How we work
How we work
Our approach to financial planning differs from that of many other traditional advice firms.
Traditionally, financial advisers simply wanted to know about your money. They may have approached a problem one financial arrangement at a time, focusing on products and single transactions.
The work we do is far more comprehensive. The financial advice element is still there. But in addition to receiving advice from a Chartered Financial Planner, our approach incorporates life goal planning, behavioural finance and ongoing, tailored support. That’s because we believe that it doesn’t really matter how much wealth you have. What matters is how much you need to achieve those things that are important to you.
The service you will receive will be focused not on selling you products, but on helping you identify what your vision for your life is and then on achieving the long-term changes you want to see with a bank balance that supports your ambitions. Who knows, you might even have enough already!
At the heart of our approach are two principles:
The only definition of success that matters is yours. Your goals, what’s important to you, how you view success form the basis of all our work.
Success cannot be achieved simply through crunching numbers. Your chances of achieving your goals are dramatically increased when you understand the attitudes to money your behaviours are built on and how they are affecting your life.
Understanding your own financial behaviour
Behavioural finance is an area of study focused on the ways psychological influences can affect market outcomes.
As part of our work in helping you move successfully through life’s transitions, we make use of DataPoints tests – behavioural science tools that will help you better understand your own financial habits and uncover patterns in your thinking that may have been holding you back in the past. Understanding the attitudes that sit behind your budgeting, spending and financial management habits allows you to break old patterns that have been holding you back. Ultimately, gaining these insights will help increase your chances of successfully reaching your financial goals.
We also use ‘engage’ tools, which measure things like your wealth potential and your current financial wellness.
These tests provide a great deal of insight that is not only useful for me in gaining the full picture of your life and financial goals, but also in empowering you to feel in control over your behaviour and your potential for long-term financial success.
Putting you in control
Research into happiness has shown that we tend to feel most happy when we have a sense of control over our lives. During times of transition, we often feel like life has taken a turn we hadn’t planned for and that we’re not in control anymore.
If your finances allow you the option of changing careers, leaving a bad relationship or no longer having to worry about whether you’ll run out of money in retirement, then peace of mind and sense of control you gain are all valuable returns on your wealth.
Our purpose is to help you build and protect your wealth so that you have choices about the direction of your life.
Your journey
What we do with each individual client varies depending on your specific goals and where you are in life right now. That means there is no, one set-in-stone path to financial freedom and wellbeing.
However, the process we use to get you to your goals is likely to take you through these six steps.
