Clare’s story: managing the family’s finances

I first met Mike around 15 years ago socially, but I wasn’t looking for an adviser then. It was sometime later that I met up with him on a professional level, as I’d decided it was time to start making plans.

I was in my mid 40s and I’d moved jobs and career a number of times, which meant I wasn’t sure how many pensions I had or what they were worth. I was the breadwinner and felt a huge sense of responsibility towards managing the family’s finances. If something went wrong, it would impact us all, so it was important for me to feel confident about who I was going to be working with.

Added to that, I have a healthy level of scepticism when it comes to people like financial advisers! I tend not to trust people easily. But with Mike he established a level of credibility with me very quickly.

From the start I felt as if he was very honest, upfront and had integrity. He doesn’t bamboozle you with jargon. He presents information that’s digestible, without making you feel stupid. He presents the options in a way that seems to be tailored to you, rather than feeling as if it’s something off the shelf. His sense of humour also appealed to me as well!

The initial planning process

Initially my goal was to retire at 55 – or at least to have paid off the mortgage by then and be in a position to retire if I wanted to.

The initial steps were about assessing our joint income and our monthly expenditure. Then my husband and I did a risk assessment to enable Mike to create an investment strategy that would meet my goal.

He showed us various different routes, which included taking different levels of risk, and backed this information up with detailed evidence. He’s extremely knowledgeable and always comes to meetings prepared. He would show me print outs, on-screen information, and explain everything in straightforward terms.

After this I felt totally confident with the level of risk I opted to take, and the plan Mike set out. But I also really like the fact that there’s a constant reviewing of my situation.

Ongoing adjustments

I retired at 59 in the end because when it came to 55 I was still enjoying my job. I explained this to Mike, and he encouraged me to keep going, suggesting we review at 57. And then Covid hit, which put a spanner in the works a little bit, so we put things on hold for a while, then when I turned 59, the option to retire was back on the table.

In hindsight I’m glad I kept working – I still felt responsible financially for the family, as the main breadwinner – but Mike supported me through that journey and with the decisions I had to make.

He continues to tweak my investments – since I retired and started withdrawing my pension. It’s still performing well and I’m more comfortable to take a slightly higher level of risk.

I’m now a full-time carer for my father, but if I hadn’t met my retirement plan financially, I would have had to have kept working, which would have been impossible. It just proves you don’t know what’s ahead, so I’m very glad I made a plan. Now I’m financially secure and that takes a real weight off.

A family business

Mike is genuinely interested in continued learning and continues with his studies and professional qualifications – it’s not a case of “I’ve got so far and now I’m going to sit back.”

It’s lovely to see his son Manos is now working with him too. The sense of this being a family-run business with a focus on continued improvement and keeping themselves ahead and up-to-date is something I really appreciate. I never feel as if Mike doesn’t know what’s going on, his finger’s always on the pulse. All of those things tick boxes in terms of a company I trust. 

Trustworthy, knowledgeable and fun

It’s also really important when you have a technical subject like finance that someone makes it easy to grasp. Mike takes a subject that could be difficult and complex and demystifies it – even makes it interesting!  

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Mike to anyone looking for help with their financial affairs, whether on an individual or corporate level.

It’s the fact that things are constantly reviewed and monitored that I like, and if I ever have a question, he’ll get back in 24 hours – he’s very responsive. I wholeheartedly recommend him!