“Most clients arrive with an idea of what they want – the real value is finding what they need.”
I studied Geography at the University of Exeter. Geography revolves around analysis, assessing complex systems and problem solving, which directly translates to understanding clients’ aims, and creating a roadmap on how to get there.
After university, I worked in insurance before joining a leading accountancy and financial planning practice in London. I spent five years there building my expertise and working towards my qualifications. I moved to Kingswood – now Mattioli Woods – to build long-term client relationships and ensure people can plan for major life events and meet their goals.
Many clients come to me with one specific agenda in mind. Perhaps they have a lump sum to invest, or they want to review their pension. When we sit down and talk holistically, we often find there is far more to the picture than they realised – a larger estate, children who will face a significant Inheritance Tax (IHT) bill, protection gaps they’ve never considered. That’s the real value added for the client, and it’s where I believe I make the biggest difference.
A large part of my work is within estate planning. I use cash-flow modelling to illustrate how a client retirement looks, and whether they’re on track to meet their objectives, but also how much they’re likely to leave behind and the implications for the next generation. One model highlighted that a client faced a £500,000 Inheritance Tax liability should no action be taken. We used various IHT mitigating tools, such as holding a life insurance in trust, Business Relief (BR) and gifting/trust planning; therefore, when the time comes, her beneficiaries can settle the estate without the added IHT complications. The liability didn’t disappear overnight, but the worry did.
Building that kind of confidence starts long before any financial solution enters the conversation. I never walk into a first meeting and lead with numbers. I want to understand who someone is, what they care about, and what they’re hoping for. Trust comes first and everything else follows naturally from there.
Outside of work, I’ve explored 38 countries and counting – Colombia and Vietnam are amongst my favourites, with Argentina and Chile on the horizon. I played football to a semi-professional level, but enjoy watching most sports, including rugby, tennis and American football. Since recently rupturing my achilles, my football days are behind me, and I plan to fill this void with triathlons and padel socially, with the eventual aim of completing an Iron Man.
