Monday
I begin my week with a first appointment close to home in Coventry. The lady I am meeting with wants to release equity from her property to help her children pay for a house deposit.
They have been living in rented accommodation for more than 10 years and the money will allow them to take their first step on to the property ladder.
While releasing equity to assist children with house deposits has always been popular, I have seen a steady increase in this over the past few months. The older generation is realising just how hard people are finding it to buy their first home, and what it means to them when they are able to help.
I like to end the day relaxing and going ballroom dancing with my wife, which I do at least once a week. I am rather hoping that we will get an adviser version of Strictly Come Dancing.
Tuesday
Today I am up at 6:30am for a final appointment with a 71-year-old gentleman who lives in Birmingham. He wants the option of being mortgage-free. It is a lovely thought knowing that tomorrow he will be debt-free and have an extra £1,000 a month he can spend on himself and his family.
He explains the first thing he will do with the money, after paying off his mortgage, will be treating his new granddaughter.
With more people carrying mortgages into retirement, this is something that we are seeing more of and the relief that clients feel is amazing.
I end the day completing admin work and taxiing my two children around to their various extracurricular activities. They definitely have a better social life than I do.
Wednesday
The morning begins with a trip up the M6 to our head office in Preston. Today I am taking part in a training session, centred around our new digital advice delivery platform.
The new technology will allow for a smoother and quicker advice process, which will in turn improve customer experiences and advice quality.
Later in the afternoon I catch up with other advisers on the training day and make some follow-up calls to customers on my way back home.
Thursday
I start a little later today, which means I can catch up on finishing meeting notes and completing admin following the weeks’ appointments.
After a quick lunch I head to a second appointment in Stoke on Trent, where I meet a couple who want to buy their mother a small house closer to the rest of the family.
With the mother’s health rapidly declining, it is important to make sure they release enough for them to purchase a second home.
I enjoy making a difference to people’s lives in such a short period of time. More often than not, if a relative releases equity then it can impact the whole family for the good, not just the individual.
Friday
Today is largely an admin day in the home office. I call and chat with other advisers, often giving advice on the more complex cases.
My experience over the years has resulted in having a breadth of knowledge that I can pass on to colleagues relatively new to the industry.
The sun is shining and it is a nice end to the week and I am finished in time to catch up on the rugby. I am a huge rugby fan and cannot wait for the Six Nations to start next year.
Mark Gill is an equity release adviser at Key
If you would like to write a week in your life as a financial adviser, please contact: melanie.tringham@ft.com
