Hi, my name is Janet. I’ve been a client of Focused Financial for about six years, and my financial adviser is James Etheridge.

I got in touch with Focused Financial because I was dissatisfied with the financial adviser that I had. My previous adviser had retired, and his replacement was not as good. They were not as easy to contact and not responsive to my requests for advice, so I was looking for a different financial adviser.

I came to know about James through my neighbour’s recommendation. She had been recommended by a friend who was very pleased with her initial contact with James. So, I also contacted the company.

I initially completed a questionnaire about my attitude to risk, and from those answers, James and his team were able to bring together a financial plan and see whether that would work for me or if I thought it would work for me, which it did. That has enabled me to review my financial situation each year, check whether what we’ve got in place is still appropriate for me, adapt to any events as the year has gone on and readjust the plan, as necessary.

The single best thing about working with James and the team is that I feel comfortable with my finances and confident that I have enough to last me.

Working with James and his team has made me feel more confident about managing and understanding my finances. This happens at every annual meeting when James displays a visualisation of my expenditure and how to manage it during the coming year or for a few years ahead. It makes me feel that they can be trusted. I trust the advice that I’m being given because of the way that the whole process has been managed from the start.

The three words that I would use to describe James are professional, prepared, and empathetic.

The best piece of advice that James has given me is, “Spend some more money, Janet.”

I would definitely recommend James at Focused Financial. He has helped me not be afraid of looking at my finances. He’s been a good listening ear when I’ve had problems, not just financially but life problems, and he’s helped me see how they fit into my finances. The whole team are really professional, friendly, and approachable, and I would definitely recommend someone contact them.