Following this, I book an appointment for a client who has decided to invest his redundancy payout into a pension plan to benefit from tax relief.
I then prepare all the paperwork for my next few days’ appointments and reply to emails.
Tuesday
I am off to Bournemouth, two hours’ away today, for a presentation by Old Mutual Wealth to all the Strategic Solutions advisers. This is an in-depth look at the new pension rules. We also schedule in our next company meeting. These events help keep everyone’s knowledge up-to-date and I get to discuss recent experiences with my colleagues.
Once back home and my children are asleep, I reply to the many emails that have come through during the day.
Wednesday:
I am not working today so I take my daughter to school and while my one-year-old has a nap, I catch up on emails. We then head to the park.
Thursday:
My first appointment is a referral from an existing client. Most of my clients have been referred to me and it is great to know that people are happy with my advice. As this lady is looking to retire in eight years, she wants to improve her investment returns, especially as her appetite for risk has also increased. She has money in a personal pension too so I explain the upcoming pension changes to her.
I have a quick bite to eat while picking up answering machine messages.
My afternoon meeting is with clients who are family friends. They have sold a property and are keen to invest some of the proceeds. Being the end of the tax year we are able to invest £30,000 now into Isas and do the same again on 6 April .
I now head to a local business magazine launch. Strategic Solutions received recognition of a recent award in the opening edition so I am pleased to attend.
Friday:
I am off to a home appointment today for two sisters who have power of attorney for their aunt. They were referred to me by an ex-colleague. The aunt has had to sell her house to fund care fees, they wish to invest in both short and longer term investments to try and make the capital last as long as possible.
I head back to my office for a meeting with a potential new client. She contacted me through the Vouchedfor website where clients leave reviews of the advice and service received from advisers. This lady is looking to invest capital for income to fund travelling costs. As I love holidays we have a good chat about places we had both visited.
After checking emails and answer phone messages, I head home looking forward to the weekend.
Abi Stidworthy is an IFA of Devon-based Strategic Solutions Chartered Financial Planners
