film Archives - Financial Planning in Surrey

Would you hire a person to pretend to be your… ?

Dominic Thomas
Nov 2025 • 2 min read

Would you hire a person to pretend to be your…?

One of the adages most of us grew up with (perhaps negatively) is the idea of keeping up with the Joneses. The societal pressure to use our money to buy things and experiences so that we fit in with our neighbours (who do the same thing). I think it sits in an uneasy relationship with the religious concept about coveting.

As is invariably the case, real life is more nuanced than a list of dos and don’ts. There is a degree of merit to be found in improving our lives and communities (if that is what it is); on the other hand it can be rather vapid consumerism that is nothing more than tokenism, ‘society’ is surely what we choose to make it and conformity is the method of control and regulation.

The film Rental Family considers a more extreme aspect of Japanese family life and the expectations placed upon people to save face. This is on many levels a wonderful thing but of course has its evident flaws – an inability to accept the reality of difference.

It is very debatable if Japan is actually extreme at all in this regard, perhaps they are merely more honest about the problem than we may pretend. The recent rise in far right rhetoric is quite evidently appealing to those who like conformity, uniformity and control with little regard for the reality of difference or a hatred of it.

Rental Family is essentially a story about the need for support and understanding of difference and an acceptance of it. In a crowded world where isolation is rife, despite the illusion of increased interconnection, we can see that many people struggle with their sense of aloneness, sadly an increasing number (over 6,000 a year) take their own lives.

Platitudes don’t really help, practical support and attention may, the effort is certainly worthwhile. The idea that in our ‘service economy’ we could now sell the service to act as a family member and actually make life better, which of course isn’t always true of actual family members. One might also consider that transactional relationships are nothing new – most of our monarchs have been based on transactions, not love.

Set in Japan, we witness where this service might be deployed – in an apology, a wedding, any social event, the selection process for a child applying for a school, someone to show interest in the end of a career (or life) or even a mourner – something that is actually a very ancient ‘paid for service’.

Who better than an actor to pretend? Someone who is skilled in character and responding to context.

As a financial planner, I hope that it is evident that we offer rather more than simply arranging money stuff. To be blunt, the part of my work that I enjoy the most is getting to know you, your values, personality, friends and family. It’s your story and is what interests me.

Our role is to help you make your story more obvious, more aligned to your stated values and to help remind you that it (life) is mercilessly brief. Our world has an unlimited number of distractions from the moment we wake until our head returns to the pillow (and that’s for those of us who have an ability to switch off at that point).

Money is not the goal, it is the lubricant to your life, its feature is to function, not to count.

As for the film, I utterly loved it, it’s beautiful, and it reminded me that I would like to visit Japan, a world that seems so familiar yet different, that is perhaps its beauty to me.

References:

ONS data on UK (England and Wales) suicide rates

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Would you hire a person to pretend to be your… ?Jemima Thomas2025-11-21T10:09:56+00:00

What the F**K?

Dominic Thomas
Oct 2025 • 2 min read

What the F**K?

“F**k” is just a word yet conveys so much. Imagine yourself building a wonderful career in the service of others, attending a ceremony to acknowledge your work, where the Queen will present you with an MBE only to find the moment so overwhelming that you uncontrollably blurt it out to her majesty … except this time you have had the benefit of history and context.

I swear is the beautiful story of John Davidson who develops Tourette’s syndrome as a young teenager. Those of you offended or put off by swearing will struggle with the film, but to miss it would be a mistake. It is a beautifully told film, highlighting the misunderstanding and mistreatment that those with the syndrome experience every day and the salient point is that they cannot control themselves; it is a genuine condition.

We return to the 1980s, the pre-tech age, where corporal punishment was regularly meted out to those who crossed a line. Many of those draconian punishments were dispensed from ignorance (perhaps all of them). The Davidson family struggled to come to terms with Tourette’s in a world that lacks awareness, life is a challenge and John is eventually another misfit of academic data.

