I started in Financial advice in mid 1990’s as a Financial Planning Manager with the then Midland Bank based in Southampton.

Left to join an IFA in 2000, as I kept losing clients to IFAs. However the training at what was then HSBC, was excellent especially around the use of protection planning to secure a clients and their family’s future when looking at retirement/investment planning. Moved to Roxburgh Financial Management in 2007, covering Mortgage and protection. However my focus was not just on doing the ‘obvious’ for a client. I would look to ensure that the client was aware of the products available to protect not just the mortgage or the property, but also the remaining family.

This has been an ongoing focus for me over the years, with emphasis particularly on Income Protection, and the use of FIBs. Both of which continue to be massively underused in the industry. I have worked with providers on changes they have made to existing products and also on new ones to the market. In these pieces of work, I have looked at proposals from a adviser and client view point to stress test the product details and see what would and would not work.

I have seen, on many occasions, providers launch products they have developed with little input from the ‘coal face’ and been a little surprised at what they thought the market wanted. I remain passionate about holistic planning, and using protection planning as part of that.