Chris Mead

Spend wisely and save smartly

June can be one of the best months of the year with summer well and truly on the way. But with all those holidays, weddings, anniversaries, and other spending, it can also be one of the most expensive too.

While you should be focusing on the present, it’s also important to be aware of how major outlays now can have a significant impact on your financial security in later life. A cashflow model can give you a clear picture of the consequences your spending and saving can have on your future.

It’s also good to know about the ways you can use your tax-free allowances wisely on certain expenditures. For example, your gifting allowances can let you pass on up to £3,000 a year to your loved ones without it being added to the value of your estate.*

Together, we can make a plan to help you live your life to the full now, while still having the retirement you want later on.

Click on the contact me today button at the top of my profile to discuss how I can help you.

*Source: HMRC 

My career spans two disciplines that rarely sit in the same person. I am both a qualified Financial Adviser and an ACCA qualified Accountant with over a decade of commercial finance experience. That combination means I see your whole financial picture, not just the investments, but the tax, the structure, and the long-term strategy.

The reason I became a financial planner is personal. My own finances have been genuinely complex, and working through them led me to take my financial adviser exams, originally just to learn. I quickly realised that many people in similar situations had the means but lacked the confidence to act.

Who I work with
I work with people whose money could be working harder, but who haven’t quite got on top of it.

• High earners: Pension allowances, tax efficiency, and a strategy that aims to maximise what you keep and what you grow.
• Business owners and directors: Optimising wealth extraction, pension planning, and bringing order to finances that have too often come second to the business.
• Expats: Cross-border complexity is something I’ve navigated personally. I help overseas nationals and returning British nationals through the tax and pension complications.

Senior professionals and managers: Those with equity compensation, RSUs, options and LTIPs, where planning needs to reflect the full picture.

How I work
Every client starts with a proper conversation. I take the time to listen and understand your entire situation, asking the right questions to build a full picture before making any recommendations. I build plans that account for everything, not just the straightforward parts. And the relationship does not end there. I work with clients on an ongoing basis, because your plan should evolve as your life does.

Outside of work
I live in Bristol with my wife. We love travel — extended trips across South East Asia and South America, two years in Italy — as well as food, cooking, and the occasional well-crafted cocktail.