The intervention of Dottie is arguably the turning point in John’s life. It is her welcome and acceptance as someone outside of the family that changes the course of this story. Often, we can feel overwhelmed by the scale of the challenges we face, yet we know from history and perhaps experience, that a single person or act can have a remarkable impact. One person leads to the next and the next. John is welcomed, accepted, encouraged and importantly – empowered. His life becomes one of influence and it’s awesome.

What has this story got to do with financial planning? Tourette’s is not curable, but as we see in the film, technology in the hands of some rather good medics have made life much better for many of those with the syndrome. In particular, the research at Nottingham University. Invariably such research and prototype solutions require funding to develop them and bring them through the complete product lifecycle to the marketplace. This is often where investment in ‘life sciences’ happens, the sort of investment that is not in your mainstream portfolio (because there is a high risk of failure) but can be found through Enterprise Investment Schemes and Venture Capital. As this sort of investing is much more speculative (often with a far greater potential upside), there is Government inducement with tax relief on the investment of 30% or even 50% in some cases. The investment is invariably ‘locked in’ for five years or more, but the intention is to bring a world-changing solution to market and sell it to a much larger organisation at significant profit which can release it on a global scale.

There’s that and, well, frankly it’s a good reminder that when our plans and hopes look bleak, sometimes what it takes is the right conversation with someone who sees you and wants to help. Here’s to more conversations and I don’t mind the swearing.

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What the F**K?Jemima Thomas2025-10-28T14:56:59+00:00

The Salt Path is even more salty

Dominic Thomas
July 2025 • 2 min read

The Salt Path is even more salty…

Well, if you’ve read the book, seen the film or read my blog you will know this story of Moth and Raynor Winn who lost everything and found what was important. However, it seems that this is yet another story that is largely fabricated to self-serve. We are used to our own gutless politicians, and the plain lies and warmongering of the likes of Trump, Putin, Netanyahu and the deranged Farage, but once again fantasy and fiction collide to make falsehood.

Investigative journalist Cloe Hadjimatheou was intrigued enough about the elements of the story that didn’t add up. I suggested that I had some concerns as the complete loss of a home due to a poor investment is somewhat unusual and extreme. Hadjimatheou has done a thorough examination of the story and now it seems that everyone involved is backed into a corner with nowhere to hide.

The reality is rather different from both film and book, even whilst allowing for artistic licence and dramatisation, there are important aspects of the story that make the original tellers subject to the charge of complete liars.

According to Hadjimatheou’s thorough research, it would seem that Raynor Winn is herself a fictional character as is her husband Moth, in fact they are Sally and Tim Walker. Sally embezzled money from her employer to the tune of around £64,000 but it seems probably rather more. A family relative provided a loan of £100,000 to cover the legal fees and repayment to her employer Martin Walker an estate agent and surveyor in Pwllheli. The family relative who had provided the loan lost his business and creditors, together with the permission of the Courts, subsequently wanted repayment of the £100,000 which with interest had become £150,000. Failing to meet the repayment with a year to do so, resulted in repossession.

However, there are further plot twists with the couple buying property in France and publishing a book with a prize of their home (which it was suggested was mortgage free). So to say there are some serious questions about the credibility and character of Mr and Mrs Walker would be, well, something of an understatement. This then calls into question Tim Walker’s claim that he was diagnosed with corticobasal degeneration, as it is clear from the alleged time of diagnosis that nothing short of a miracle has occurred with his condition, something that medical experts find highly dubious. Medical records are of course, rather conveniently, protected.

Anyway, you can read the investigation by Cloe Hadjimatheou for yourself in the Observer, it was published on Saturday 5^th July – here is the link

As for the Walkers, it seems that they have created a web of lies and have a lot of explaining to do. There are consequences for work held out as factual when it is actually deliberately misleading and this may have further ramifications for the Publisher, film company and the Walkers themselves.

