Frequently asked questions

I am a chartered financial planner. Chartered status cements my professional standing and gives me parity with other professionals, such as accountants and solicitors. To be chartered, one must hold an advanced diploma and have five years of experience within the profession.

I am also a Fellow of the Personal Financial Society (FPFS). Fellowship, held by more than 5,000 working practitioners, is the highest level of qualification offered by the Personal Finance Society. Attainment is globally recognised as an indicator of expertise and experience.

I also have the CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing, which is supported by the UN PRI (Principles for Responsible Investing).

When choosing a financial adviser, sharing a common set of principles and beliefs is critical to a successful relationship. As such, below are my firm’s financial planning principles.

To be successful, you must have a plan.
Just like you don’t get into a train without a destination and an approximate route to get there in mind, financial planning is much the same. To be successful, we must first define what success means—that is, the identification of your life’s purpose and the goals associated with that purpose. Then we can craft a financial strategy specifically designed to pursue those objectives.

Financial planning is not precise; it is adaptive.
We know that the world (markets, economy) and our personal lives (income, health, and family) are ever-changing. A plan that sits on a shelf couldn’t possibly account for all that life will throw at you, so we meet regularly to adjust your plan as needed to reflect the current reality.

We Control the Things We Can Control:
We believe in controlling what we can control. That is, the amount we save, how long we give our savings to grow, our asset allocation, our behaviour, and how we plan for various risks. These are what will ultimately determine your success.

Prepare for What Can Go Wrong; Invest for What Can Go Right:
Even the best investment portfolio can be undone if you are not prepared for life’s what-ifs. A few examples might include an unexpected death, health issues, accidents, or becoming disabled. Planning for and insuring against these risks is what allows us to invest in all that can go right. We cannot control what happens to us, so it is imperative that we are prepared for each of these possibilities.

Good Planning Has a Long Time Horizon:
We view every client relationship as a lifelong partnership. This is a significant advantage because our single objective is to provide advice that will (hopefully) result in the accomplishment of your multi-decade goals, and we expect to walk with you every step of the way.

We hope that through our approach and principles-based planning philosophy, you will feel encouraged to pursue what is most meaningful to you.

When choosing a financial adviser, sharing a common set of principles and beliefs is critical to a successful relationship. As such, below are my firm’s investing principles.

We Align Your Investments with Your Time Horizon:
We believe that owning a diversified portfolio of long-term investments (equities) for your long-term objectives and short-term investments (cash, bonds) for short-term objectives will offer the highest probability of achieving your goals. This alignment of investments may seem simple, but it is critical to investing success in all market environments.

We Expect Volatility:
We should expect bear markets (markets going down), as they have historically occurred about once every 3–4 years. Despite these events, over the last 65 years, the stock market has grown upwards, consistently outperforming cash and bonds. The only thing that was required of investors to earn that return was simply to stay invested.

We Stay the Course:
Investing success is much more about time in the market than timing the market (i.e., the best portfolio in the world will not work if you can’t stick with it). As such, we do not chase performance or fads, nor do we react to the latest market catastrophe, as those actions invariably introduce new, unnecessary risks to your financial plan. If your portfolio is aligned with your goals, risk, and time horizon, there should be few causes for change, regardless of the news or fads of the moment.

We Prepare, We Don’t Predict:
Because we expect bear markets (we just don’t know the timing of them), we purposefully prepare both mentally and financially for whatever may come next through relevant ongoing communication and easy-to-understand financial strategies so you can feel comfortable standing by your plan during stressful times.

We Manage and Minimise Expenses:
We believe that a diversified portfolio of low-cost funds, where possible, will serve you best in the long run. This can be a bit more challenging with sustainable funds, but we maintain our focus on keeping costs as competitive as we can. Additionally, taxes can cause a drag on performance, so we seek to minimise these expenses wherever prudent and possible.

We hope that through our planning and principles-based investing philosophy, you will feel encouraged to tune out the media and enjoy life a little more.

I have a dedicated support team, including operations, admin, compliance, and planning functions. This helps me deliver a reliable and efficient service to my clients.

Having experienced admin staff and paraplanners as part of my team is very helpful, not just to help complete tasks or write complex reports but also as a sounding board. Within our team, we have complementary skill sets to offer an integrated and effective financial planning service.

Financial advice is regulated to ensure clients receive suitable advice and that products and services perform in the way they expect. Our regulator is the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). A financial advice network principally deals with the regulator on my behalf and ensures that my business remains compliant with the ever-changing rules and regulations. The level of offering will differ between networks, but ultimately, they are there to support my business and clients.

Financial Solutions Group Limited (FSG, or Financial Solutions), put simply, is the support company for my business. They are a highly professional, experienced, and well-established financial planning team. They will provide the same regulatory oversight as a network as well as administrative support, which in turn gives me more time to spend with my clients.

If you become my client, it is important for you to become familiar with FSG, as you will see their logo and name on various documents that help me deliver the service you’ve become accustomed to. On occasion, you may even receive an email or letter from their support team (always at my request) or even speak to them, but your relationship will always be with me.