You are at the centre of everything we do. We give you peace of mind by helping you identify, achieve and maintain your desired standard of living without fear of ever running out of money.
Our independent financial advice simplifies and streamlines your financial affairs, reducing what you pay in tax and increasing what you have to spend on the things you enjoy.
We specialise in working with people approaching retirement or who are already retired.
We listen to what matters most to you about your future. Everyone has different priorities and we’ll work out exactly how you stand financially based on your existing investments, policies and spending patterns. We’ll show you how this matches up to your hopes for your future.
This ensures that you will be able to secure the future you want. We’ll show you what needs to be done to ensure that your money works for you to ensure that you can enjoy your lifestyle without worry about what might happen down the line.
Via your smartphone, tablet, computer or by lifting the phone or dropping into the office.
We keep in touch regularly and the annual meeting gives you confidence that all your financial affairs are in order and keeps us up to date with any changes to your circumstances. We’ll show you whether or not you are on target to achieve your goals.
We are proud to carry the double-circle Accredited Financial Planning Firm mark which says we are accredited by the Institute of Financial Planning (IFP), the professional body for Financial Planning in the UK
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Shortlisted and commended for Social Media Adviser of the Year in the annual Unbiased.co.uk awards 2013 & 2014
Graduating with a Law degree from Queen’s University, Belfast, David entered financial services in 2001. He has obtained Certified Financial Planner status – CFPCM is recognised as the global symbol of excellence in Financial Planning. David is a member of the Chartered Insurance Institute, the Personal Finance Society and the Institute of Financial Planning. David is the chairperson of the steering group of Oasis Causeway, a local charity providing emotional and practical support to help people rebuild their lives after circumstantial change, trauma or crisis. When he isn’t working he unwinds on a motorbike, at a Crossfit gym or in the great outdoors with his young family.
“In an industry that struggles to adopt change, David Gibson stands out as an innovative business owner who embraces change and seeks new opportunities to develop his organisation in all aspects. His clients will be all the better for it!”
Nicholas Redfern, True Potential LLP
Financial Planner Magazine asked for an in depth article to be written on this case study. Read the article HERE
Rob and Catriona* wanted a full review of their finances and our Lifestyle package suited them perfectly. Rob owns a small business and Catriona is an administrative assistant in a GP surgery. They have a young son, Matthew, aged four.
We worked out what was important to them and what they wanted to achieve in the future. This led to the creation of their own Lifestyle Plan. Now they know that they can afford to retire and at the same time have the peace of mind knowing that they can maintain their chosen lifestyle no matter what happens.
They are saving to provide a fund at Matthew’s 18th birthday in case of potential university fees and accommodation costs. The strategy has been designed to feed money into the family accounts over a four year period and should enable their son to complete his studies without resorting to student loans.
Read more >Colin, a local school teacher, got in touch to see if he could afford to take a redundancy package he had been offered. I met with both him and his wife Sandra and worked out how much they needed to fund their current lifestyle. We identified a desire to spend at least two months in France each year for at least the next ten years. Taking into account all their existing savings and investments we prepared a Lifestyle Financial Plan which showed them that Colin could easily afford to take the redundancy package even with the reduced teacher’s pension he would receive as a result. In fact, during the planning process they asked whether or not it would be feasible for Sandra to retire too. We were delighted to be able to show them that she could also retire and that’s what they did. Proof that they were enjoying life was when we had to reschedule our recent annual review and forward planning meeting as they were heading abroad for a few months.
Read more >James runs a successful dairy farm and is married Jayne with two young sons. James was keen to plan for an early retirement to avoid working into old age as his father had done. He had a timeframe within which he wanted to be finished with active farming duties so that one of his two sons would have it for himself. We helped them to identify their desired future lifestyle and James and Jayne now know what they need to do to achieve this and their financial independence from the farm by the time James reaches his fifty fifth birthday. There is now a regular savings commitment into a well diversified investment portfolio which is on track to enable them to achieve their goals. Jayne runs a B&B business from the family home and since she enjoys it she wants to build a retirement dwelling close by the farm which would allow her to continue with this business once they leave the main farmhouse.
Read more >Charlie* approached me for guidance on planning for his retirement. He had a considerable sum on deposit and some previous paid up pension schemes from past employers. He had a substantial income and was keen to plan for his future. We spent the initial meetings working through with Charlie what he wanted his future to look like. Once we had costed out both his current and future desired lifestyle we were able to build him a Lifestyle Financial Plan to get him to an early retirement without fear of running out of money in the future. We meet with Charlie once a year to ensure that he is on track and to keep abreast of any changes to his circumstances. As a young man it is likely that his priorities will change and it is essential to regularly update his Lifestyle Financial Plan to reflect any changes.
Read more >Mark and Emily* had a large inheritance tax problem due in the main to both the value of their investment portfolio and their main residence. We worked alongside their solicitor to deal with the family home and mitigate against the likelihood of their children ever having to sell it to pay the Inheritance Tax bill. Mark had a large annual pension accumulated from years of working as a NHS consultant. It was clear that while he would always be a higher rate tax payer, Emily was a non tax payer and we created a tax efficient income stream for her. We identified how much money they needed to cover all future lifestyle costs and showed how much they could afford to use to build a legacy for their children without it being eroded by inheritance tax. We established a pension scheme for Emily which reduced Mark’s income tax bill as she was employed by him as an administrative assistant.
Read more >We give you a strategy for a secure future, a future which sees you achieve your hopes and dreams. By listening to what’s important to you and establishing what you want to achieve in life we can put together a plan to ensure that you will never run out of money, always having the resources to enjoy your chosen lifestyle. We are with you each step of the way, ensuring that you remain on track to achieve both your lifestyle and financial goals.
Most people ask this question and in some cases the answer is that maybe they do not need to invest but there are some facts which must first be considered:
We are all living and working longer. Our money needs to last longer and work harder for us. We can work out how much you need to invest and how much of a return you require to achieve a secure future. So what should we do? Should we hoard our money under the bed? Leave it on deposit in the bank or building society? Invest in the stockmarket?
If you think of your money in terms of food storage: some of it you’ll keep in your larder for immediate consumption, some of it will be in the fridge for medium term needs and more will be kept in the freezer for long term usage. We do not operate a one size fits all approach and you can rest assured that your portfolio will be designed with your goals and needs in mind.
Making prudent decisions about your assets and building on what you have is key to securing your financial future. History shows that the long-term investor will be rewarded for putting their capital into the system.