Sadly, we live in an age where truth is being eroded every day, mainly by politicians and media moguls or the ‘tech bros’. Where we come across it, I believe we need to oppose it and expose it for what it is. As a story, it’s heart-warming, but at it’s core is now a collection of lies which ruin its perceived purpose.

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The Salt Path is even more saltyJemima Thomas2025-07-08T16:29:46+01:00

The Salt Path

Dominic Thomas
June 2025 • 3 min read

The Salt Path – lost and found

There is a new film The Salt Path based on the book by Raynor Winn about her own story. In essence, it’s a couple that loses everything, and I really mean everything, and decide rather impulsively to go hiking as a way to clear their heads. In an interview, Ray talks of the walk being a line and a map for them to follow step-by-step, having lost everything and recognising that the way through had to be one which was a planned route.

We quickly discover that this is an impulsive decision, not well thought through; in fact it’s hard to think it even vaguely wise given the physical shape that her husband Moth is in – walking with great difficulty due to a condition diagnosed (in the same week as being made homeless) as corticobasal degeneration (CBD), which I understand to be a Parkinsons-related illness impacting movement and cognition. Not ideal when walking a coastal path with unforgiving sheer, steep drops.

To call it a walk isn’t really accurate, it’s a 630 mile hike, with all their meagre worldly possessions carried in rucksacks or worn. It’s an endurance, though I am pleased to say that the story is not. Rather, it’s uplifting and revels in the human spirit and our ability to endure hardship. Set in the familiar beautiful scenery of the West Coast, they walk along the coastline from Minehead to Poole, funded only by a few pounds in benefits that they receive.

Together we face some of the reactions to them as a homeless couple, often with a great deal of kindness exposed. I haven’t read the book, and the film is naturally an adaptation with heightened dramatic impact, but it seems as though they also lack any friends willing to help, which may not be accurate (I don’t know).

I wondered why and how they managed to lose everything (their home, money and possessions) and it would appear that they invested in a friend’s business which failed and their assets were seized by creditors. Clearly there is another story there, but it is something that I have been asked about numerous times … “I have a friend who has asked me to invest in their business, what do you think?”.

As a business owner myself, I can assure you that it looks easier than it is. The failure rate is exceedingly high and whilst there may be a sense of ‘self determination’, there is an awful lot that is simply beyond your control. Geopolitics, pandemics, recessions, technology, competition, legislation, climate crisis, social trends, economic reality all batter the best of businesses. Perhaps investing in a friend or family member’s business is a great idea, maybe they are the next Bill Gates (hopefully not the next Elon Musk). So perhaps some pointers…

Can you afford to lose all the investment?
How much of your overall wealth would be exposed? Would this scupper your own security if it fails?
How would your relationship cope with ongoing involvement, failure or success?
Are you an active investor (regularly involved with the operational decisions) or passive? And if the latter, is that really code for “I don’t know what I’m doing”?
What experience do you bring that can assist, beyond capital?
Have you understood the risk? Have you checked past and current performance of the business? Do you really believe in the future projections or are these hopeful guesses wrapped in a spreadsheet?

Most of us are not venture capitalists, which is what investing in your friend’s business means. However, a professional VC looks at hundreds of businesses each year and considers the risk/reward very carefully indeed. The Government must incentivise most of us to consider any form of VC investment – with 30% or 50% tax relief and the promise of tax-free gains (in controlled investment solutions like VCTs, EIS and SEIS). These are regarded as suitable investments for probably no more than 1% of investors (according to our regulator, the FCA).

Whatever Ray and Moth invested in, I am confident that it would not have passed muster with any decent financial planner, and a compliance person somewhere would be screaming that they hadn’t had their appetite for risk or capacity for loss properly tested and explored. I understand these concerns, but of course the irony being that even having lost everything, their capacity for loss was not exhausted, they found a way through, it was not ‘the end’. Today, they would be classified as ‘vulnerable clients’ due to illness and experience, yet vulnerability as humans is how we learn most about ourselves and each other.

