Interface Financial Planning: Recent Episodes
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I’ve had an exciting week! My son Tom and I went to London on Tuesday, for a conference at Intelliflo. Not only is it nice to get out and about every now and then but actually, Intelliflo always gives me a buzz! It’s a software system that’s used for financial planners – and rather than…
The post I’m Excited…About Intelliflo! appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
You might think that I spend my week organising mortgages, recommending savings accounts, advising on the impact of interest rate rises or anything else related to finance but there’s so much more to what I do. In fact, you’d be entirely wrong if you thought that being a financial advisor is just about money! This…
The post My Financial Planning Week appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
Today I want to talk about insurance companies. This is a topic particularly close to my heart as, if you didn’t already know, I had a severe house fire earlier this year (hence my sporadic communication of late).We all go through years of paying insurance without ever making a claim and you have insurance in…
The post Is Insurance as Reassuring as It Should Be? appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
This blog was written in March shortly after the fire at our home which caused extensive damage. We are happy to tell you that we are now safely settled back at home and renovations have begun including the completion of a smart new home office! Why Your Phone Charger Could Kill You Yes, I know,…
The post Why your phone charger could kill you appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
Some clients have gone to their Defined Benefit pension providers and obtained a transfer value, and they are concerned that their transfer values have gone down. They have erroneously come to the false conclusion that they have “lost money” and to put their minds at rest I have taken some time investigating so that I…
The post Defined Benefit Pension Transfer Values Have Fallen appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
So here we are again – the end of another year is in sight, and I just can’t believe that it’s already Christmas time! The months really do fly, and with that I thought it was worthwhile to sign off the year by giving the readers of Professional Adviser a brief Interface Financial Planning update.…
The post To Round Up 2022 appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
I met Martin in the early 1990s and he was one of my first clients when I became an Independent Financial Advisor. I was privileged to have Martin as a client and friend for nearly 30 years – but unfortunately, he died of COVID-19 in April 2020, and I still miss him very much. Martin…
The post Martin’s Story – Friendship and Financial Advice appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
Roll back 20 years to October 2002 and I had the privilege to meet Margo, a delightful lady who I am proud to still call my client today. At our first meeting, I discovered that Margo had received a sum of money and was seeking sound investment advice. She had already contacted no less than…
The post Margo’s Story – It’s About People, Not Money! appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
If you’ve ever doubted that you can reach your financial goals and make your dreams come true, this genuine client story about Zoe will give you the boost you’re looking for! Zoe is my wonderful client. I first met her 25 years ago and she’s still one of my treasured clients (of course – all…
The post You Really Can Make Your Dreams Come True – Zoe’s Story appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
Here’s a moving story about my client Peter. Peter is a client very close to my heart and I am delighted to say that I’ve managed to make a huge difference to Peter’s life. His own story is an emotional one, a real rollercoaster and he’s had many challenges to overcome. Yet, despite those challenges,…
The post Peter’s Story – Getting Out of a Mountain of Debt appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
It upsets me greatly when I hear of Financial Advisors turning less fortunate people away when they ask for help. They seem to believe that because the person who’s asking for help has no money, they aren’t worth helping! They seem to forget that we all started out that way. I have always taken a…
The post Michaela’s Story – From Zero to Hero! appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
“Don’t you touch those clients with a barge pole!” shouted my manager angrily at me when I returned to the office. I will never forget that moment! It’s as if it happened just yesterday…. What am I talking about? Let me tell you. Many years ago back in January 1990, I was working for a…
The post Kevin and Kate – When You Should Touch Clients With More Than a Barge Pole! appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
When I first met Tim in February 1999, he needed financial advice. He was introduced to me by another client and had never visited a Financial Adviser before, but he felt it was time to organise his finances and plan for the future. Tim was married to Lillian (who he brought to our first meeting)…
The post Tim and Lillian – Planning for the Unexpected appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
“I would never have been able to do all of this without your help. You’ve been so good to me over the years.” That’s what my client Caroline said to me recently. Her words moved me, especially as she’s been my client for over 30 years. It is immensely satisfying to know that I’ve made…
