Season’s Greetings!


Well, this will be my last missive before a break. I do wish you a Happy Christmas – it will be different and for many of us it will be with strange and sad memories of what 2020 brought but we must not forget what Christmas means and what it celebrates too. Have a good time and a relaxing one as well if you can. Let us also close the year and look forward to a far better 2021 in so many ways, from health and the Covid19 reverberations to the financial markets and Brexit in the new world!

Perhaps this is an opportune time too to consider what ‘financial happiness’ is all about. I saw this in a publication recently and it summed-things-up well. It suggests it is not ‘how much money you have’ but ‘what you do with it’ or expect to do with it. ‘This suggests a level of ‘contentment’ which can resonate throughout our lives and recognising too that we are in charge of life decisions and their inevitable financial consequences. That is not trying to be harsh, discriminatory or cruel to those who find themselves in strained circumstances, nor those who have personal situations (including poor health or other disability) which are not of their making but impairing their ability to manage financially easily. However, we all no doubt know very well-heeled people who are totally miserable and very poor people who are very financially content.’

It is an interesting status upon which to ponder this Christmas time and as we enjoy time to reflect and also remember and consider those who need our help if we are in the position to do something to assist. For us, as financial advisers yes, we can help people to be happier in understanding their finances and also on basic financial planning, as well, hopefully, in relieving their concerns about being worried about what they should do to be good stewards of what they have (and perhaps what they spend too!). Some of that is actually having a trusted financial adviser and confidant of course. Technical, expert, administrative efficiency and indeed emotional factors all come to play regarding the relationships with our clients too. It’s about helping people make the right decisions and also trying to guide them from making perhaps the wrong decisions because of their emotional biases which can be very irrational and sometimes downright foolhardy.