Ray and Moth rediscover a purpose and the value of life and their relationship. I don’t know if they learned any lessons about investment, other than to avoid it. The film is charming and life-affirming with a couple of familiar good actors – Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs.

Financial planning is meant to be about helping you verbalise and clarify your values and goals, setting out the life that you want in your remaining years. We provide the pathway to help you assess the viability of them and how we might make things easier, less arduous and less taxing; minimising risks whilst ensuring you never suffer total financial loss.

Should you feel inspired to buy her books with a link here to Penguin, and here is the new film from Black Bear.

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The Salt PathJemima Thomas2025-06-12T10:12:36+01:00

What is your love language?

Dominic Thomas
April 2025 • 3 min read

What is your love language?

Life can take a sudden, unexpected twist. One of many twists is the loss of a spouse or partner. This is hard at any stage of life and brings its own challenges. Raising the family you started together on your own, or starting a family without the other being there to even witness its beginning are both situations that we have experienced with our clients. Life can change in an instant.

Any good financial plan will ensure that you have ample financial protection in the event of a spouse or partner suddenly dying. This would normally mean clearing off any outstanding debts and mortgages, everything from the credit card to the car finance. In addition, a regular income or a fund to provide one for a given period of time or perhaps indefinitely.

A serious or long-term illness can arguably have a worse financial impact – should the main income earner be unable to work, all those bills keep arriving and many probably increase, so it is important for those reliant upon an earned income, be they self-employed or an employee or perhaps own a business, that this is reviewed regularly to make sure there is ample cover in place. When such a situation arises I have never heard anyone tell me that they had too much cover, but most had wished that they had considered rather more.

The new Bridget Jones film Mad About The Boy is a sympathetic look at life after the death of Bridget’s husband, Mark Darcy. In the previous films we witnessed their haphazard relationship of opposites attracting. The latest in the series is perhaps rather more unexpectedly autobiographical from the author Helen Fielding, who explores singleness in our culture and the pressures to conform. Fielding’s first book Cause Celeb was published in 1994 and followed up by Bridget Jones’s Diary in 1996 which was released as a film in 2001 and saw two further follow ups in 2004 (Edge of Reason) and 2016 (Raising A Baby). She published Mad About the Boy in 2013. She started a relationship with her partner Kevin Curran in 2000 and they had two children together. Curran died of cancer in 2016 aged 59.

Admittedly, in the film, there isn’t any talk of Wills or life assurance, but it is clear that Human Rights lawyer Mr Darcy has ensured that Bridget and his children are well provided for; her choice about returning to work is optional, not financially necessary.

As the film was released around Valentine’s Day, an email caught my attention from an insurance company who pronounced that an act of love is to ensure that you have taken out life assurance for the benefit of those you love. I had heard something similarly expressed before, but in all honesty, dismissed it as a bit gimmicky. Nowadays, I do rather think it’s probably one of many “acts of loving” that make the world of difference.

The death of a spouse or partner will happen at some point, if you are fortunate for this to be much later on in life there are other impacts too. Often finances are handled by one member of the couple, or perhaps one has an old-style final salary pension which provides ongoing income, but at half the level. Adjusting to a new paradigm isn’t easy and we take great care helping clients fully understand the important elements of their finances and provide reassurance about their ability to maintain their standard of living without running out of money. The challenges can often feel overwhelming, but we will be here to help ensure that everything works to your advantage.

Inheritance tax may be a regular hot topic in the media, but this is only an issue for people who are not married or for beneficiaries. Whilst important to ensure your estate is passed on as you would wish, it is rather more important that your spouse/partner is able to adjust to the new reality of life without you.

If you know someone who is recently bereaved and would welcome clarity and understanding about their finances and new reality, do suggest that they get in touch. All our initial meetings to discover if we can help are at our own cost.

