What sets Town & Country apart from other financial planning practices? We believe three key attributes: our independence, our family-to-family focus and the people in our business.
Martin Falshaw, Director and Financial Adviser, explains more about his background and the unique advantages it puts at your disposal.
“I studied Physics at Cardiff University, graduating in 1992. However, this wasn’t a great time to be looking for work, as the country was in the middle of a recession. Undeterred, I found a temporary job in the post room at Eagle Star in Cheltenham. And if you want to know how an insurance company is structured, the post room is an ideal place to start”.
“From there, I quickly secured a position as an Actuarial Assistant, supporting Scheme Actuaries in carrying out actuarial valuations on companies’ Defined Benefit Final Salary Pension Schemes. And I didn’t stand still for long, moving onto different pension actuarial and administration departments within Eagle Star, gaining a wealth of knowledge on how pension schemes are funded and the day-to-day running of large administration departments within insurance companies”.
“This experience means I’m now in the perfect position to deal with insurance companies on behalf of our clients, having seen life on the other side of the phone. I also spent time profit-testing life products, looking at how an insurance company makes a profit by applying charges to the policies it sells”.
“For my clients, that puts them in a strong position. If you understand the different charging structures insurance companies employ to generate profit, you’re in a great place to give clients advice on which products are more likely to be of benefit to them”.
“Some might learn about these policy charges from company literature. But you only really understand policy charging if you’ve ripped it apart and put it back together again on an Excel spreadsheet, forecasting the cash-flows over the entire life of the policy. I have yet to meet another adviser who has spent any time doing this kind of work”.
After 11 years at Eagle Star, Marlborough Stirling, AXA Sunlife and the Prudential, Martin decided to make the move into regulated financial advice.
“I enjoyed my time in actuarial and administration. However, you only really help people by showing them how they could improve their current and future circumstances. To illustrate this point, let’s say I had discovered a cure for arthritis. How beneficial would that be if I didn’t tell anyone about it? That’s right, of no benefit at all – or as my mum would say, “neither use nor ornament”.
“I believe that one of the biggest issues people have with financial planning is its complex nature. Given my unique background I have the depth of knowledge to make personal finance easy to understand; and if you understand it, you have confidence in it”.
“Another reason why people struggle with their personal finances is that they don’t like dealing with insurance companies. How many people have money in the bank, earning next to nothing, because it’s easy? Well, as an independent financial adviser I represent the client, not an insurance company, wealth manager or bank. So I deal direct with those companies on the client’s behalf”.
This commitment to his clients is further reinforced by Town & Country’s purchase of offices in Painswick – the Queen of the Cotswolds.
“Anyone can rent an office. However, personal financial planning, by its nature, is an ongoing process. Buying an office demonstrates to our clients that we’re here for the long term. It also gives them somewhere to pop in for a chat about their finances in a relaxed atmosphere”.
“Painswick is only 10 minutes from the M5 motorway, making it the ideal home for our office. Clients can visit us, taking advantage of free parking, before enjoying a stroll round the historic village of Painswick or taking lunch at one of the local pubs or restaurants”.
Contact Martin directly: martin.falshaw@tandc.org.uk