Steve

The hardest conversations became the most valuable advice we ever received

My name is Steve and I’ve been a client of Hansford Bell for over 10 years. Ross Biddiss and his team look after me.

My wife and I were considering retirement, a milestone in anybody’s life, and a time at which you need to be really certain that you’re making the right decision. It’s a one-off for most people. Once you’ve retired from a company, you are then set on a path.

We wanted to be sure that the path that we had in front of us financially was secure, and Ross and the team made sure that we analysed that, and we put it together with all of our goals and aspirations so that we had a plan with purpose for the future.

We had been involved with a financial adviser which was a predecessor of Hansford Bell when we first moved to the area 23 – 24 years ago. So it was a natural transition for us. We liked those who took over. We liked Hansford Bell and their professionalism. Ross and the team were fantastic.

But it was the personal touch, the fact that we were invited in to meet the team, to meet Ross and his team, and me and my wife genuinely felt they wanted to know us and what we wanted to do.

The most valuable bit of advice that I’ve had from Ross is that you’ve got to look at things in the round. You’ve got to consider not just the next few years, but you’ve got to consider what it is that you want to do for the next 10, 20 or 30 years and look at it in that round.

They also got us to think about some things that you don’t want to think about. So in the stress testing, they asked me and my wife what we would want to do should one of us pass away. It’s not the sort of thing you want to talk about, but it’s like a will; you can’t keep putting it off, and it’s something you’ve got to do and get through it.

Ross and the team put that scenario together for us. Unfortunately, sadly, I had to use that because my wife passed away two years ago. But in that time, I got the emotional support and the professional support from Ross and the team, and I was reassured that we had done the right thing and I could go on and be financially secure.

They are really accessible, so if I want to drop them a message, I know I’ll get an answer really quickly. If I want to have a bigger discussion, then they’re happy to arrange a meeting. We get together with Ross at least twice a year and talk about all sorts, but he is always there and accessible, as is his team, to answer any questions that I might have.

I would certainly recommend Ross and his team, Hansford Bell. I have recommended them to a number of people, friends and family, because I know I’m recommending a company and a team that are highly professional, that they’re reliable and that they will give good service to the ones I love.