Monday
Mornings usually start with Bloomberg and CNBC running on the TV to catch up on news and markets and to see the overnight developments in the Asian markets.
Once in the office I check and respond to emails before meeting with the staff. We look forward to this fortnightly meeting as we all eat lunch together (different cuisines every time), discuss ongoing business matters and go through ongoing cases and any issues. We also discuss an ideas anyone may have on how to further Just Financial Group as a business, streamline processes while ensuring a high level of service to our clients.
Today we have also invited a representative from Prudential who presents their newly launched Retirement Account. This is one of the main features of our staff meetings, where we all meet with various product providers giving them the opportunity to brief us on their products and provide training where necessary.
I then finish off the day by meeting with our trainee protection consultant to go over his pipeline and discuss the outcome of his meeting earlier in the day, providing advice and guidance where required.
Tuesday
My first appointment in the office this morning is with a prospective client received from a referral site. She is an elderly lady but is well versed on investments having made investment decisions on her own in the past.
We discuss her circumstances and existing investments and I ask her about her requirements and expectations. We agree to look at investments which can mitigate her big inheritance tax liability and arrange to meet again in a week or so to discuss my findings and recommendations.
My afternoon is spent with the trainee protection consultant, observing his appointment in which he is meeting with the directors of a manufacturing company to discuss their business protection requirements.
Wednesday
Today is admin day, so I use the time to type up meeting notes and prepare for my meetings later in the week.
Finish the day around 7pm with a few hours of badminton at the sports club.
Thursday
Firstly, appointment with a new prospect who was referred from an existing client. He is a few years away from retirement and has several pension policies and is looking to consolidate these into one plan as well as hopefully achieve greater diversification and potential growth. We discuss my recommendations, which he confirms he is comfortable with and understands the rationale behind it.
Next, I travel to Ayrshire to meet an existing client for their annual review. While there they advise me that they have recently received an inheritance and would like to look at their options in relation to investing a portion of the funds. We discuss this and I head back to the office to start researching different options.
Early finish for a change to have dinner with the family.
Friday
It is a fantastic start to the day as I find out I have passed the CII Senior Management and Supervision exam and achieved my Fellowship.
I am then off to the gym for an hour before heading into the office.
I spend the morning going through the New Business Register, reconciling income statements and checking through advisers T&C files to ensure compliance requirements have been satisfactorily been met.
The afternoon meeting is an interview with a prospective candidate who is looking to join Just Financial Group as an IFA.
Dhawal Chandan is a director and chartered financial planner at Glasgow-based Just Financial Group
