Charlotte Reynolds has joined Start Financial Planning as a finance advisor as the company seeks to expand in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire.
Start FP director Steve Taylor said: “I think it is important to be able to offer advice in the corporate market as many advisers are not prepared to do this. So many now focus on individual advice, leaving employers with little expertise to help provide benefits for their employees”.
He said she brought an important new dimension to the company, because although some clients were more comfortable taking to a woman, only 16% of financial advisers were female according to the Financial Conduct Authority.
Charlotte said: “Joining Start FP was a natural move for me. We share the same values. I really admire the friendly, personal, respectful service that Start offers. The client is at the forefront of everything. There are no sales targets – we are client centred.
“We’re a small but experienced team, with excellent support staff alongside the advisers. Because I’ve previously worked in different roles, I really appreciate that providing a great service to clients is not just down to one person. It’s teamwork.
“I’m looking forward to bringing a different perspective to the services we offer. Financial planning was previously a very male dominated environment and, traditionally, men have tended to handle business and family finances.
“However, women increasingly run their own businesses and personal finances and it’s important to reflect that in our industry. I have male and female clients – but it’s nice to be able to offer a choice of advisers.
“I’m also looking forward to developing the services we offer to corporate clients, including workplace pension schemes and employee benefits. These can really help companies to retain staff, with benefits for the employer, too.”