Meanwhile, here is the trailer for the new Bridget Jones film:

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What is your love language?Jemima Thomas2025-04-17T18:01:03+01:00

Money & Film: Bank of Dave 2

Dominic Thomas
Feb 2025 • 2 min read

Money & Film: Bank of Dave 2

“We’re going to need a bigger boat” is a line from the 1975 film Jaws as Captain Martin Brody recovers from the shock of seeing the destructive great white shark glide past Quint’s small trawler boat (The Orca) leased to hunt and destroy the predator currently consuming the inhabitants of Amity Island.

The Loan shark is similarly as consumptive, ruining the lives of those who attempt to borrow a few hundred pounds to meet the latest small calamity for which they have no other reserves. The exorbitant interest charged and the intimidation by ‘collectors’, all result in a toxic, suffocating environment that many unsuspecting borrowers become quickly entrapped.

The Netflix platform is currently screening Bank of Dave 2 – The Loan Ranger. The film is largely a work of fiction; it’s an exaggeration, but it doesn’t detract from the central message that payday loan companies are ruining lives. However, it is far from a documentary or even a dramatisation of what happens. It is a decent, charming little film of David and Goliath and of course panders to our British support of the underdog.

Dave Fishwick (on whom the story is based) is a credit to his community and frankly I thoroughly agree with his desire to destroy companies that deliberately destroy lives. You may never have used a Pay Day loan company, many of which originate in the US, and many are or have been key sponsors of football teams, normalising the ‘service’ that they provide. He took on many of these companies, who did indeed attempt all sorts of dirty tricks to thwart his attempts to stop their practices.

There is a documentary The Loan Ranger (released on 15^th January 2025) which considers the real story that inspired the film and the misery that Dave Fishwick seeks to end. Payday loan companies will of course argue that they are providing a service to people that need it, one which traditional banks do not or will not. These are invariably short-term loans for a couple of weeks until the next payday. The interest charges are high (one has an APR of 1721%). These lenders, like all others, fall within the regulatory remit of the FCA.

The problem is that there will always be a market for people who struggle with finances and unless there is a change in circumstances, and perhaps behaviour, the likelihood of climbing out of the money trap is small at best. Whilst our clients don’t have these sorts of challenges, few people are actually terribly good at budgeting. Those with ample incomes rarely look in detail at how much they are spending, save for a few significant purchases. Having a well-managed cash system and control of your finances is crucial to your long-term financial wellbeing. To find out more about how to do this successfully, please get in contact with us.

You can see Bank of Dave 2 starring Roy Kinnear on Netflix. Here is the trailer.

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Money & Film: Bank of Dave 2Jemima Thomas2025-02-25T13:37:00+00:00

Money & film: A Complete Unknown

Dominic Thomas
Jan 2025 • 2 min read

Money & film: A Complete Unknown

The New Year is very much underway; my inbox has been full of emails from investment companies telling me what they expect from 2025. These days I’m rather more circumspect and much more defensive about your money than I was 25 years ago. It’s a year like any other; unknown. We know some things will almost certainly happen (they are in the diary); things we expect to happen and then a plethora of stuff we suspect might happen and then the things we will be surprised by. Sounding a little like Donald Rumsfeld – we don’t know what we don’t know.

What we do know is that your financial plan is best based around your own values, circumstances and expectations. We know that over the longer term, holding global equities provides the best chance of maintaining and improving the purchasing power of your money, but with this comes volatility.

There’s a new film A Complete Unknown; the story of Bob Dylan, a man whose name most people will know. It charts the start of his career in 1961, aged 20, meeting Woodie Guthrie and Pete Seeger, both successful musicians of their day who recognise his talent which provides the platform for his arrival on the scene. It’s a time of change, JFK is sworn in as Number 35, The Beatles are starting out, The Bay of Pigs invasion, civil rights protestors are harassed by Police, beaten by KKK. There are riots in Paris, a host of stand offs between Soviets and the US, the Cold War really starts and the year closes with JFK sending 18,000 special military advisers to Vietnam. Despite all the disasters and uncertainty, 1961 saw the US market up about 19%.

