INVESTMENT PLANNING

Factors we need to consider

Case Studies

Richard & Helen J – North Yorkshire – January 2021

I originally met Richard and his wife Helen, in 2011.  They each had various investments, which had been built up over their lives and were unsure if they were performing well, how they were invested and whether they were best serving them as they were.  Richard & Helen also had a goal of sending their children to private school and then university and they were unsure of how they would fund this.  We reviewed their investments and moved them into a managed portfolio in line with their objectives and risk profile and this has been reviewed on an annual basis since.  The portfolio has grown well and has been able to fund their children’s private school fees over the years.  Their son is now at university and has even started an investment portfolio of his own through Wolds Financial Planning.  Their daughter is now coming to the end of her private schooling and is preparing for life at university.

Richard & Helen also had existing pension plans which we reviewed at a later meeting.  We were able to bring these together in portfolios which are held and managed alongside their investment portfolios.  Due to their longer-term nature, Richard & Helen were happy to take a little more investment risk with these portfolios and they have grown very well since their inception.  With their private schooling investment planning need coming to an end, focus will now switch more towards Richard & Helen’s retirement planning as they each look to enter the next chapter of their lives.

Richard & Helen were kind enough to leave us the following testimonial, along with the following recent update on the independent review site – – www.vouchedfor.co.uk:

Initial Review

“What were the circumstances that caused you to look for a financial adviser?

We needed to review all our finances as we had many different products held with several providers and felt we were not getting the best deal from any of them. We were also planning to send both children to private school & needed to work out how to fund this.

How did Graham Thompson help you?

Graham was absolutely wonderful, he quickly understood our position and did a huge amount of background work working out what the best solution was. We immediately felt full trust in his judgement and genuinely felt he had our very best interests at heart, it was as if it was his own funds he was working with and he was very patient in explaining every step & making sure we fully understood his rationale and agreed with his solutions.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Over & above all our expectations, Graham was always very measured in his anticipated outcomes and would give us different scenarios of how our portfolio might perform depending on world & local financial conditions. Our portfolio is generating much more income than we imagined possible in the current market. We are now 100% tax efficient, and both of our pensions are converted to SIPP’s which is much better for us and will provide for our future.

What could they have done better?

I honestly can’t think of anything to put here, Graham is so good!”

Recent Update

“Graham has kept us fully informed on our positive portfolio performance providing regular investment updates throughout the Covid 19 pandemic which have been very reassuring. He has also helped our son set up his own portfolio.”

Steve W – North Yorkshire – November 2022

I originally met Steve when he was going through a very difficult time in his life.  Steve had lost his job in a very unplanned way and was faced with a crossroads in his life.  He felt that he was too young to retire and had more to give to his industry, but at the same time he felt that he was at a difficult age when it came to finding new employment.  Steve had a fairly good grasp of his situation and had previously carried out some good planning of his own, but the sheer weight of options available, along with balancing his current and future needs led him to seek my advice.

I was able to review all of Steve’s investments and pensions and the first consideration was to ensure that he had enough funds for his current, short term and emergency needs.  I was then able to turn my thoughts towards Steve’s future and put together a tax efficient portfolio which met his needs and which he was comfortable with.  We made extensive use of cashflow modelling to help visualise the future and have revisited Steve’s situation on an annual basis as part of our ongoing advice service.  Steve has seen some strong returns from his portfolio since we set things up and (as seen below) he has been happy with how things have gone.  Steve’s work life has also vastly improved since we met as he has been able to use his vast levels of knowledge and experience in his field in a new consultancy role, which gives him the freedom and flexibility he wished for and enough income for his current needs.

Steve was kind enough to leave us the following testimonial, along with the following recent update on the independent review site – – www.vouchedfor.co.uk:

Initial Review

“I lost my job under wholly unexpected circumstances. I was at an age and a stage in my working life when retirement was on the nearer horizon anyway, but I needed to completely rethink my situation. Once you face the reality of tapping into your resources that you’ve earned over a working life you realise it’s not that straightforward.

Graham enabled me to take much more into account than I had been doing. Although I had a broadly sound plan, he was able to show me how that would work out in the future. He then showed me alternative models and forecasts for comparison. He took my needs and desires fully into account but ensured I could balance those with a longer-term strategy for financial security, something I wasn’t big on when I first contacted him. He explained everything every step of the way. One of the most important benefits I get from working with him is a sense of confidence as I move forward with my retirement planning. He is very experienced and calmly assuring and he allows you to test out potential plans and ideas which he’ll then put to the test using sophisticated modelling software. All the while he was looking out for a plan that would suit me.”

 

Recent Update

“Graham has consistently provided a great service. He is very reliable and gives considered, well researched guidance but also listens carefully. I have seen considerable growth in my portfolio while Graham has been overseeing things.”