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LET'S TALK INVESTMENTS!
Wirral Life introduce Sam Hulson of First Equitable.
Tell us a little bit about yourself?
I have worked within financial services since my early 20’s and have
enjoyed a diverse, and often ‘unplanned’ career path; one which has
previously taken me to Brussels; The Hague and then to Valencia,
where I was fortunate enough to meet my wife. I have always enjoyed
any chance to travel, so the opportunity of experiencing different
cultures and being able to combine that with gaining invaluable work
experience, serving the often complex needs of largely international
based clients, has been both a fulfilling and challenging experience.
What brought you here?
After much contemplation I managed to convince my wife that the UK
represented the best place to commit what I feel will be the defining
years of my career in financial services. Somewhat reluctantly, she
agreed! In November 2016 we opened the office in 1 Old Hall Street,
Liverpool. Our clients are scattered throughout all parts of the UK;
Liverpool, as one of the largest financial centres in the UK outside
of London, is ideally situated, with its good transport links and
competitive rates for office space. We also wanted to be able to enjoy a
nice relaxed family life outside of work, and that was where the Wirral
became such an attractive option. I am originally from Nantwich in
Cheshire, so the idea of raising a family in a more relaxed environment,
closer to nature, but without the need for a long commute each and
every day was always going to be appealing. After spending some time
living in Liverpool, we finally settled on a home over in Neston and
couldn’t be more pleased with our choice.
Why now?
Having initially opened a UK registered office in 2015, in response to
increasing new business enquiries from UK based clientele: I became
convinced that the UK financial services marketplace offered the
best fundamentals and regulatory framework on which to further
establish our client base. Since financial advice in this country moved
away from remuneration via product commissions (following the
Retail Distribution Review in 2012) in favour of a transparent fee
based approach: I am absolutely convinced there now exists a more
competitive and client centric range of financial products and solutions
than ever before. Great opportunities exist for the right type of
financial planners to add real value for their clients and families going
forward and with the added fulfilment of building some great client/
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adviser relationships in the process. I must also confess that in the
summer of 2016, I received the offer of a Liverpool FC season ticket
after some 20 odd years on a waiting list; that was obviously just an
afterthought though, honest!
What are your plans for First Equitable going forward?
Thanks to a solid internet presence we are kept extremely busy with
new business enquiries from all parts of the country; however, part of
the original goal when opening the office in Liverpool was to build and
develop a strong local client base and the Wirral and surrounding areas
form very much a part of that goal. Whilst advances in technology have
made it much easier to provide advice and deliver good quality service
through ‘long distance’ relationships with clients, I remain a firm
believer that financial advice is best delivered on a face-to-face basis;
from a personal perspective it is also honestly much more enjoyable, as
it means you get to meet and know a wide range of personalities; each
with their own unique stories. Even if as individuals we often share
similar basic goals and objectives for our finances.
In which areas of financial advice do you specialise?
Having spent many years studying and developing skills to attain the
level of Chartered adviser status, this has provided me with a broad set
of specialist skills allowing me to provide technical advice in a wide
range of key financial planning areas, including: investment planning;
trusts and tax planning; later life planning - which includes the areas
of Wills and Powers of Attorney. I am also holder of a Pension Transfer
Specialist qualification, which as well as general retirement planning
advice, allows me to advise on transfers of defined benefit pensions. An
area of financial planning that is both complex and much in demand
right now.
How should people contact you if they want to learn more of your
services?
If clients want general information on any topic, we have produced a
range of educational guides that can be downloaded from our website
for free, www.first-equitable.co.uk. For those that would like to take
things a step further, we would be delighted to provide a free initial
consultation. This can be at our Liverpool office or the convenience
of your own home. We are also available to have a chat via phone
whenever you like, 0151 236 9973.