The post Caroline’s Story – Money Management for The Rest of Her Life appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
As you all know by now, I like to help others with solid, sound financial advice, life planning and by being a friend too. In doing so, I especially like to assist my clients who want to make the world a better place. If you’ve been reading my client stories, then you’ll find that to…
The post Clients With Similar Stories – Meet Aaron, Frances, Colin and a Few Others appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
A client of mine called Martin introduced me to Nyasia who became another one of my valued clients – every client is of course, valued by me and my team. Nyasia wanted some help completing her tax returns. At Interface, we’ve always provided a very comprehensive service for our clients including compiling and filing tax…
The post Nyasia’s Story – Financial Planning Nicely In Place for the Rest of Her Life! appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
This is an interesting story about Fred, who’d come over from Jamaica on the Windrush when he was a teenager. As you can imagine, he arrived with absolutely nothing and yet he’d manage to build up a significant investment portfolio independently with very little advice. When he contacted me, he had recently retired and wanted…
The post Meet Fred – A Windrush Success Story! appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
This story is all about Brian and Elena who I’ve looked after since my early days as a Financial Advisor, when I started back in 1990. Initially, we’d met and completed some financial transactions but at the time, Brian and Elena didn’t get involved in financial planning. They were very nice, down-to-earth types, Brian was…
The post Meet Brian & Elena – We All Make Mistakes, Sometimes, They Lead to Success appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
Daphne came to my office for her first meeting just about 15 years ago. She’d had a successful career and a relationship “Down South” but the failing health of her mother had brought her back to her hometown, Birmingham to act as her mother’s carer for her last couple of years. A Time of Change…
The post Daphne’s Story – It’s About Lighting that Torch! appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
As you know at Interface we always try to get as much information to you as we can – through the website, our guides, the podcast, on YouTube and through our blog. In fact, our website is a hub that’s bursting with lots of useful financial information, and we get so many compliments about what…
The post Monica’s Story – Financial Planning That Lasts a Lifetime! appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
Managing the Money You Have Today, I’m going to tell you about Zara and while her story is of course, personal, you might find some of it relates to you, if you are in, or have been in, a similar situation. Now Zara’s story wasn’t a unique situation and I’d seen it before, but I…
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I’ve been analysing the costs of running my electric car and I’ve also been feeling a little smug every time that I drive past a garage and see the rising cost of petrol! Strong Values and Keen Recyclers However, buying an electric car wasn’t just about the cost. I had made the decision before last…
The post My Experience of Running My New Electric Car appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
From the 29th of July, a little over a month from now, Funeral Planning will become regulated by the FCA, and only authorised advisers will be able to provide advice on Funeral Plans. It’s actually a vitally important subject, despite its sombre nature, and if you continue reading you will see why. Thanks Mum! If…
The post My Application to Provide Funeral Plan Advice for Clients Has Been Approved appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
Have you visited my website lately? You may well have – we’re getting hundreds of hits a day, sometimes even more and that’s because it is quite literally a treasure trove of financial information! The thing is, the website has done an incredible job in supplying not just my clients but anyone who drops in,…
The post A Centre for Education and Learning About All Things Financial appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
Lately, I think I’ve experienced a type of “burn-out”. Starting at 6.00am every morning and working 7 days a week has recently proved too much for me, especially at my age! The problem that I find is when you’re working from home, the temptation to just carry-on working (because you can) is too much. Unfortunately,…
The post A Life Lesson appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
Every month, I like to conduct a full work meeting with everyone involved at Interface Financial Planning. These meetings are conducted via Zoom, mostly because I have employees based all over the country (and even the world!), so it makes meeting up much easier than taking the train, bus, car – or even plane over…
The post Work Meetings at Interface appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
With the beginning of a new year, my thoughts like so many other people in business always turn to “How I can do better?” As a starting point, I decided once again, to evaluate Interface’s business processes so I can start the year as efficiently as possible. You may think that sounds like a big…
The post Streamlining Business Processes appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
