Ready for new peaks

Matt Loadwick
Oct 2024 • 2 min read

Ready for new peaks

Joining a new business is always a significant life change; filled with anticipation and, of course, some anxiety. Having joined Solomon’s as a trainee financial planner, I’m looking to follow the path which Dan has successfully navigated, in switching professions for a career in financial planning.

A geography graduate from Newcastle University, my career to date has seen me specialise in transport and development planning, through which I sought to satisfy an innate desire to improve society; in this case by helping to make places and spaces better for the people who use them.

Undertaking what is a fairly sharp turn in my career, it would be fair to say that the levels of excitement, anticipation, and yes, anxiety, were amplified. However, my experience so far has been fantastic, thanks to the warm welcome I have received and the generous support provided daily by each of my new colleagues. From day one, the team at Solomon’s has ensured that I am integrated into the company culture; encouraging me to share my insights in team meetings, whilst always being there to help with any questions, of which there have been many at this stage!

A little about me; a proud northerner and good listener who likes to connect with people, my motivation for starting a new career in the financial services industry stems from seeking opportunity to make better use of my people skills; to help individuals realise their life goals through financial guidance, and to further increase my breadth of knowledge – all things I am really looking forward to.

I was born and raised in Poynton, a small town located just outside of Manchester, on the edge of the Peak District National Park. Growing up there inspired my love of hiking and cycling in the countryside; undoubtedly had some influence over my love of alternative rock and indie music (for which Manchester is a real wellspring); and is also reflected in my favourite sports teams – Sale Sharks RUFC, Stockport County and Manchester City (before the oil money made them “everyone’s favourite team to hate”).

Since joining the firm, I’ve had the chance to see first-hand the positive impact that good financial advice can have on the lives of our clients at a variety of key life stages. The initial learning curve has been steep, but rewarding, as I do my best to soak in as much as possible from the incredibly knowledgeable team here. It’s a process I’m thoroughly enjoying. I’m eager to build my knowledge and skills further to grow within this fantastic team, and ultimately contribute to helping our clients achieve their life goals.

BACK TO ALL BLOGS

Working in financial services … A calling?

TODAY’S BLOG

WORKING IN FINANCIAL SERVICES… A CALLING?

Normally when someone asks what I do for a living, my answer creates a knee-jerk reaction of eyes glazing over, hunching of the shoulders and the stifling of a yawn before the sarcastic comment “that sounds … thrilling” (or variations thereof!)

And I get it – to an outsider, financial services is Dull (with a capital D). In fact, to many ‘insiders’ as well, financial services is pretty dull! But I consider myself truly fortunate to be working in a firm like Solomon’s, with a great team of people, and a fabulous bunch of clients, doing the work that we do.

As a relatively small company, we don’t have hard lines between our roles here, which means we all get some exposure to marketing, finance, report writing, admin, client liaison, writing content, editing, checking each other, creative processes, planning, business growth. It’s a dynamic work environment for us and it’s the absolute opposite of the toxic workplaces that grace so many threads on social media at the moment. The team works well together as we all like and respect one another (even when we disagree).

solomonsifa.team – Debbie, Jemima, Abigail

Financial planning is not known as a caring profession (that expression seems to be reserved for medical personnel) but at Solomon’s (as a firm and as a team of individuals) – we genuinely do care about our clients and the work we do with them and for them. It is a great pleasure and an honour when a client realises they can retire earlier than they imagined; or that they can afford to do something that had seemed out of reach; or quite simply that they can ‘stop worrying’ about some of the ‘big stuff’ like “will I run out of money?” or “what would I do financially if I lost my spouse?”.

Most of our clients have been with Solomon’s for MANY years (some are counting in decades) and we know them very well … to a point of reading an article in the news or social media that reminds us of a client (a football team winning a big event, the sale of a very old and valuable stamp, or an interesting gardening fact – you catch my drift). We are invested in our clients’ lives (not in a stalker-ish way!) quite simply because we care what happens to them. We care that they are separating from their spouse, we care that they have been diagnosed with a critical illness, we care that they have lost a parent (or sadly a child).

We aren’t just about the money; we aren’t just about the work; we ARE about people; we are about empathy; we are about relationship.

We are a small firm with a big heart.

Debbie Harris
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on my blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to me about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email info@solomonsifa.co.uk

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – info@solomonsifa.co.uk
Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY | DATA PROTECTION