ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a summary of the research study, conclusions reached from the research findings, and contributions to the financial planning body of knowledge. The motivation behind the research study was to capture how certified financial planner (CFP) professionals think about, experience or become aware of professionalism. Potential implications that the research findings have on policy in the area of financial planning professionalism are also proposed. The researcher carried out three independent phenomenographic studies by choosing to understand how CFP professionals from Australia, Hong Kong and the United States experience the phenomenon of professionalism. The validity and reliability of qualitative research is an important consideration to the researcher as the techniques of testing the validity and reliability of qualitative research are much different to quantitative research. Cope's validity strategies were applied so that a full and open account of the study's method was provided to demonstrate the use of the strategies.