This week I’ve noticed a common theme and something that I’m not overly-happy about! I’ve been having a number of conversations about client fees, and I must admit that I am mildly irritated by it. Only yesterday I was in a discussion with a well-known investment platform. The platform is considering implementing a minimum fee…
The post Costs and Value, providing value to our clients appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
You’re used to the bubbly and upbeat Alan, and I know my blog of last week was about feeling overwhelmed with work and tasks at home. I used my “oxygen mask” as and when I needed to (if you haven’t read my blog, do have a look at it here) and started to breathe. However,…
The post Internet Phishing and Scams – A Warning to Heed! appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
We live in the truly exciting age of technology; I just love it (and it keeps on evolving!). So anyone that doesn’t use at least some of the technology available will no doubt get left behind at some point. But, sometimes, technology doesn’t lend itself to an activity, let me explain what I mean. Just…
The post Have You Got the Balance Right? Using Technology V Personal Interaction appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
With the beginning of a new year, my thoughts (like so many other people in business) always turn to “How I can do better?” As a starting point, I decided once again, to evaluate Interface’s business processes so I can start the year as efficiently as possible. You may think that sounds like a big…
The post Streamlining Business Processes appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
This year is going to be financially challenging for many. Inflation has exceeded 5% which is eroding the value of savings and reducing spending power and there are several increases in expenditure that everyone should be aware of. Those of you who know me will already know that I am never a foreteller of doom…
The post Watch your pennies – A dozen financial changes that are taking place in 2022 and I could include many more! appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
If we care about the future and the type of world our children and grandchildren are going to be living in, then the how big is our carbon footprint question is one we should all be asking ourselves. I was in a conversation last week with someone and the subject cropped up. The person I…
The post How Big Is Your Carbon Footprint? appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
After five years of Brexit being in the news, you would think that someone could point out something positive about Brexit! Yet every day, there seems to be more and more evidence that leaving the EU was nothing but an unmitigated disaster. Roll Back the Years My first trip from England to another part of…
The post Why I Hate Brexit (and always will) appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
These days, more and more tools are being made available online so it’s a good idea to take advantage of what’s available. If you want to put yourself in control and have easy access to what the government has available, it is crucial that you register on the Government Gateway. This blog was prompted because…
The post Why Everyone Should Register on the Government Gateway or Gov.UK appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
Cryptocurrency – you’ve heard about it; it certainly creeps into the news more regularly than ever before and perhaps you’re even tempted to invest in it! However, ask yourself – do you really understand it? I’m constantly asked by my clients about it and just last week, someone suggested I write about it. So that’s…
The post Understanding Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin (and the others!) appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
With COP26 coming to a close just last weekend, I’ve been very focussed on sustainability, the environment and talking to my clients about Ethical Investments. Although, truth be told, Ethical Investment is never far from my thoughts because I do want to make a difference to my children, grandchildren, and the world. The thing is,…
The post Are You an Ethical Investor? appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
Someone asked me recently, what’s the difference between a Financial Planner/Advisor and a Chartered Accountant I can give you a very simple answer. In broad terms, an accountant looks at what’s happened financially in the past whereas an advisor or planner looks to the future. So, an accountant will look at the figures you’ve done…
The post How Financial Life Planning is Different to Traditional Financial Planning appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
Recently, at Interface, we’ve been working hard on our Ethical Investments Portfolio. Didyou know, these investments give you a better return on your investments than traditionalinvestments? Actually, more than that, ethical investments are so vitally important becauseof the environmental issues that our planet faces. For many of my clients in their 70s and 80s, perhaps…
The post Investing in Renewables appeared first on Interface Financial Planning.
Today, I’m calling on all businesses to improve their efficiency using outsourcing, not only to boost their productivity and profit margin but also to deliver better service to clients and customers. Outsourcing is something that Interface Financial Planning has relied on for many years and continues to do so. Quite frankly, I don’t know where…
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