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What did you do before you set up Peter Harding Wealth Management ? I ’ ve been working in the personal financial services sector since 1988 , joining St . James ' s Place in 1993 when I started Peter Harding Wealth Management , now affectionately known as PHWM . A little known fact however , is that as I have a passion for music , I used to be the school party DJ .
Where did the business start ? PHWM started in the back bedroom of my family home in Shaftesbury – a little cramped back then .
How has the business grown over the years ? Celebrating our 30th birthday this year , I look back and am amazed at the growth we ’ ve achieved over the years . From just me in Shaftesbury in the beginning , expanding to the wider Dorset area with the introduction of our Sherborne office , followed by Canford Cliffs and our latest office in beautiful Corsham taking us to over 50 team members . Of course , I can ’ t forget our ‘ Chartered Financial Planner Status ’ that we ’ re proud to have achieved - the industry ‘ gold ’ standard for firms of financial planners .
There are also numerous awards we have won over the years , voted for by industry experts and the public , the most recent of which being the 2023 Bournemouth Business Awards Community Support Award and six Advisers appearing in VouchedFor ’ s 2023 Top Rated Financial Adviser Guide . While it ’ s not all about awards , it is nice to be recognised for doing a good job .
What do you think has been key to your success story ? I ’ ve always worked hard to provide the very finest service to my clients , a value that runs true throughout PHWM . Thorough and innovative , we offer a financial planning service for those who want help in designing a successful strategy aiming to secure theirs
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and their families ’ financial future . No matter the client , we put their needs first , and that ’ s what ’ s been the foundation of our success .
Has your ethos / offering changed or remained over the years ? As a Principal Partner Practice of St . James ' s Place , which is highly regarded as one of the leading wealth management organisations within the UK , our ethos has remained constant since inception : to put our clients firmly at the heart of everything we do .
We run a client focused business . No two clients are the same , so we ensure that we understand our clients ’ personal or business objectives and deliver solutions that are right for them . We are passionate about what we do and strive to offer our clients the very best service to develop long-term relationships from generation to generation .
What have been the highlights of the last 30 years ? First and foremost , we are delighted that our client base has consistently grown over the last 30 years and take this opportunity to thank our past , current and future clients for entrusting their business to PHWM .
I am proud of our team of advisers and support staff , and I thank them for their hard work , dedication and commitment to putting clients first , often through very challenging times , delivering continuous excellence in customer care .
What have been your biggest challenges ? Over the last 30 years technology has developed significantly and changed the way we do business - specifically customer communication and what works best for them . We aim to provide the highest level of service and proactively seek out effective and productive ways to work with our customers for the best solutions and outcomes supporting their goals and objectives .
The pandemic presented a significant
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innovative challenge which has been managed to our client satisfaction , and demonstrated the importance of building a solid-yet-flexible framework within the practice which supports adapting to unexpected scenarios .
What have been your learnings ? We have technology specialists who proactively identify new solutions to review against client needs and user-friendly options to keep improving our services . We continue to build on our experience and planning to combat exceptional circumstances and delivering continuous excellence in customer care .
If you could share a few top tips for growing a successful business , what would they be ? Put your clients first , design your interactions with them at the centre and you won ’ t go far wrong , and of course , keep it simple .
There has been so much volatility and change in the market over the last 30 years . What has it taught you / the business ? There will always be volatility and change in the markets and over the last 30 years there have been significant global and national factors that have influenced this . It is key to plan for extreme circumstances , expect the unexpected and keep the client at the centre of all business decisions .
How do you think the economy is going to fare in the next year ? As we are aware the UK economic climate is in a state of constant change , so we are unable to predict changes in legislation and taxation . However , one premise stays strong which is time spent in the market , not timing of the market .
What are your future plans ? We ’ re constantly reviewing our services whilst striving to deliver the best for our clients and this will remain the focus of
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our business now and in the future . We ’ re looking at an exciting programme of Financial Wellbeing and Financial Education in the Workplace initiatives , which I ’ m sure will be of help to the TBE community – watch this space !
How are you celebrating this business milestone ? We are delighted to share that to celebrate this milestone , we ’ re undergoing ’ 30 for 30 ’ – a collection of 30 events , charity support days and community initiatives that the whole team are getting involved with over the year – keep an eye on our socials for our progress .
What has defined the last decade for you ? Covid-19 presented an unprecedented major challenge for health and businesses worldwide . Here at PHWM , we came together as a team to adapt and implement our crisis management plans to enable a seamless transition in ways of working and continue to deliver outstanding customer service . The positive feedback and appreciation that our clients sent to me thanking members of our team during this difficult period , has been a key moment for me – I ’ m proud of my team and what they ’ ve achieved .
Peter Harding Wealth Management is an Appointed Representative of and represents only St . James ’ s Place Wealth Management plc ( which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority ) for the purpose of advising solely on the group ’ s wealth management products and services , more details of which are set out on the group ’ s website www . sjp . co . uk / products . The ‘ St . James ’ s Place Partnership ’ and the titles ‘ Partner ’ and ‘ Partner Practice ’ are marketing terms used to describe St . James ’ s Place representatives . Peter Harding Wealth Management is a trading name of Peter Harding Practice Ltd .
SJP Approved 10 / 08 / 2023
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