RJB

For me, an independent financial adviser is a traditional middle-England man, who politely agrees with what you say. Someone who makes assumptions about not only your financial goals but your lifestyle and most importantly your values.

I’ve met such people and while pleasant enough, they never really tuned in to what I was seeking. And that put me off.

Though not especially well off, the respect I get from CBW would only ever suggest I was a valued client and Jason has not only invested in monetary terms for me but invested heavily in understanding my situation, what I’m hoping to achieve and most importantly who I am as a person. The key is the last point… who I am as a person, which is crucial for any relationship, be it personal or commercial, because if you don’t understand who you’re doing business with, you can’t possibly facilitate their choices of investment.

And it’s fun! Never dreary, Jason is always personable though professional, so why wouldn’t I stick with someone who gets me and where I’m coming from. That’s a rhetorical question by the way.

As a man in a civil partnership with no dependants, I’m not investing for my family, for me, it’s about providing income for our future, taking into account I am 17 years older, now officially retired, while my partner has recently moved into academia and is finally showing some interest in his financial future.

Investments must be ethical, of a sustainable nature and in no way related to weapons. They can never be with an organisation whose values are in any way intolerant of others, be it gender, belief or sexual orientation. In other words, for me, they must be kind, for that is what I aim to be.

Through actively listening to me, with bundles of good humour, Jason has fully met the brief I gave him. This is why I have no qualms about the decisions he’s helped me make, or indeed sticking with and recommending CBW.