The film explores Dylan’s rise to fame as a folk singer, his relationship with Joan Baez and his need to continually change, adapt, leave and move on. Some, it would seem (like Seegers), wanted him to help restore folk, but Dylan found this suffocating and a tie to the past that was unhelpful. His transition to the electric guitar was unwelcome by most in the folk scene.

Dylan is now 83 and has his next birthday in May. He is undoubtedly a survivor, his career has been long in the making with over 125 million records sold world-wide making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has been the change and witnessed it, but often it has been a slow train coming…

Your planning is best viewed in the long-term. Whatever the world throws at us in 2025, take the long-term view. Change is constant.

Here is the trailer for the new film.

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Money & film: A Complete UnknownJemima Thomas2025-02-07T15:53:47+00:00

A Widow’s Ruin?

Dominic Thomas
Sept 2024 • 4 min read

A Widow’s Ruin?

The summer often produces plenty of occasions to open a bottle of bubbly as we celebrate various events or are simply enjoying ourselves. Perhaps this summer you have celebrated something, maybe a wedding, an anniversary, a big birthday or one of your family graduating. Champagne is invariably linked with celebration.

Living in the Surrey Hills, a short walk from Denbies, I have come to appreciate some of the English attempts to create Champagne – though of course we cannot call it such as it’s from Surrey not the Champagne region. I’m informed that the geology of the Champagne region of France is shared with Dorking (probably not news to the geologists amongst you). Anyway, perhaps you have your favourite – English, French, Spanish or Italian.

When it comes to naming things properly, I was intrigued by the story of Veuve Cliquot (in French meaning Widow Cliquot) which has now made the transition from a 2009 book by Mazzeo to a musical and now to film and is being retold at selected cinemas, so may be one to catch at home for most people.

The story is of the woman behind this now historic and luxurious brand. Business owners will relate to some of the struggles that she faced and conquered, not least of which were the weather, Napoleonic wars and general misogyny of the day. Women will relate, frankly because things have not moved on anything like as much as they should!

Quite how much is fact or fiction isn’t really that important; the messages of the film are there to be taken. Tenacity, optimism, acknowledgement of an inability to control the things you cannot, acceptance of the reality of things; stoic fortitude ushers in change by remaining true to principles and high standards. This is all beginning to sound a lot like the qualities that investors need to attain isn’t it.

I did not know the story and I was unaware of the meaning of ‘veuve’ – my O’ Level French has never been tested beyond very enjoyable trips to France. Whilst I am a regular consumer of wine, I wouldn’t regard myself as an expert; but I have come to enjoy Champagne over the years!

What I find generally inspiring are the stories behind many well-known companies. The original ‘Founder Story’ has been an often neglected element of most marketing, including our own. As Solomon’s celebrated our silver anniversary this summer, I was reminded that perhaps this is a little more than simply reminiscing. Of course there are many Founders and characters that are entirely unpleasant, which is often a subjective opinion, but sometimes … well not so much. Today, we are in a highly inter-connected world and we are all aware of particular billionaires or multimillionaires who are lacking any of the attributes that demonstrate much humanity.

I will never meet Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin who died in 1866 and I am highly unlikely to meet Mr Musk; but I have formed an opinion about both, based on the values that I hold. Yet this is perhaps the heart of the complexity of ethical, socially responsible or ESG investing. The world is complex, people are many things. To some, holding shares in an alcoholic beverage company is unethical, yet holding shares in Twitter (or whatever he wants to call it) invariably will not be screened out of portfolios. The focus is based on the product rather than those behind them.

