“Good financial planning gives people the confidence and clarity to shape their future.”
I originally trained wanting to be a detective. I studied criminology and criminal justice at university, got accepted into Greater Manchester Police, and was ready to start. Then the 2007 financial crisis hit, recruitment froze, and the door closed. It’s a moment I’ve thought about a lot since, because everything that followed led me here.
The skills I was drawn to in detective work – asking the right questions, listening carefully, building a picture from the detail – turned out to be exactly what good financial planning requires. I moved through roles at Citibank, Friends Provident and Barclays, and it was during my time at Barclays that something shifted. My son James was born, and I knew that staying where I was wasn’t good enough. I finished my exams, got fully qualified, and committed properly to being an adviser. My son is 14 now and plays for Bolton’s Academy and that sense of wanting to do better for the people who matter to you never really leaves.
After qualifying, I went on to gain Chartered Financial Planner status – one of the highest designations in financial planning – and I’ve been advising clients for over 13 years. I joined Mattioli Woods following several years at Cullen Wealth, where I built a reputation working with business owners and individuals with complex financial planning needs.
What I do is straightforward to describe, even if the detail is often anything but. My job is to give clients confidence and clarity – about where they are now, where they want to be, and how to get there. Some clients want numbers and technical depth; others want to know they’re being looked after and their family is protected. I adapt my approach to whoever’s in front of me.
I specialise in wealth management, pension planning, Inheritance Tax (IHT) planning and financial resilience – making sure clients and their families are protected against the things they haven’t planned for. I work particularly well with business owners and more complex cases, where getting the details right really matters.
Moving around as a child – South Wales, the Wirral, and Manchester – taught me how to connect with people quickly and build trust across very different environments. Trust in this job isn’t given; it’s earned through honesty, integrity and showing up consistently.
Outside of work, weekends usually involve watching James play football or my daughter compete in basketball. I collect vinyl records, play golf – currently working my way back to single figures – and enjoy good food with friends. Life is busy, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The detective never quite left. I’m still asking questions, still building the picture, still trying to get to the truth of what matters to the people I work with. If you’d like to explore what proper financial planning could do for you, I’d be glad to have that conversation.
