“Most people don’t realise what’s possible until they actually sit down with someone.”
I started where most people don’t expect a wealth manager to start – behind the cashier’s window at Lloyds Bank, fresh out of university and not entirely sure what I wanted to do.
From there I moved into loans, then mortgages, and spent a number of years as a mortgage adviser. It was a useful place to learn how to actually talk with clients – first-time buyers, second-steppers, people remortgaging through difficult patches. You see a wide range of people at very different points in their lives, and it gives you a sense of perspective fairly quickly.
Becoming a financial adviser was a natural step from there. The shift from mortgage advice to wealth advice isn’t as big as people sometimes think. The technical side changes, but the way you sit with someone and work through what they actually need stays exactly the same. You still have to listen first, you still have to be straight with people and you still have to make sure everything you do is right for them, not just textbook.
What I’ve found, time and again, is that a lot of people genuinely don’t realise what’s possible until you sit down with them. They don’t know they can afford to retire. They don’t know they can take a step back. They don’t know what options are there. Helping someone work that out, quietly and without fuss, is honestly the part of the job I enjoy most.
I’d describe my approach as approachable. I want clients to feel they can ask me anything and tell me anything. No question is a daft one. I’m caring, I’m patient, and I’m there to support people through whatever they’re trying to do – not to push my own view of things. The best advice always starts with the client’s own goals, not the adviser’s.
I work within a collaborative, experienced team – the kind of environment where there’s always a depth of knowledge to draw on and where getting things right for clients is what drives everything.
Outside of work, life pretty much revolves around three things: golf, hiking with the club, and watching Liverpool. I play a lot of golf – it’s how I unwind, and honestly it’s also one of the better ways I’ve found to meet new people and have proper conversations with them. The walking gets me out into the hills at weekends. And Liverpool, well – they look after the rest.
If you’re looking for an adviser who’ll take time to actually understand what you’re trying to do and explain things in plain English, I’d be glad to have a chat.
