Client stories
Comments below refer to specific consultations. Names shortened at clients’ request.
They held us back from transferring my husband’s defined-benefit pension until the CETV and lifetime-income trade-offs were written down side by side. We still took six weeks longer than we’d hoped — and that pause was the point.
Marcus translated our sale timetable into personal contribution windows I could take to the accountant. The fee felt high until I saw how many extraction mistakes we nearly made in the draft SPA week.
Clear comparison table for three old DC pots. One stayed put because of a guaranteed annuity rate I’d never noticed.
The inheritance afternoon with my sister was awkward in places — Eleanor did not paper over that. We left with a list for the solicitor and an agreement to pause gifting until care costs were modelled.
A couple approaching retirement received a cash equivalent transfer value that looked generous relative to their DC pots. Our review showed early-retirement factors and spouse benefits that the CETV underplayed for their intended retirement age. They kept the scheme, adjusted ISA drawdown plans, and revisited mortgage overpayments instead. The written plan became the shared reference with their solicitor when updating wills.
An owner-manager expected to invest sale proceeds immediately into a high-equity portfolio. Cash-flow work showed school fees and a second-home refurbishment over three years. We staged ISA and pension funding, held a cash buffer outside market risk for the refurbishment invoices, and scheduled a twelve-month review rather than locking a single allocation on completion day.