Three new staff have been appointed by a Harrogate boutique financial planning company which has seen assets under management soar to £40m.
An independent financial planner and two para-planners have joined fast-growing Seventy Financial Planning, Haggs Business Park, Follifoot, founded by director, Chris Riley, after leaving an international bank in 2012.
Joining the team are financial planner, Andrew Brierley, bringing ten years of financial services experience along with trainee paraplanner, Joshua Wrigley, who is studying for a certificate in para-planning with the Chartered Insurance Institute and Eileen Riley, Chris’ mother, a newly-qualified paraplanner, following a career as a book-keeper in the charities sector.
Chris Riley, a chartered financial planner, said:
These appointments will enable us to continue to give the best possible service and advice to private and corporate clients and ensure we have the right frontline skills and background support as we continue to grow, largely through personal recommendation.
We are part of a new wave of financial planning firms which combine our expertise with industry-leading software to enable clients to understand, plan and manage their financial futures as effectively as possible. When done properly, planning helps people anticipate how their lives may look in the future using a range of potential scenarios and wider economic forecasts. Coupled with this, and based on the clients’ agreed requirements, we also provide traditional wealth management services such as investments and pensions.
There is a shortage of younger people in financial services and our new approach, which follows tighter controls introduced after the financial crisis, replaces one based more on selling products than helping clients make key decisions with a greater understanding of their medium and long-term needs.
We believe we can create long-term partnerships and support clients as their careers and lives progress. The response to how we work has been overwhelming. Combining traditional banking with modern planning methods seems to have struck a chord with our client base.
The company, which supports clients throughout the north, with a strong focus on Harrogate, York and Leeds, moved from Leeds to Harrogate in 2015.
Seventy Financial Planning was founded by Chris Riley as a limited company in 2012. During its first year the company achieved a £50,000 turnover, with £5m funds under management from 15 clients. This has now grown to five staff, a £400,000 turnover and 80 clients.
