The Financial Planners Standards Council is launching a half-million dollar print advertising campaign aimed at educating Canadians about the merits of seeking advice from planners who hold the Certified Financial Planner designation.

The magazine and newspaper ads in the “Take the Next Step” campaign convey the role financial planning plays in both the professional and personal lives of CFP practitioners working in various segments of the financial services industry.

The ads appear in May issues of Maclean’s Platinum editions and will appear through to the end of February in consumer publications including ROB Magazine, National Post Business Magazine, Time, Financial Post and theGlobe and Mail.

“With these ads, we’re educating the public about the importance of financial planning and of seeking truly competent professional advice,” said FPSC president Don Johnston.”

“Our 1999 consumer survey suggests Canadians are still unsure of what financial planning is and the extent to which professional planning advice can help them achieve their life-goals,” said FPSC director of communications Ann Bowman. “These new ads show the planner to be not only a highly skilled and dedicated professional, but also an individual who understands our desires to take control of our day-to-day lives and our futures.”

All FPSC’s print ads direct Canadians to the FPSC Web site at ww.cfp-ca.org for more information on financial planning and the professionals qualified to advise them on it. The Web site also displays all of FPSC’s current and past ads.