Our financial adviser helps us plan for the whole family’s future

Lee was not the couple’s first financial adviser. In 2016, he was working in wealth management for the bank where John and Wendy held their account. The couple were already receiving investment advice from the bank’s wealth managers, but, John remembers, it was focused more on growth and returns, rarely considering the family’s wider financial wellbeing. “In fact”, he recalls “when we went to ask for mortgage advice for one of our children, they were no help at all, even though they were in a perfect position to advise or support us”.

However, it was the constant turnover of wealth managers, and the subsequent lack of continuity, that became increasingly frustrating for both of them. “A wealth manager would leave to follow a new career opportunity, we’d be allocated a new one, and we would have to explain our financial circumstances again from scratch “, says John. “Lee was one of the few wealth managers there with whom we immediately felt confident".

“We were struck by how he was very personable but incredibly professional. If he said he'd do something or check something out, he did; he was very much a man of his word. When it comes to financial advice you look to build up a long-term relationship. You're looking for continuity you're looking to develop mutual trust.”

“From the start, Lee was genuinely interested in the children and understood the family dynamics”, Wendy adds. “That was the kind of financial advice and approach we were looking for. “

An informal introduction to financial planning

When the children were in their thirties John and Wendy decided to introduce them to Lee face to face, at a Sunday barbecue. “It was designed to plant a few seeds in their minds about the importance of thinking about their finances, budgeting and saving,” says John. “Neither Wendy nor I were exposed to that growing up. We might have been given Premium Bonds or NS&I certificates on our birthday, but that was all the education we got about saving for the future.”

Once the lunch was in full swing, John and Wendy discreetly retired so that Lee could meet the children properly and explain the value of financial planning in a relaxed setting. The result was that all four are now clients too.

“All four children are so different, in what they’ve chosen to do in life, and the kind of people they are,” Wendy adds. “One is operations manager for a children's rugby coaching company, and another is a marine engineer. One daughter is a mother and professional photographer and another works with children with special needs. But they will all go to Lee happily for advice, and respect his decisions, which is lovely to see. They’ve formed their own relationships with him. The barbecue turned out to be a good move.”