SOLLA Accredited Chartered Financial Planner, Andrew Page, joins the Later Life team

It is with great excitement that we introduce you to the latest addition to our Later Life team. Andrew Page (Andy) is a SOLLA Accredited Chartered Financial Planner who joined Old Mill this July and is based in our Wells office.

Joining our existing Later Life team, Andy will be working closely with fellow SOLLA Accredited adviser, Chris Tweedie. Between them they have over 50 years’ experience of helping clients with later life financial needs.

Andy began his career as a Financial Planner in 1996 for a financial planning firm in Bristol and has over 20 years’ experience within the industry. With a passion for helping others, he soon realised the value and support he could bring to those looking to retire and begin the next stage of their lives.

After developing his skills and experience within this sector, Andy became a Chartered Financial Planner, offering a more holistic service. Andy explains ‘It’s important for people to understand what they want to achieve out of life, and being a Chartered Financial Planner means I am best placed to help them so that they use their money wisely. Whether that’s funding holidays, making good use of their assets, Inheritance Tax (IHT), gifting and so on. I help them to pull it all together so they still have enough for the rest of their lives. This way of working, adding value and advice, is what attracted me to Old Mill.’

As Andy progressed through his career, he wanted a greater focus and to specialise in Later Life advice so, in 2010, he successfully achieved his SOLLA Accreditation.

Gaining this Gold Standard qualification is not an easy feat. Andy explains, ‘The accreditation process is quite intense. You have to provide evidence to prove your knowledge and skills. I also have to actively achieve ongoing Continuing Professional Development (CPD). I had to take several exams and attend a face-to-face interview with technical knowledge questions around a case study.’ All SOLLA accredited professionals have to go through this process every five years and it isn’t just about technical knowledge, it’s also about having the ability to empathise and confidently communicate to people about, what can be, quite a sensitive topic.

Andy says, ‘I joined Old Mill because I feel they share the same values as me. It’s not your typical corporate business, they truly care about their clients. Knowledge of SOLLA and what this means is growing within the professional community and it’s fantastic that there are now three of us here at Old Mill, working together to support our clients.’

We believe Andy will be an invaluable asset to the team, further strengthening our offering to our clients and broadening our coverage across the South West.

If you would like to know more about Later Life Planning and how we can help you, a friend or a family member, please get in touch.