“In financial planning, time is the most powerful tool you will ever have.”
My father spent his career selling advertising space in newspapers and magazines. He was good at it, but the market was shrinking. Print was losing ground to radio and, eventually, television. Recognising this, he made a decisive change, moving into logistics, where he built a highly successful second career. His story has always stayed with me – even the most successful careers can demand radical change, and sometimes that change is forced upon you rather than chosen. Watching him work gave me an early lesson that has shaped everything I’ve done since: it’s not just about how hard you work or how skilled you are. The opportunity around you matters just as much. Knowing where you stand, where things are heading, and how to position yourself accordingly. A financial plan that truly works for you isn’t just built for the path you expect – it’s designed to protect you when that path changes, and to flex with you when life demands something different.
I joined Mattioli Woods in 2004 as a law graduate from the University of Leicester and have held a number of roles across the business, most recently as Group Managing Director for Growth. My focus is the day-to-day running of the business: leading senior teams, delivering on our client proposition, and working with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and co-directors on the Group’s long-term strategy. Alongside that, I continue to work with a select portfolio of clients, which keeps me grounded in what this work is really about.
The clients I work with tend to be savers, accumulators, people who have spent decades in growth mode. Yet, when it comes to actually enjoying what they’ve built, many find the first step incredibly difficult. The idea of spending more than you earn, or being worth a little less next year than this year, can feel counterintuitive, even unsettling. Helping clients understand that it’s okay to take the big holiday, spend more time with family, and enjoy the life they have worked so hard to create is one of the most important things I do. The greatest feedback I receive is when a client says: we took your advice, we went on that trip, and it was everything we hoped for.
Time sits at the heart of how I think about financial planning. Not timing the market but using time wisely. The earlier you start, the more powerful your position becomes. A straightforward example: contributing the full annual allowance of £3,600 into a child’s pension from birth to age 18, and then doing nothing else, can produce a pension fund larger than the UK average by retirement. That’s the power of compound interest over time. It’s a lesson I’m already putting into practice for my own three daughters, and one I share with clients at every stage of life.
What I bring to every conversation is technical depth, delivered in a way that makes sense. Making the complex simple is not a throwaway phrase – it’s what clients genuinely need. If someone understands their plan, they’re far more likely to stick with it, and far better placed to adapt when life changes. Every client is different, and their history with money matters. What drives them, what worries them, and what they’ve experienced in the past, all shape how I approach the relationship.
My father’s career taught me that even the most successful paths can change – and that being prepared for that moment makes all the difference. Two decades at Mattioli Woods have taught me to read people. Bring those two things together with a genuine long-term commitment to each client’s outcomes, and that is what working with me looks like. If you would like to understand where you stand, and how your financial plan could support you whatever life brings, I would welcome that conversation.
