Money should support the life you are building.
I write, speak and work with professionals and couples on how money is managed, talked about and used to create more choice.
Accountant
Counselling
Experience
Advice
The longer I have worked with money, the less I believe the numbers tell the whole story.
I spent more than thirty years in finance, with responsibility for multimillion-pound budgets and high-profile projects. Almost ten years ago I left that career and began working as a finance counsellor. That gave me a closer view of what happens when money becomes part of the pressure people are carrying. For more than five years I have also volunteered as a debt adviser and served as a trustee of a debt advice centre, seeing what happens when there is very little room left to manoeuvre. Leaving that career brought my own financial choices into sharper focus. Thirty years of marriage has taught me a good deal as well, most of it the sort no qualification covers.
The numbers matter. So does the life they are there to support.
Start where you are
Love & Money
Understand where your different habits, expectations and priorities come from, then put an arrangement in place that works for both of you.
The Building Years
Build a financial life that protects what matters, grows what you have and gives you greater freedom over how you live and work.
Retirement
Think through the life you want after work and what it is likely to cost, then prepare for the transition while you still have time to shape it.
How the work fits together
I think about finances in two ways: the structure underneath them and what they allow you to do with your life.
Calm Wealth means knowing what you can rely on when the ground shifts: a contract ends, a parent needs help, or an ordinary month costs more than expected. The structure is there before the pressure arrives.
Financial Freedom is being able to take the role that pays less but matters more, reduce your hours when family needs you, or choose a different next step without money making the decision for you.
Support for Your Financial Decisions
Financial safety first
Financial Safety Session
A first look at your financial position and anything that may need addressing. You will leave with a clearer sense of where you stand and whether a more detailed review would be useful.
Financial Safety Audit
We look more closely at what you have, what you owe and how the different parts fit together. You will come away with a clear view of the gaps, risks and decisions that need your attention.
Implementation Support
If you want support after your audit, I can work with you on the changes you have decided to make and help you put a clearer financial structure in place.
My work focuses on financial clarity, organisation and decision-making. I do not recommend or arrange specific investments or other regulated financial products. Where regulated advice is needed, I will encourage you to speak to an appropriately authorised adviser.
Money is shared differently
Couples Money Session
A facilitated session to understand how you currently handle money together, where your expectations differ and what could work better for both of you.
It is common for one of you to be ready for this conversation before the other. You do not need to arrive agreeing about the problem or the solution, but you do both need to be willing to take part.
My work focuses on financial clarity, organisation and decision-making. I do not recommend or arrange specific investments or other regulated financial products. Where regulated advice is needed, I will encourage you to speak to an appropriately authorised adviser.
Speaking and workshops
Professional Speaking
Keynotes, panels and conversations on money, financial freedom, relationships and life transitions.
Workshops
Interactive sessions for workplaces, professional networks and communities that turn financial topics into something people can understand, discuss and use.
Media & Partnerships
Available for podcasts, press, broadcast and expert commentary on money, couples, financial freedom and life after work.
My work focuses on financial clarity, organisation and decision-making. I do not recommend or arrange specific investments or other regulated financial products. Where regulated advice is needed, I will encourage you to speak to an appropriately authorised adviser.
Tools for putting the ideas into practice.
Couples Money Conversation Guide
Twenty-five questions, in a useful order, to help you have a better conversation about money without trying to solve everything at once
The Enough Number
Work out what the life you want is likely to cost and what you need to support it.
Yours. Mine. Ours. Toolkit
Four printable tools from the book to help couples build financial peace.
