Dick Elsy

I’ve been a client of Nick’s since before the start of Henwood Court. I first came across him in 2002 when he was working for another firm. I took some advice from him and really liked him. So, when he set up on his own, I automatically followed him. I suppose that makes me a founder member of the Henwood Court client group!

What I liked about Nick was his energy and client focus. He struck me as being very different from other financial advisers. He was interested in me and what I wanted out of life, not just what he could sell me. I was also impressed by his integrity; the bond of trust was almost immediate and has endured ever since.

I was in my early 40s and moving into a new job, so was just starting to get serious about pension planning. As a busy person, I’d tended to push long-term financial planning into the long grass, but the team at Henwood encouraged me to begin to focus on it. They made me think through what I really wanted out of life, then helped me to get organised to enable me to enjoy it.

My main objectives were to ensure there was enough financial resilience in my plans so that if I got run over by a bus, my family would be okay. I also wanted to build a large enough portfolio to have a better work/life balance. Henwood Court has helped me achieve both of those. They might not have come up with the money, but they’ve made them happen!

Nick struck me as being very different from other financial advisers. He was interested in me and what I wanted out of life, not just what he could sell me.

As an engineer, I’m a risk manager, so I have been a bit risk-averse in the past. The team at Henwood has made me realise that life’s too short not to go ahead and do the things you really want to. As a result, I drew up a short bucket list and my wife and I have bought an Aston Martin and a flat in London. Henwood Court gave me the confidence to do so.

As well as giving me financial security, I’m now in a position where I don’t have to work if I don’t want to. We’ve got enough to live comfortably and can just focus on the niceties such as making sure we don’t leave too much to the Inland Revenue.

I know the plans have been stress-tested and that there is enough risk mitigation in the portfolio. I also like Henwood’s approach to asset diversity by using low-cost tracking funds rather than following the vagaries of certain fund managers. The cash flow modelling they do has been powerful in making me consider my course of action for the future.

As Henwood has expanded, it’s remained true to the values that Nick holds dear: trust, integrity and putting the client first. I deal with a number of people there and they’re all extremely capable. I also appreciate the fact they work with a select number of higher value clients, which means the business can deliver a highly personal service.

I can’t think of any reason why I’d ever want to go anywhere else.