Paul

Client since 2016

Hi, my name is Paul Smith. I've been with Philpott Financial for seven years now, and my adviser is Benji, as I know him, Benji Philpott.

It was quite an emotional time for me as I had lost my father, and he had obviously left something for me, and I wanted to invest it correctly. So, I got in touch with Benji to help me with the financial side, and that's how it all started.

I just wanted to do my best by my dad's money and not waste it. I wanted to invest it correctly, but I also wanted to bring in my pensions, as when I lost my dad, I had changed jobs as well.

So, changing jobs and getting my pension and my private pension aligned was really important to me and my family, so I had quite a lot to discuss with Benji on that.

It was interesting because I obviously knew Benji when he worked in the bike shop, and then I'd watched him progress with his dad into the financial world. I just trusted him the way he was; he was really honest with me, and when he came to see me and my wife at the house with his dad, it was just a very open and honest conversation, and it just sparked from there.

They're really good at reaching out to me because, with my role and what I do, I'm quite a busy man. They always reach out and set a date for me to come and see them at the office, just to discuss where my plans are, which is always good for me because I'm quite a hard man to tie down.

They're really good at saying, "Paul, come up, come and see us," and I have a good two or three hours in the office with them. They give me a good overall summary of where I'm at and advise me correctly. Sometimes I don't want a lot of detail, but I just want enough to know that my investments are in good hands.

I can come here at any time, or I can pick up the phone at any time. It isn't just a conversation about financial stuff; he asks about the family; we talk about his family, and I just feel comfortable, and I can open up and talk about how I may want to do something, and Benji will never ever judge it; he will just say, "Let’s have a look at it, let's talk about it," and then give me the best advice possible.

I would say that before working with Philpott Financial, I was probably at the bottom of the hill with no direction at all for what I was going to do. I feel now that I'm at a crest where I can see a good future for me and my family when the time comes to retire. Not only that, but I also know that my finances are working really well for me.

The three words I would use to describe Philpott Financial are "professional", "trustworthy" and "reliable".