Colin's story
It’s a real comfort knowing someone’s looking out for my future, not just the numbers.
My name is Colin. I’ve been a client of Salisbury House Wealth since 2019, and a lovely chap called Rich Hughes looks after me very well.
I was a little bit concerned about certain health issues and anticipated that I might have to retire early from work. I also had several small pension pots that I wanted to consolidate, and that’s what brought me in touch with Salisbury House.
When I first began discussions with Richard, he explained to me clearly how important it is when you do retire to be secure, so that you have enough income to spread over your entire retirement period, and he also said, “You need to do that in the most tax-efficient way.” My knowledge of deep dives into tax is not brilliant, so I thought it was a good idea to take some professional advice.
When I met Richard, we clicked immediately. We got off on the right foot, and it very quickly became a partnership. Clearly, Richard’s the expert, but he always makes sure that he’s very clear on what my goals are, and then I get all the challenges and support that I need, and all the information to make an informed decision. Salisbury House seems to me to be a bit more like a smaller, intimate outfit, rather than one of these big organisations where you never get to know anyone.
He’s been able to consolidate pension pots for me, and very helpfully, he spotted an opportunity when I left a major employer and I had a defined benefit pension. He suggested that, in my case, it might be advantageous to transfer out of that into a defined contribution, and that has proved to give me a lot of flexibility.
One thing I would like to mention is that a pension specialist was brought in by Richard, a chap called Lee Jennings, and he was incredibly helpful. He got a really clear picture of what myself and my family required in terms of our goals, the income we had, and the key question he had in his mind was, “Can you afford to do what you want to do?” He put together a wonderful plan in 2023 and that has given us a milestone-structure of how we’re going to manage my retirement.
One of the best things, from an analytical point of view, is the tax efficiency of the way that Richard has helped me manage my finances, but from a more personal point of view, it is the fact that I never feel that I’m just working with a professional who is putting his own interests first – I feel I’m working with a friend or partner who’s very much putting my interests first.
Richard is incredibly friendly and personable, but he’s also very supportive. He challenges me when he needs to, but he’s always there to help you out, and absolutely has the client’s best interests at heart.
I’ve got no problem whatsoever recommending both Richard and Salisbury House Wealth, and that is because I consider myself to be fairly financially knowledgeable, but when it comes down to the details around pension management, that is a different ballpark altogether, and I would just say to anyone, “Seek good quality financial advice”, and if that’s what you’re genuinely committed to doing, Salisbury House is a great solution.