Forget absolute returns or CPI plus 4 per cent, the managing director of a Bristol-based financial planning firm has written a book designed to help people achieve long-lasting “financial wellbeing”.
Chris Budd of Ovation Finance is launching The Financial Wellbeing Book this week, after being inspired by his oncology nurse wife’s work for cancer charity, the Penny Brohn Cancer Centre.
“My wife and I were talking in the car one day about her work, which is all about helping the body fight cancer,” he said.
“One of the things the Centre focuses on is reducing stress and it struck me one of the biggest causes of stress is money worries.
“It brought to mind the idea of financial wellbeing and planning to reduce stress and make you happy, not just wealthy. So I thought I could write a book on that.”
Mr Budd, who lives in Somerset and has been an IFA since 1998, said he spent three months working on the 128-page guide, “but on the other hand I could say it took about 27 years because that is how long I’ve been an adviser”.
“This is different to a lot of books about finance because they are about how to get rich and that’s what I wanted to get away from - this is about how to get happier,” he said.
“Part of the book is about working out what you want from life and working out how to get there. One of the first things in the book is about creating clear, achievable goals.”
Everyone can get something valuable from the book, Mr Budd said, though he added it is probably aimed at people who find themselves in the advice gap – those who could benefit from financial advice but can’t afford it.
The venture marks Mr Budd’s second published work, following a novel called A Bridge of Straw in 2013. He is currently putting the finishing touches to his second novel.
The Financial Wellbeing Book is published by LID Publishing and is available on Amazon for £9.98 as well as bookshops such as Waterstones and WHSmith, with all proceeds going to the Penny Brohn UK charity.
