Last month we took a look at a ‘day in the life of’ one of our paraplanners, Richard Fogarty. Following the same theme, here’s a day in the life of Chris Marsh, a consultant.
8.00am – My day starts whilst still at home as I check my calendar to confirm my plans for the day. Six meetings and a couple of reports to finalise – another busy day ahead. Just time to finish my coffee before setting off for my first appointment in Chester.
9.00am – My first meeting is with an employee of one of our business clients to talk about their pension arrangements. This is our second visit to the Company; we’re delivering workplace advice as part of our Managed Pensions Service. The client is looking at retiring in the next few years so we’re starting to look at available options. The background information gathered from the initial meeting and subsequent research we’ve undertaken has proven very useful, the client comments about feeling at ease and is ready to make the necessary next steps following our meeting.
10.00am – Second meeting of the day at the same Company. The staff member has a few questions about her previous employer’s pension scheme. She’s brought along her annual statement, she doesn’t quite understand what it all means – I shed a little light on it for her. Pleasingly, it’s worth more than she thought, it’s a pleasure to deliver good news.
11.15am – A couple of quick phone calls to the office and we’re into our next employee meeting. It’s a young lad; trying to encourage saving for retirement when it’s 35 years away isn’t always easy, it’s a balance of priorities like saving to buy a house. We agree that the short term aim is to raise a deposit for a house rather than additional pension funding. Fortunately for him, his employer is already contributing to his pension, starting early makes such a big difference. He acknowledges that he needs a more disciplined approach to saving for his house deposit – we talk through a few ideas.
12.30 – It’s back to the office for a presentation by an insurance provider, lunch is provided, an easy way of ensuring a healthy attendance! They are delivering a session on Fixed Term Annuities. They’re a relatively new concept but with annuity rates so low they may be relevant for some clients. It’s good to keep up to date.
2.30pm – Back out for a meeting with a local client. It’s an employee from a business client we work with. It’s his day off and we’re discussing my recommendations following our initial meeting a couple of weeks ago with regard to his wife’s pension. This is an opportunity for me to sit down with them and give them a clear picture on the steps they need to be taking now to ensure they achieve their retirement ambitions.
4pm – Back into the office to have a chat with one of the paraplanners about a report they are finalising for a client. They confirm that all the information has been collated and it’s ready for sign-off. Just what I wanted to hear, I’m planning to discuss the report with the client early next week.
Emails, paperwork and ensuring I’m all set for my meetings tomorrow completes my day in the office, more of the same for tomorrow.
6.30pm – I’m home and just time to put on my running shoes and hit the hills. A great way to blow off the cobwebs and clear the head.
