“Sometimes the best advice I give is telling someone not to invest.”
My first job was at my dad’s petrol station. I was about 14, and every day I watched people pull up to the pumps – some filling their tanks without a second thought, others carefully counting out a few pounds’ worth. It was my earliest lesson in what money really means: not as a number on a page, but as the thing that shapes how people live. That early insight led me into banking at 16, and eventually into a career helping people build and protect their financial futures.
After years working across banking and financial services in the UK, I spent three years advising clients in the Middle East – a formative experience that changed how I think about trust and communication. Working with local Arab clients, with whom trust is earned over time through patience and genuine understanding, taught me that good advice isn’t just about knowing your subject. It’s about adapting to the person in front of you. Every client communicates differently, values different things, and reaches decisions in their own way. Today, that understanding sits at the heart of every relationship I build.
I joined Mattioli Woods to focus on what I do best: wealth management, Inheritance Tax (IHT) planning, and pension advice. As a Chartered Financial Planner, I’ve committed to the highest professional standards the industry recognises – but qualifications only matter if they translate into better outcomes for clients. Much of the planning I do is long term by nature. I worked with one client eight years ago to assign a £2.3 million investment to his son. Today, that investment is worth £4 million – and because it’s been outside the estate for more than seven years, £1.6 million of IHT has been saved. That’s the kind of planning that changes what a family inherits. One thing that might surprise people is that some of my most valuable conversations end with me telling a client not to invest. A couple came to me having sold their business for £350,000, wanting to put £300,000 to work. When we sat down and mapped out their actual commitments – tax bills, home improvements, living costs – there was nothing left to invest. Walking away from a fee isn’t always easy, but it’s the right thing to do. That’s what I mean by advice you can trust.
I aim to know my clients properly – not just the facts on a fact find, but what motivates them, how they make decisions, and what they’re really trying to achieve. When you’re advising couples, the loudest voice in the room isn’t always the decision-maker. Over time, the adviser-client relationship becomes something closer to a trusted friendship and that’s when the best planning happens.
From the petrol station forecourt to the boardrooms of Dubai, I’ve spent my career learning that good financial advice is really about people. If you’re looking for a wealth management consultant who will challenge your thinking when needed, and always put your interests first, I’d welcome a conversation.
