This busy adviser spends his week in client meetings and piling through paperwork
Monday
I spend Mondays in our Folkestone office to allow me to spend time with the team.
Often as the spearhead of the advice process, other team members’ work can be held up by needing time with the adviser. This is why dedicated office time is important to avoid hold-ups and staff frustration.
I finish the day with circuit training, which helps clear the head.
Tuesday
Today is an early start for the Irwin Mitchell later life conference in London. This whole day conference is full of interesting information on what is becoming a larger and larger market for us.
Working closely with specialist solicitors is so important for vulnerable clients and we are seeing an appetite for the involvement of a financial planner from their side too.
This is why I am in the process of becoming a Society of Later Life Advisers member – it is a lot of work to achieve this designation, but well worth it.
I get home in time to do a few hours of paperwork before calling it a day.
Wednesday
It is another day in the office today, with various client calls and catching up on emails during the morning.
Later, I head to Folkestone harbour for lunch with my Legal & General Investment Management contact.
I find a fund management group that offers both active and passive often has different insights.
Despite us talking about the wider global economic story, inevitably, we end up discussing Brexit and the implications for portfolios.
I head back to the office for a new client meeting, which was actually the mother of an old school friend.
It is great to be able to talk through her situation and visibly see the stress lifting from her as she starts to see a clear path for her financial future. We agree to start the process of building a financial plan, which I feel will give her further confidence that her goals are achievable.
I finish the day with a weight session with my personal trainer – I have Vitality private medical and I am keen to rack up the points and keep my platinum status.
Thursday
It is a stressful start to the day as my father tows my Triumph Spitfire that is in need of TLC to the garage with me.
It is an old car without modern brakes, but luckily we got to the garage without too many issues.
After a morning in the office I am up to see a couple of clients in Windsor.
The first client’s health has been declining and her children have started attending the meetings.
We spoke about the role of power of attorney and the importance of helping individuals to continue to make their own decisions as long as they were able.
The second meeting focused on lifetime allowance planning and I helped him understand there was not necessarily a standard approach to dealing with a pension approaching the limit.
Friday
Friday is a working from home day, which is a great opportunity for some focused work. I am in touch with the team throughout the day and we manage to finalise the case at 3pm.
The last job of the day is picking up the Spitfire, which has passed its MOT. I have a glass of wine to celebrate another busy week.
Nathan Harris is a chartered financial planner at Lothbury Group
If you would like to write a Diary of Adviser, please contact Melanie Tringham at melanie.tringham@ft.com
