I read a book recently, it was called Show Your Work by an author called Austin Kleon, he’s written some great stuff you can check out too. The book encourages you to share your thoughts on social media for others to read. This got me thinking about what I do and the value I add to my client’s lives. I decided to write to tell the story of how why I decided to become a Financial Adviser in Bristol.
Sailing
First a bit of background, I used to sail yachts professionally. Some of you may have heard of Chay Blyth. Who, in 1971 was awarded the CBE for being the first person to westerly circumnavigate the global non-stop. Well going westerly means you are going against the wind and currents that swirl around the planet. Which means it rough, unimaginably rough. Fast-forward to 1992 when Chay started a company called The Challenge Business. His idea was to take 13 amateurs, together with 1 professional skipper and race around the world in his footsteps! It was my job to help train those amateurs and in between the training take the corporate sponsors on jolly’s on the South Coast.
My mum and dad had worked hard all their lives. Apart from Christmas, I don’t remember many luxuries when we were growing up. They were frugal, we holidayed in the UK and rarely ate out. Making sacrifices they scrimped and saved every penny until they had enough to buy a little apartment in the sun. They had planned to spend lots of time there once they’d retired, but fate had other ideas. My mum died of cancer a few years before they were due to retire. I couldn’t help thinking they should have enjoyed the now as well as planning for the future. That’s why when I stopped sailing I decided I wanted to help people like them and became a financial adviser in Bristol, my adopted home town.
How I help
Becoming a financial adviser meant that I could help others relieve some of their fear around money, by providing holistic planning. Yes, I do help people to save and think about the future, but I also encourage them to create memories and that means not just focusing on retirement, but enjoying the present too.
4 Financial Planning work with clients from all over the country. We try not to make the amount of money you have or haven’t got a barrier to working together. We charge fixed fees, which are clear, simple to understand and some of the most competitive around. That doesn’t mean you get a lesser service, it just means I’m frugal like my mum. If you’re interested in getting some financial advice from one of Bristol’s most progressive advisers you can book a free initial consultation here or find out more about how we stand out from the crowd click here.