Joe & Jessica Barker

For the past 17 years we have run a software business supplying automotive financial software in 20 countries around the world. Having sold and exited that business, we rapidly realised that we needed the assistance of financial planning, and people that we know and trusted introduced us to Henwood Court.

A lot of the initial work we did with Nick was around who we are, what was truly important to us, and how services can be tailored to us as clients. So, I think that’s what, in the end, marks Nick out as unique in his field.

We’ve also been working with Steve and Yvonne. Steve’s been a really helpful informative guy who’s in the background crunching numbers and helping us to really understand the nitty gritty of our situation and what we can and can’t do. He’s been invaluable in our meetings and beyond. Yvonne has really helped us too. She’s been really supportive, helping to set up our meetings, keeping us informed, sending us our newsletters and making sure we’re well looked after. She’s great.

Yvonne is described as your PA for all things financial in life, and we really need that, I really need that. She’s kind of like my financial mum, so that’s fantastic. We were looking for somebody who could help us to alleviate some of the anxieties that you naturally build up when you’re amassing what is, effectively, the fund to last you for the rest of your life. And we were looking for guidance in how that money will last, how to plan to use it, and how to provide for our own children.

Do we wish we’d engaged a financial planner earlier than we did? I think that is a resounding yes; they would have helped us to prepare for this time, rather than, I don’t want to say chasing our tail, but being reactive. We could have been more proactive a long time ago and made good headway into where we are now. Perhaps that might have helped us to clarify where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do a lot earlier on.

Owning a business is a unique experience: many positives, some challenges, lonely periods, unique approach to risk et cetera. And this affects the way that you approach your life and the decisions you make. So, having someone who can empathise with the mindset of business ownership is quite important.

I feel like we can rest assured that the decisions that we’re making are good ones and that our family and our children are going to be looked after. Also, we’re going to get to do some of the things that we really want to do with our money – things that excite us and hopes and dreams that we thought might not be possible are now possible.

I think it’s opened up a really exciting future, and I really believe that Nick has our best interests at heart. His team are really going to do everything they can to help us achieve those goals. If I wasn’t working with Nick, would I feel as confident about the future and the next stage of life? I don’t think so; Nick has really helped us to define where we’re going and what we’re doing. He’s helped us to summarise our goals and also fills us with hope and a lot of security that we can achieve them. Without that, we would still be a little insecure and overwhelmed.

The best piece of advice I’ve had from Nick is to remember to focus on my whole being, and that one’s actual sense of happiness, fulfilment and success isn’t just about the finances. Instead, it’s about what you prioritise and value in life, and making sure that you have these things in order. When those things fall into place you can really experience a true sense of happiness, fulfilment and success, so it really is the holistic side of Nick and what he’s offering to us that I’ve really taken on board.

The best thing about working with Henwood Court for me, has been and continues to be the sense of equilibrium and balance that they bring to my decision-making. It’s interesting that I thought my goal would be to sell the business and create a fortune – I now feel this burden about how I use that money and plan going forward. So, the best thing has been sharing that burden.
I would definitely recommend Nick and the team here at Henwood Court to other business owners. It would really help them to prepare for their own future.