Monday
I then have breakfast with my partner, Claire and make my way to catch the 9.47am train into London. I like to avoid rush hour whenever possible.
I am in the office for 11am. I meet with the team and we go through the week ahead getting everything prepared. The week is going to be packed with various client meetings.
After spending the majority of the day at my desk catching up with paperwork, I have a Skype call planned with a client who is now based in Kenya. He is a lawyer who moved to Africa to work some time ago. We have six-monthly catch-up calls via Skype to discuss the investments we put in place before he left the UK, and during this last cal, we go through the move into trackers he made for some of his portfolio. He is happy with the progress so far. I leave the office at 7.50pm, and am back home for 9.15pm.
Tuesday
Catching the 9.47am, I head directly to the office for the company mentoring group meeting. This is a monthly meet-up, where a group of us share ideas and best practice – I find it invaluable.
At 1pm, I have a meeting in the office with a client who is a retired ship broker. We review his portfolio, and generally catch up. He tells me about the volunteer work he has been doing at a local food bank, and how busy it is becoming – worrying really.
At 6.30pm, a client who works as a solicitor comes to the office to review his pension portfolio. Everything is on track, and he is pleased.
My step-daughter is on half-term, and she and Claire pick me up from the office and we head into town for dinner. We arrive home at about 10.30pm.
Wednesday
An early visit to the gym is followed by a direct journey into the office. Here, I meet two new client referrals – a young couple. They are looking for a full financial plan; both earn good salaries but are spending too much and not saving enough – a familiar story perhaps. We start work on a complete cash-flow forecast for them, showing them where they are and where they would like to be.
In the afternoon, another client comes to see me at the office. I look after his entire family (about six to seven members in total), and they have been clients for more than 10 years. We look at pension forecasting.
Back at my desk, I catch up with paperwork from the various meetings held so far. I then make my way for the 8.12pm train, and am home for 9.30pm.
Thursday
I head into London early. I go to visit a client of mine at her office in Liverpool Street. She has recently taken on a new job and would like some advice around entering the company’s pension scheme, and the funds to select. She has had funds under management with me for more than 15 years, so trusts the advice and support I will provide.
The rest of the afternoon is spent in the office. I then meet with another client at 6pm. He works in IT, and we are in the middle of building a full cashflow forecast for him to help him plan for the future. I leave the office at 7.30pm.
Friday
After a workout at the gym, followed by the school run, I head to the office. The team has its Friday catch-up to go through the week gone by, and to look towards the week ahead.
I have lunch with a long-standing client who has inherited a large sum of money and needs to review the action plan.
I always leave work early on a Friday – around 5pm, because we have film night at home. This week, we are going to watch the first Star Wars film.
Claire and I also need to pack for a family weekend away to a country house in Sussex, which we all love.
Charles Wootton is a partner at Foster Denovo based in London
