Tom’s perspective

I had recently taken early retirement I wanted some professional advice on my financial planning.

Having worked in many different locations around the world I had quite a number of investments with different providers but no clear strategy.

I had some clear priorities which were to set aside some funds to help our children with weddings, house deposits etc. and also for ourselves.

Further to that I wanted our investments consolidated into an efficient simple to manage portfolio which would provide consistent returns over the long term.

Lee’s perspective

After working and travelling overseas for a number of years, I realised that  our financial investments were all over the place with different companies.

I was concerned that if I was left on my own, it would be difficult remembering where all of these investments were.

So, I was looking for a company who could simplify and consolidate our investments for us.

Our diagnosis

Following many years of hard work and great financial decisions, Tom and Lee found themselves in a very strong financial position but at a cross roads in life. Tom had taken redundancy and they weren’t really confident in the resilience of their financial position.  

For a number of reasons, their financial arrangements were a bit disjointed and they needed help to understand what they have, what they needed and what could be done with their money. 

There were some big decisions to make. Should Tom take his pension or transfer it? What assistance could they give their four daughters? 

Having gathered together the details of their existing policies and arrangements, we created a financial forecasting model to illustrate Tom and Lee’s position.

We started by helping Tom and Lee make a decision about his pension. We then helped them to simplify their finances, creating a consolidated financial plan that they understood and gave a clear direction. 

Our approach to investing balanced a cash buffer, instantly available to give them peace of mind, while investing their other assets in such a way that would insulate them against inflation, over the long run. 

We put in place a strategy to ensure Tom and Lee were optimising their tax position.

These steps were essential to removing the stress and uncertainty surrounding their finances and meant they could confidently focus their energy on the things they love doing. 

We were able to reassure them that they have more than enough financial assets to live their life on purpose now, and over the course of the rest of their lives. 

These were the first few steps in the journey of ensuring Tom and Lee’s finances support them in living life to a full.

The difference it’s made to Lee and Tom

Woods guided us through the process of identifying what our life priorities really are. 

For us, this was about helping our children become independent and beginning to think about the next chapter in our lives. Demonstrating and organising our finances to enable these priorities has helped remove any concerns we had. 

It sounds simple enough but the process has reassured us that we are in good shape moving forward.

I feel we have made the right choice with Emery Little as they have taken away the stress of worrying about our future.