What do you want the good years to buy you?
Financial planning built for commission, from someone who spent [X] years in recruitment. Your income doesn’t arrive in twelve equal slices, so I don’t plan as if it does.
In 30 seconds
- A financial plan built round what you want and an income that goes up and down
- Your pensions, investments and protection looked at together
- One adviser, who has worked in recruitment and who you can ring
- An initial fee of 3% on the first £100,000 and less above that, then 0.68% a year, plus fund and platform charges
- Nothing to pay until you’ve seen the plan and said yes
Think about the best year you’ve had in recruitment. What did you want it to buy you?
It’s a harder question than it sounds. A bigger house, maybe. A summer off with the kids. Your own agency one day. Then the next quarter starts, and the question goes back in the drawer.
Meanwhile the money arrives in lumps. Tax takes a slice you weren’t expecting, and what’s left sits in your current account. There are pensions from two or three old firms that you haven’t looked at in years.
None of it is pointed at the thing you wanted.
You get planning, coaching and ongoing support from one person, built for an income that goes up and down.
I’m Si Lees. I worked in recruitment for [X] years before I qualified as a financial adviser, so I know what a threshold is and why nobody books a holiday in Q4.
I’m independent, which means I can recommend from across the whole market and I’ve nothing of my own to sell you.
It starts with a chat about you: what you want, and what’s in the way.
If we both think I can help, you fill in some forms, we meet again, and then I go away for a month or two and do the research.
I come back with a written plan, in plain English, with the costs set out. If you like it, I put it in place and deal with the paperwork.
After that we go through it together every year, and in between you’ve got my number. If there’s a job offer, a move or an idea for your own firm, talk it through with me first.
I’ll tell you what all of that costs before you agree to any of it.
If you’ve had some good years and you’d like a plan for what comes next, book a discovery meeting with me at Staltosi Financial Planning.
Markets will do what they do, and I can’t promise you a return. My side of it is simple. You don’t pay me a penny until you’ve seen my recommendations and said yes. If you say no, that’s fine, and you owe me nothing.
What changes
What I help with
Working out what you want
We start with what you’re working for, whether that’s the house, a summer off or the year you stop, and put dates and figures on it.
Commission and bonuses
We agree a base amount you can always afford to put away, and a simple rule for the good months, so you’re not deciding from scratch every time you’re paid.
The £100,000 problem
Once your income passes £100,000, the next slice is taxed at an effective 60% and some childcare support stops. There are legitimate ways to plan for that, and pension contributions are usually the first place to look. The exact figures depend on your circumstances and are different in Scotland.
Old pensions
I’ll get the details from your old providers, tell you what you’ve got and advise on whether to bring them together. Sometimes the right answer is to leave one exactly where it is, because some older pensions have guarantees worth keeping.
Cover that moves with you when you change jobs
If your income depends on you being on the phone, it’s worth knowing what happens when you can’t be. Death in service and sick pay come from your employer and usually end when you leave. I’ll look at income protection, critical illness cover and life cover in your own name.
Thinking through the big decisions
Moving firm, taking equity, buying a house, going out on your own. Ring me before you decide, and I’ll show you what each option does to the plan.
A client like you
[A short, real client story to come from Si: a recruiter, what was going on, and what we organised. The Alternatives document sets out the shape.]
- Who they are, in a line
- What was going on
- What they wanted
- What we organised
- One sentence from them
How it works, in short
See all six steps1. We talk
A discovery meeting of an hour or two. It’s free and you’re not committed to anything.
2. I do the homework
You fill in some forms, we meet again, and then I spend four to eight weeks gathering the facts and researching your options.
3. You see the plan
I show you what I recommend, in writing, with the costs set out. You decide whether to go ahead, and you’ve paid nothing up to this point.
4. I put it in place and stay with you
I handle the paperwork. After that we review the plan every year and you can ring me in between. The fees page shows what that costs.
Things people say to me
“I haven’t got enough to need an adviser.”
At this stage your income matters more than the size of your pot. As a rough guide, it starts to make sense once you have [£X] or more in pensions and savings, or you’re putting a serious amount away each year. If you’re not there yet, tell me anyway, and I’ll tell you whether to start now or wait.
“Can’t I just do this on an app?”
For buying a fund, yes, and it’ll be cheaper. An app can’t tell you whether this quarter’s commission belongs in your pension or your ISA, or what happens to your income if you’re off sick for six months.
“My income’s all over the place.”
That is the reason to have a plan, and it’s the part I know best.
“I haven’t got the time.”
It takes three meetings of up to two hours each, plus an hour or so of forms that you fill in when it suits you. Meetings can be early, late or on Teams.
“What does it cost?”
An initial fee of 3% on the first £100,000, with a £750 minimum, then 0.68% a year. Fund and platform charges are on top. You pay nothing until you’ve seen my recommendations and decided to go ahead, and you can end the ongoing service at any time in writing. The fees page has worked examples.
“Let me get this quarter out of the way first.”
There’s always another quarter. The discovery meeting is an hour or two. Pick a quiet Friday.
A few years in?
If you’re earlier in your career and starting to bill properly, this is a good time to get the habits right. I write about the basics here: what to do with a first big commission payment, how much to keep in cash, and whether the pension or the ISA comes first.
Read the articlesNot sure whether it’s worth us talking yet? That’s what the 15 minute call below is for.
Got a decision coming up? Run it past Si.
The discovery meeting is free and there’s no obligation. By the end of it we’ll both know whether I can help.
Book a discovery meetingFifteen minutes on the phone or on Teams. It’s free and there’s nothing to prepare. Tell me what’s going on. I can’t give advice on a call like this, but I’ll tell you whether a discovery meeting is worth your time.
Or give me a shout on 07392 686868.