My first client arrived at 10.30am. She holds power of attorney for her mother who entered a care home recently, and wanted to understand the options available to fund the shortfall between her mother’s income and the care home fees she was paying. To provide advice, it was essential I understood her mother’s situation fully, so we discussed sensitive issues around health and potential life expectancy. At Towry, I specialise in advice to elderly and vulnerable clients, so while these conversations are never easy, I am able to obtain appropriate information and agree the next steps with the attorney.
Tuesday
Today started with a request from a client wanting to make a single premium into his Towry Sipp. This is a typical enquiry that we receive around this time of year with clients considering end-of- tax-year planning. The next few weeks approaching tax-year end are a very important and busy time. So I had a meeting with my colleagues in the client support team to check that all our client contact plans were in place to make sure the year end will be as smooth as possible for our clients.
Wednesday
I had two clients to see out of the office today – one near Cirencester and a second meeting that I was concerned about as it was close to some of the villages affected by recent floods. I decided to leave home early and make some client calls when I reached my destination. The weather was appalling, but I arrived at both meetings safely. While driving I saw many houses that appeared to be surrounded by water and was grateful to arrive back in Bristol and firm ground.
Thursday
Today we had our monthly team meeting. This was an opportunity for wealth advisers based in the Bristol office to come together to discuss client cases we were working on and share information and best practice. There was a full agenda today, including a visit from our advice policy team, who presented some interesting ideas around inheritance tax planning. We work closely with other local professionals and use our monthly meetings to invite them along to speak on a topical issue. Today we had representatives from a legal firm speaking on eligibility for continual health care funding.
Friday
I met with my client support associate and wealth planner to review current cases. Two reports requested were ready for checking, so I phoned these clients to arrange presentation meetings. I travelled to my next appointment at a client’s home to review the discretionary investment management portfolio that Towry look after on their behalf. There are capital gains within their portfolio and we discussed carrying out work in order for them to utilise their annual CGT allowances. After a trip back to the office to submit paperwork, it was home and off with the family to Cornwall for a short break.
Sally Bartram is a wealth adviser at Towry’s Bristol-based office