How we use or minds, tools, resources, time and money are our unique choices and important to each of us being true to ourselves – however many selves we might each be, have or become. I can tell you that I shall be favouring (revealing my biases) the widow’s Champagne. A young woman who was widowed at 27, took on an embryonic vineyard, battled social norms and obstacles, fought for her own financial independence, eventually turning it into a legacy of quality, used in moments of joy and celebration. Now, that’s something that I think is worthwhile.

Here is a trailer for the new film produced by and starring Hayley Bennett, along with Tom Sturridge, Sam Riley and Ben Miles:

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A Widow’s Ruin?Jemima Thomas2024-09-23T12:32:17+01:00

The grass is greener

Dominic Thomas
Feb 2024 • 4 min read

The grass is greener

Hedwig walks her ageing mother Linna into the large garden where the grandchildren are playing…

LINNA: It’s huge. I’m speechless.

HEDWIG; It’s all my design. All the planting and everything. The greenhouse, the gazebo at the end.

LINNA: Is that a pool?

HEDWIG: Yes. I have gardeners. I couldn’t do it alone.

LINNA: With a slide? Oh Heddy.

(There’s a child-sized wooden row boat on the lawn next to the pool).

HEDWIG :Do you like it?

LINNA: Of course I like it. How could I not?

HEDWIG: This was a field three years ago. We just had the lower garden by the street. And the house had a flat roof.

LINNA: It’s hard to believe. (Linna turns). And that’s the camp wall?

HEDWIG :Yes, that’s the camp wall. We planted more vines at the back to grow and cover it. LINNA: Maybe Esther Silberman is over there.

HEDWIG :Which one was she?

LINNA: The one I used to clean for. She was the one who had the book readings.

HEDWIG: Oh, yes.

(Screenplay Zone of Interest by Jonathan Glazer based on the novel by Martin Amis.

Zone of Interest is a film that I suspect few will see; yet it is nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA. My experience of it was one of utter horror, staring into the blank face of evil, arguably the most uncomfortable watch that I have ever endured. Most people haven’t heard about the film – it is subtitled and largely in German.

In the excerpt above, we witness how detached from normal life Hedwig and her family have become. Of course, the extent of this detachment reveals a psychopathic nature, but, nevertheless it is a reminder of how far people go to block out the sight of horror. Hedwig is the wife of Rudolf Hoss, SS commander at Auschwitz.

Of course, this is horror of their deliberate making and approval, something barely imaginable, yet part of our modern history in which millions were murdered. Hedwig’s home sits next to the camp fence, the contrast in life experience could not be more stark, yet both share the same polluted air and weather.

Unless you are psychopathic yourself (you are not, if you are reading my blog!) it will be a harrowing experience to watch this film. We do not witness any violence, there is no need to, we hear the regular gunshots, the sounds of women being separated from their children, new arrivals by freight train and the smoke billowing from the chimneys.

Whilst being a poignant, historical reminder of crimes against humanity that we must never forget, it is also perhaps a metaphor for how I (and we all) manage to avoid looking at horrible things. Whatever our life circumstances, it’s not Auschwitz. Our relative peace and security, comfort, good fortune are not experienced by all. As humans, we have to turn away from horror in order to survive, we cannot constantly look without becoming consumed by it. Social media rapidly reveals the extremities of life around the world into the palm of our hands, we have to scroll past or choose not to look. I have no answers (well, few..) for this; other than it is our common experience and we all filter things out … we have to.

For most of us, we simply want to ensure that our lives remain good, prosperous and that our families have and maintain a sense of security in a broken and fragile world. I do not have a single client who is determined to simply amass as much as they can, which I suspect is a criticism of those who refuse to seek financial advice. The sort of people I work with have a sense of what is ‘enough’ and are not seeking to outdo the billionaires.

The grass is sometimes greener on the other side, but the Faustian price of it is always too high for anyone who wishes to have a connected life. We may have a philosophical opinion on the differences between needs, wants, desires and greed; the truth, as is often the case, is hard to distinguish except at the extremities.

Good financial planning is full of your goals for life; great financial planning is infused with your values as well.

