Remember Bill from a few weeks ago with the stock windfall? We met again a few days ago to run through his financial plan. I started by confirming his net worth – £4.8 million. He couldn’t believe it. He’d never added it all up before. His chosen lifestyle costs £60,000 a year. All but £200k of […]
View ArticleMet a new client last week. Thirty years at the same factory. Same desk, same commute, same chat with the same workmates in the break room. For most of those thirty years, he drip-fed into his company’s employee share purchase scheme. Over 4,000 shares in Seagate Technologies, accumulated a few pounds at a time. Last […]
View ArticleIf you’ve worked at Seagate Technologies in Northern Ireland, you’ll be well aware of what’s happened to the share price recently. The AI boom has been good to STX. For many current and former employees, that means a number that looked comfortable a couple of years ago now looks significantly larger – and that’s not […]
View ArticleFinancial Planning, Money Scripts and Money Mindsets, Retirement
Transitioning into retirement is rarely easy. I met with a client earlier today who is fast approaching her planned retirement and feels deeply uneasy about the shift ahead. On paper, she has sufficient resources to last her lifetime. She has saved consistently, planned carefully and done everything “right”. She said to me: “I know […]
View ArticleLast week, I had the privilege of guiding a young couple through a comprehensive review of their financial trajectory. By analysing their current financial habits, I illustrated where they would stand in 10 to 20 years if they continued their current spending patterns without strategic adjustments. I then introduced a strategy of extracting surplus cash […]
View ArticleApril 2008, the global financial crisis unfolding and in much need of headspace I set off on my motorbike for an adventure in Morocco. A few days into my ride I headed off-road from Midelt to Lac Tislit. Not far along, the track dropped down a steep slope. Once I committed to that descent, there was […]
View ArticleYour Health Is Your Wealth When I sit with clients, we talk about more than just money. We talk about goals, values, lifestyle, and longevity. Too often I’ve seen avoidable health issues derail the best-laid financial plans – financial wealth doesn’t matter much if you’re too ill to enjoy it. Your quality of life in later […]
View ArticleWe all get the importance of saving for the future—building that nest egg, planning for retirement, and securing your financial dreams. But there’s another side to the coin: enjoying the present. When I joined the family firm in 2001 I recall my dad sharing a story that has stuck with me ever since: A woman […]
View ArticleWhat is Your Premortem for 2025? As you think back on 2025, why was this your worst year ever? That’s not typically the thought exercise we go through when preparing for a New Year. But one possible reason over 90% of people fail at their New Year’s resolutions is that they haven’t thought […]
View ArticleAre Your Opportunity Costs Hurting Your Return on Life? If you turn right at a junction to take the scenic route, then you don’t turn left and head straight home. If you have dinner at your favorite pizza restaurant tonight, then you don’t have dinner at your favourite sushi restaurant. If you […]
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