“I treat every client the way I’d want someone to look after my own family.”
After finishing my degree at Newcastle University, I completed a Graduate Diploma in Law, and the Legal Practice Course, with the aim of qualifying as a solicitor. I was drawn to the idea of being a trusted professional and helping clients with a specific problem. I’d always loved the finance side of business and law. Given the opportunities that arose at the time, I found that financial planning was the right personality fit for me and allowed me to pursue a profession that I truly have a passion for.
I came to wealth management via a varied route – investment banking at RBS, three years at a tech-based robo-advice firm, and an independent financial advice (IFA) practice – before joining Mattioli Woods through paraplanning. That breadth of experience shapes how I work today, given that I’ve sat on both sides of the financial world: the technical and the personal.
My approach is straightforward. I listen first. I find out the reason why a potential client has contacted me, take time to understand what they’re trying to achieve, and what’s worrying them. Only then do we talk about solutions. Some clients want the detail – the graphs, the projections, the mechanics of how their money is working. Others simply want to know they’re in safe hands. My job is to adapt to the person in front of me, not the other way round.
One particular client scenario comes to mind. He was 59, working in a job he genuinely disliked, and it was affecting him and his family. He’d built up a modest amount of wealth without really knowing what it could do for him. Through cash-flow forecasting and careful planning, we worked out that he could actually retire now – not in five years. Watching that realisation, and seeing the relief on his face, is one of the reasons I find this job so rewarding.
Good advice isn’t just technical. Whether it’s pension planning, Inheritance Tax planning, investment strategy, or retirement planning, the goal is always the same: help someone understand where they are, where they want to get to, and how to get there with confidence. I grew up in a close, down-to-earth family where different people from all walks of life came and went. Everyone’s situation is different and everyone deserves the same level of care.
When I think about what I do at its core, it comes back to that original instinct – the trusted professional in someone’s corner. That’s what I wanted to be, and it’s what I aim to be for every client I work with.
Outside of work, most of my time revolves around my young family. You’ll find us at football, golf lessons and National Trust walks. We like spending time in North Wales, and I also play golf occasionally when I can. I’m a much better financial planner than a golfer though.