As for the film, I believe that it is important, for precisely the reasons you imagine but it is a very difficult experience. As I imagine is intended, I did not care for any of the central characters, I didn’t even want to look at the screen as ‘matters were discussed’ as though merely regular business meetings. It was an endurance test for the viewer, but of course is nothing compared to those who briefly resided on the other side of the wall.

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The grass is greenerJemima Thomas2024-02-16T14:12:19+00:00

One life at a time

Dominic Thomas
Feb 2024 • 4 min read

One life at a time

Sitting in the front row of the audience, he turned to see refugees standing around him, the feeling of raw emotion suddenly rising and filling his being as the magnitude of one man’s efforts had resulted in simple, raw, exposed humanity – life.

I suspect that you have heard about or may even remember seeing the moment that Nicholas Winton is met with an audience of his rescued refugees, as they rise to greet the man. The moment will likely be branded into your mind; it’s truly unforgettable.

There is something about a mild-mannered stockbroker from Maidenhead who not simply changed lives, but made them possible, that resonates with anyone possessing a pulse.

The new film One Life currently on release, is the remarkable tale of this man set a little more than nine months before WW2. I hope that it is a reminder to you that however small your own actions and power may seem, they can be life-saving.

Winton visited Prague in December 1938 at the suggestion of a friend and met with Warriner, Chadwick and Wellington who exposed him to their urgent work attempting to help key individuals flee Europe out of the thousands gathering in makeshift camps all hoping for help. He was fortunate to have never met the Gestapo (I so want to mock by writing gazpacho) and his life was never particularly endangered, but he was deeply moved by the plight of refugees who were fleeing Hitler’s Nazis following the night of mayhem ‘Kristallnacht’ on 9^th November 1938 which followed the Munich Agreement in September which ceded Sudetenland and the subsequent full invasion in March 1939.

A time before email, social media and mobile phones, live images from anywhere on earth beamed into the palm of your hand. A trusty typewriter, filing cabinet and antiquated telephone system along with waiting (and pushing) to see those possessing the ability to grant permission. The challenge of bureaucratic lunacy and soulless governance has a modern familiarity, but in 1938, refugees under 18 were not permitted into Britain.

Winton and his mother pushed the wheels of the Civil Service into agreeing a process for granting permission to hundreds and potentially thousands of refugees fleeing extermination in Europe. They raised funds (£50 fee for each refugee), completed the paperwork and placed children with willing people having taken out adverts in newspapers. Some 669 children were spared annihilation in Europe, eventually finding refuge here in Britain after a perilous journey through hostile nations before war broke out, ending any viability of a visa.

Winton’s part in the story may never have been acknowledged had his wife not found his scrapbook from the period, detailing names of children and their foster families. It is highly unlikely that any of the children would have escaped had he and his mother not taken the action that they did.

Today we see horrors around the world with alarming frequency. In my December round up, I stated that “the world is currently safer than it ever has been for many of us”. By way of some context… our world was changed by the attacks in the US on 11^th September 2001 which resulted in 2,996 deaths largely on the day itself. Pearl Harbour, which was the catalyst for the US joining the war saw 2,403 deaths on 7^th December 1941.

The second world war itself lasted six years and conservatively resulted in 70 million deaths. That’s equivalent to 22 deaths for every minute of the war, a staggering 31,934 every day.

We can draw many lessons or conclusions from Winton’s story; but for me it’s a reminder that action takes many forms, being sufficiently resourced and able to provide solutions to great challenges is key for most of us. Our ability to respond has untold impact. Of the millions that ultimately died, Winton and his collaborators saved 669, each one significant and priceless.

Below is the trailer for the rather wonderful new film released by Warner Brothers.

And here is the online exhibition, a tour through some of the personal items and documents held in the Sir Nicholas Winton Memorial Trust, illustrating different episodes in his life.

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One life at a timeJemima Thomas2024-02-08T15:49:41+00:00