Membership Directory - Individual
Michaela Pashley
Financial Planner and Managing Director at Roseum Financial Planning and Practical Financial Exams
About
Bio: I'm a serial financial services entrepreneur, Chartered Financial Planner, Practitioner of Financial Planning, and PFS Fellow.
In 2020, I founded exam board Practical Financial Exams (PFE), where I serve as Managing Director. I oversee the delivery and continued development of the SCQF Level 9 Practical Investment Planning qualification. I deliver training on a variety of financial planning subjects, and complete file reviews.
In 2023, I launched Roseum Financial Planning, a trading style of Peregrine & Black Investment Management. I deliver regulated financial advice to UK retail clients on investment, pensions, IHT planning, and financial protection.
In 2020, I founded exam board Practical Financial Exams (PFE), where I serve as Managing Director. I oversee the delivery and continued development of the SCQF Level 9 Practical Investment Planning qualification. I deliver training on a variety of financial planning subjects, and complete file reviews.
In 2023, I launched Roseum Financial Planning, a trading style of Peregrine & Black Investment Management. I deliver regulated financial advice to UK retail clients on investment, pensions, IHT planning, and financial protection.
With PFE, we've included LGBT+ characters in our coursework assessment case studies which have LGBT+ specific investment requirements. This has forced Advisers to think about the needs of LGBT+ clients, ask them about their corresponding investment preferences, and seek solutions beyond their firm's CIP.
Roseum (Latin for "pink") is an LGBT friendly IFA specialising in LGBT+ friendly investment solutions, life assurance for people living with HIV, and later-life/estate planning for people who may not be married because they're LGBT+.
We've recently expanded the SCQF Level 9 study text to include neurodiversity issues, which helps financial planning businesses approach their business with an "inclusion by design" mentality, rather than having to make "reasonable adjustments" for neurodivergent clients. This has been reflected in the assessment requirements, which should comply with some of the guidance issued by the British Dyslexia Association.
From my perspective, it helps people living with gender dysphoria develop the confidence to come out and live the way they want, without fear of being the centre of attention, fear, or stigma. There are very few transgender people in senior roles in Financial Services, and we have much to offer from a very different perspective, considering the challenges we have and continue to face.
Coming out myself, which was recent. If you'll pardon the irony, coming out as a transgender woman who is in senior management within Financial Services took serious balls! Realising I had the strength and courage to do so is an incredible achievement for me.
Honestly, I feel a bit of a fraud. It took me a very long time to come out due to the perceived stigma surrounding transgenderism and the risk to my marriage, and I feel like I've been a coward for this. The benefit of taking so long, however, meant I could come out with a very polished professional presentation and a knowledge in and of myself, which had taken a significant time to develop. While I feel some degree of guilt for everything - for my family, and a community which is crying out for transgender role models - if my story can inspire just one person to avoid the mistakes I've made, and educate them on competent, professional female presentation, I'd feel very personally fulfilled.