Lindsay is enjoying semi-retirement three years ahead of plan and has returned home to resettle in Edinburgh after a career in marketing and advertising in London. 

Timely Introduction

I first met Maria in 2007 at my then workplace, an ad agency in London, where St. James's Place were hosting an event. It was just before the big financial crash and I had only a basic pension provision with various bits and pieces all over the place. The first thing Maria did was to consolidate my pension pots into a single fund. I was 46 years old when I appointed her and my goal was to retire at 60, sell up in London and return to Edinburgh where I spent my childhood years. 

Taking a Sabbatical 

Fast forward 12 years and here I am enjoying a sabbatical and getting to know Edinburgh once more, enjoying the gentler pace of the city compared to London. I am thinking of this time as my late-middle-aged gap year as I never had one when I was younger.

In the spring I am going to explore avenues for contracting and consulting roles to build a local professional network. My basic finances are solid, so I don’t need to work, but I do want to come full circle to where I started my career as a journalist; I won’t go back to media as such, but I do want to exercise my core skill as a writer.

Advantages of Actively Managed Finances

I have a paper-thin knowledge of all things personal finance and no head for numbers, but I am aware of the need for lifelong financial planning and that’s where Maria comes in. My advice to others in a similar position is don’t just invest and then leave your savings to their own devices, appoint an expert, who is constantly moving your money around for you to maximise returns and limit loses. 

Big Picture Approach

Maria is always looking at the bigger picture for growth opportunities and her approach has been hugely advantageous for me. For example, she advised me to switch from a fixed-rate mortgage to a lifetime tracker mortgage just before interest rates plummeted. To begin with my monthly payments were more than my previous mortgage arrangement, but then overnight my interest payments evaporated. Following Maria’s advice, I used the money saved each month to invest into my pension.  

In my early fifties I was encouraged to increase my pension contributions, which has enabled me to leave work behind earlier than originally expected. 

Trust and Results 

I am in regular contact with Maria – with two to three face-to-face meetings a year. On each occasion we meet she is very patient and really good at talking me through everything. Our relationship is based on trust and results; there’s never been any nasty surprises, curved balls or smoke and mirrors. Yes, as you’d expect, there are fluctuations, but Maria explains them in a way I can comprehend. 

What advice would you give your younger self?

Start saving earlier and find yourself a Maria sooner.

The value of an investment with St. James's Place will be linked to the peformance of the funds selected and the value may therefore fall as well as rise.  You may get back less than you invested.