Pension planning: John’s story
I met Ashley through a colleague. I’d just gone through divorce and my wife was the one who always dealt with the money side of things and suddenly she wasn’t there to guide me.
I’d worked in the finance industry myself, so I had some knowledge, and initially I wanted a second opinion to find whether what I’d got set up was correct. Sometimes it’s good to have an independent view because if you’re not careful you can go down certain routes yourself where you can get in trouble!
Open, honest and not pushy
First of all, you’ve got to like the person who is advising you, which I did! But I think my initial view was that I’d have a meeting with Ashley to find out if everything was all right; I wasn’t thinking it would be a long-term relationship.
Then I started working with Ashley more regularly and the main reason was that I liked his style – he’s open, honest and not pushy.
I’d always had a slightly tainted view of financial advisers and saw them as being commission orientated. I know it’s not like that now, but I was aware that they didn’t always give the best advice because they weren’t always independent.
I could see immediately that Ashley wasn’t like this.
Tailored service
The first thing he said when he looked at my finances was that there wasn’t anything I was doing that was stupid and costing me money. He explained that there were a few things we could tweak to improve, but he also explained that there was no pressure to do it.
He helped me to consolidate my pensions and investments and to manage my Lifetime Allowance. He also advised me on protection insurance. So it was a really rounded solution.
One thing I liked was that he tailored his service to me. I’m very analytical, so he knows to send me things before each meeting, to let me know what we’ll be going through.
The other thing is, sometimes you don’t want to ask a stupid question, but I never felt that with Ashley. You could be dealing with large amounts of money, so you want to be able to ask questions and to understand what’s happening with it!
“I’ve got much more peace of mind now; I know where I am with everything and there’s no uncertainty.”
He’s obviously very knowledgeable
He explains things in plain English, not financial gobbledygook. He’s not out to confuse you.
He’s also always there for you, but at the same time he’s not breathing down your neck. He always asks if you’d like to meet with him, but he wouldn’t expect you to do that for the sake of it. Whereas there are some companies where you have to meet with them three times a year in order to meet their targets, even if it’s a waste of everyone’s time.
Enjoying the money
Once I retired, Ashley was able to show me that I don’t have to worry about spending a few thousand on a holiday. I’m quite a cautious person, and when you retire you feel that your money might not last for the rest of your life, but Ashley was able to show me it would.
If it wasn’t for that, I’d probably have gone back to work after retirement but he proved I didn’t have to!
I’ve got much more peace of mind now; I know where I am with everything and there’s no uncertainty.
Reliable, honest and clear
The biggest thing for me is that he’s taken the time to understand me and knows what I want from him. I don’t generally trust people easily but he’s generated that trust by being open and honest about the figures and the details.
He tells me how much money he’ll get out of it too! Some people would tiptoe around that but I quite like it, it shows he’s confident that he’s good value, which he is!