Monday
I am an early bird so I am in the office for 7am.
On Mondays, I use the morning to get organised for the week. One of the team puts my appointment folders on my desk the week before and I spend the morning reading through client files, making notes about their situation, checking the correct fund performance and illustrations are there, and generally catching up on what is happened with each client since the previous meeting.
I then spend some time updating each client’s personal cashflow forecasting plan with the latest information so I can have interactive meetings that focus on forward planning later in the week.
This week, I have a meeting with a corporate client regarding protection of their business and future. We will be discussing director share protection, as well as pensions and retirement planning, and the pros and cons of buying their offices through a Sipp.
Mid-morning, I run the team meeting to go through priorities for the week and follow up from the previous week. We also discuss any complex cases and hopefully I leave everyone enthusiastic and inspired for the week ahead. Included in this week’s session is training for the trainee advisers and paraplanners, on how to top slice a bond.
Monday afternoon and into the evening is my telephone session, so I spend three or four hours contacting clients for meetings, to follow up, or just to stay in touch.
Tuesday
Tuesday and Wednesday are my meetings days. These start between 8am and 10am and I have between four and six back-to-back meetings with clients in our offices. These are very interactive and involve a lot of planning for their goals, working out the best strategy and reviewing what we have accomplished so far.
This week involves a change in strategy for a client who had inherited a working farm from her uncle – completely changing her situation. I am assessing the agricultural relief and what to do with the land and the buildings. Interesting issues like this do not cross one's desk every day.
Wednesday
Wednesday is more of the same, but the meetings generally start later as I dedicate the earlier part of the morning to personal development. This might involve watching a video on new cashflow forecasting features, listening to our investment webex, reading the latest adviser publication or studying for an exam. This week was spent writing my certified report. It is very intense but has, without doubt, made me a better adviser. Some Wednesdays are spent in our offices in London seeing City clients, but not this week.
After a very busy Tuesday and Wednesday, in the evenings, I generally hit the gym or, if the weather is nice, I go out for a walk to get some exercise and wind down from all of the meetings.
Thursday
Thursday is my buffer day, when I can get all the non-meeting work done. As a mother of two young girls, I am on school run duty, so after dropping my daughters off, I lock myself in my office to get stuck in without interruptions. It is amazing what you can get done at home – assuming you can resist doing all the washing and nibbling from the cupboards in-between.
This week, I am also hosting a client lunch in the City with some of our top clients, which is great. All this before shooting off again at 3pm to pick up the girls and ferry them to whichever activity we have on that evening. I swear they have a better social life than me.
Friday
Friday is when the really hard work starts – mummy duty. I have my youngest today, which means I am off to Puddleducks swimming, building dens and getting covered in paint or cake mixture. It is quite a contrast from my role of professional financial adviser of the days before, but I would not have it any other way.
Sarah Hogan is a director of KBA FS, based in Greater Manchester
