I am very humbled to receive this prestigious award,” Renato says. “This award also validates all the effort that I have put into my financial planning studies over the last eight years.

“It’s been a massive undertaking and journey for me. So, now I’m looking forward to getting my weekends back,” he laughs.

In congratulating Renato for taking out the award, FPA CEO Dante De Gori CFP^® said: “I would like to congratulate Renato on his achievement and to formally recognise his ongoing commitment to Gwen’s legacy of improving the financial planning profession through education and higher professional standards.”

There’s no denying that through Renato’s commitment to learning, he is a  proud advocate of financial planning. And as an advocate, he aspires to lead other young practitioners in the profession. For Renato, the type of leader who inspires him to be his best are those leaders that lead by example and empower others to develop and grow.

He explains: “When I hear leaders speak in forums, the leaders I gravitate to are those who tell you about the mistakes they have made or the failures they have had, and how they have overcome them. For me, the best leaders are those who aren’t afraid to fail to succeed, and who are willing to help others grow as individuals. That’s the type of leader I want to become.”

Challenges ahead

With eight years under his belt as a practitioner, Renato is very optimistic about the future of the profession. But he tempers this optimism by conceding that the profession still has some challenges to overcome in the coming years. One such challenge is making advice more affordable to Australians.

“The provision of financial advice can be onerous, making the availability of advice unaffordable for many consumers,” he says. “So, as a profession, we need to improve the overall efficiency of the delivery of advice, without compromising the integrity of that advice or the best interests of our clients. I believe that is the challenge we face as a profession.”

It’s a challenge Renato is up for.