Why I don't want to manage your money. I want to help you manage your life. One of the questions I've been asked throughout my career is: "If you don't charge a percentage of my investments, what exactly am I paying for?" It's a fair question. The answer came to me recently through a simple analogy. Imagine you're learning to swim. Water isn't the enemy. In fact, water can be wonderful. But it deserves respect. If you can't swim, you fear it. If you overestimate your ability, you can get into...

The ‘first time buyer ISA’, will remove the retirement saving element and early exit penalty of the lifetime ISA. This is a significant policy shift and, in my view, it reflects an implicit admission that the Lifetime ISA (LISA) tried to do two different jobs and did neither particularly well. The government has now confirmed plans to replace the LISA with a new "First Time Buyer ISA" from around April 2028. The new account will focus exclusively on helping people buy their first home and...

Most financially capable people manage their own money successfully. You pay the bills. You run the household. You make sensible choices. You understand your income, pensions, savings, mortgage, family responsibilities, and future hopes well enough to get through ordinary life. But some moments are not ordinary. Retirement. Pension drawdown. Inheritance. Tax. Divorce. Bereavement. Later-life planning. Selling a business. Supporting adult children. Caring for ageing parents. Deciding whether...