“I don’t just look after your money – I look after you.”
As a teenager, while most of my friends turned straight to the sports pages, I’d flip to the financial section first. That instinct – to understand how money moves and how it affects people’s lives – has never left me. More than 30 years later, this is still the case..
I’m a Chartered Financial Planner with over three decades of experience in wealth management and financial planning. I studied Computerised Accountancy at the University of East Anglia (Norwich) and have spent my career building genuine, long-term relationships with clients, many of whom have followed me from firm to firm during my career. That loyalty isn’t something I take for granted. It’s something I work hard to earn, every single time.
One chapter of my career stands out. For eight years, I worked with NHS GPs, helping some of the UK’s most highly skilled professionals navigate one of the most complex pension schemes in existence. It was a niche, specialist world and it taught me that even the most intelligent, accomplished people can feel completely lost when it comes to their own finances. There’s no shame in that. It’s exactly why good advice matters.
My approach is methodical and unhurried. I don’t walk into a meeting with a predetermined answer. I look at all the options, discount what doesn’t fit, and explain my reasoning clearly. Clients tell me they appreciate that – it feels less like being sold to and more like being looked after. Products are always secondary; your objectives and how to achieve them come first.
Over the years, I’ve helped clients through redundancy, bereavement, inheritances, and serious illness. One client stayed with me for over 20 years; through every twist her life took. She wasn’t calling me because she had to – she called me because she trusted me. That kind of relationship is what I’m aiming for with every client I work with. I’m not here to manage a portfolio in isolation; I’m here to be a steady, reliable presence when life gets complicated.
That same drive to understand – the instinct that had me reading the financial pages as a teenager – is why I’ve always pushed my qualifications beyond what’s required. When the industry moved advisers to Level 4, I was already at Level 6 (comparable to a bachelor’s degree with honours and this demonstrates regulated technical competence and industry experience). When I became Chartered, I started working towards Fellowship – the highest qualification available in financial planning. I’m currently part way through that journey, and I’m in no hurry to stop in conjunction with exceeding my ongoing CPD requirements.
Outside of work, I’m a family man based in Windsor – which means most of my spare time is taken up standing on the sidelines watching my football-mad 14-year-old son training and in games. I’m also an avid football and boxing fan, a lover of Motown, soul and R’n’B music and someone who considers cycling and walking around Windsor Great Park a pleasure.
If you’re looking for an adviser who’ll take the time to truly understand your situation, objectives and preferences – I’d love to have that conversation.
