Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
What does it really mean to take control of your financial future?
Train Your Wealth is the podcast from JPA Financial Planning, designed to make financial planning feel clear, relevant, and grounded in real life.
Through relaxed, honest conversations, the series explores how people think about money, from career transitions and major life decisions to long-term planning and performance mindset. Drawing on lessons from professional sport and high-performance environments, it examines what it takes to build, manage, and sustain wealth over time.
This isn’t about quick wins, jargon, or one-size-fits-all advice. It’s about asking better questions, thinking long term, and building a plan that works for you.
With a strong focus on women in business and sport, the podcast offers a practical perspective to help you feel more confident, more in control, and better prepared for what’s ahead.
If you want your financial planning to feel less complicated and more meaningful, this is the podcast for you.
Subscribe now and join us as we explore what it really means to train your wealth.
“JPA Financial Planning Ltd 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 advertising solely on the Group's website at www.sjp.co.uk/products.”
00:00:00:07 - 00:00:28:24
Chris Dawes
Welcome to episode one of a new podcast for JPA Financial Planning. This is the JP train your Wealth, and I'm delighted that we are kicking this episode off where it has to start right at the beginning. We've got the main man to find out all the history of where the name, the company and the support they gave comes from.
00:00:28:27 - 00:00:41:07
Chris Dawes
The. So welcome to episode one of JPA Train Your Wealth podcast. As I said, the main man, Chris Homer. Hello, mate.
00:00:41:10 - 00:00:44:22
Chris Homer
Thanks for having me. How are you doing? Yeah. No, really? Well, yeah.
00:00:44:24 - 00:00:47:23
Chris Dawes
Just looking forward to this with the trepidation of.
00:00:47:25 - 00:00:53:03
Chris Homer
Yeah. You've assured me you're going to keep me safe, keep me relaxed and full security.
00:00:53:09 - 00:01:10:15
Chris Dawes
That's what that is. That was. But it was so good because we known each other a little bit prior to this. Yeah. And you suddenly went, right. I want to get the story out because there's not it's not just the financial side. There's a very personal side to this as well, isn't there?
00:01:10:16 - 00:01:25:24
Chris Homer
Yeah, absolutely. And over the last 6 to 12 months, we've had a lot of people saying, what does the name stand for? What does it mean? Where did it come from? How did you create it. And then you get the response of why don't you talk to people about it? And that's then where the conversation started with yourselves.
00:01:25:24 - 00:01:44:23
Chris Homer
Okay, let's get that story. Let's talk about it. How was JP able? Where does it come from? Because as we'll go into, how it came about, me and my wife look at it now and go, how is this happened? How have we gone from where it started to where we sit now? That was an idea on the back of the fact packet.
00:01:44:25 - 00:01:47:00
Chris Dawes
And now other pieces of paper are.
00:01:47:03 - 00:02:06:16
Chris Homer
Yeah, this year, but we're now business owners and if we roll back to the star, we would never have said that was the plan, the dream, the idea. But everything we said it seemed to happened. And it's it's that. Why? How have we got it? How have we done it? And I say we still scratch our heads, and I, we feel.
00:02:06:18 - 00:02:23:27
Chris Dawes
I also I've kind of always felt embarrassed that I hadn't clocked where the name came from. Let me before we get to that part is just make sure I understand this correctly. From what you said that. So you and your wife, Gemma are the founders and owners of this company, or is it just you?
00:02:24:00 - 00:02:39:11
Chris Homer
So officially, it's just me. Yeah, because Jem's got her own side of it. Where the JP officially started. She's got her own business where she went. I created it first, and then I joined her later down the line.
00:02:39:13 - 00:02:42:05
Chris Dawes
Okay. Right. Speak to us about that start.
00:02:42:05 - 00:03:02:16
Chris Homer
Then, so I will. It's going to be nine in August this year. And it was wall. Areola was Jem was pregnant with areola. I said to Gemma, I want you to have the choice of not having to go back to work. And we looked at all and with childcare and and all the costs, there it was. You're going back to work, gym to pay for childcare.
00:03:02:19 - 00:03:21:21
Chris Homer
Why don't you have the choice of if you want to spend time with, with our newborn, why do you have that flexibility to do it? I'm employed. I've got the salary. We can live off the income. And that's what I wanted to try for the choice. And before that, my main reason behind it was I've got two stepchildren.
00:03:21:23 - 00:03:41:07
Chris Homer
And Jem had her first son when she was 18. Single parent, single mum. She had to go back to work. And what I didn't want to do, I never wanted this to be. You're not going back to work. You're stopping and looking after Ariella. Yeah. It's that I wanted that choice, that freedom for what she wanted. And she can't say, well, what am I going to do?
00:03:41:10 - 00:04:09:22
Chris Homer
And I said, well, all your career you've provided support to people in your role. Said, well, we've both in financial services. We spoke with financial advisors. The biggest issue on financial advisors is back office. We don't like admin. So there's your niche that what you're good at how you can support. Why don't you provide admin support and whatever you want to work for other financial advisors?
00:04:09:25 - 00:04:19:12
Chris Homer
So after a few expletive words and telling me I imagined it was never going to take off in anything like that, JP admin was born.
00:04:19:15 - 00:04:20:03
Chris Dawes
Okay?
00:04:20:03 - 00:04:44:28
Chris Homer
And that's what Jim did from day one, and it snowballed from there into he started looking after a first financial advisor, second, third, fourth. And it just started to pick up quite quickly without really trying or doing anything. It was just through people we knew that wanted admin support and the services. And then the dreaded word of Covid hit.
00:04:44:28 - 00:05:14:21
Chris Homer
Oh, right. And that really changed Jim's business in a positive way because everybody was going to work from home. Nobody had people in office yet. People had the costs of furlough and things like that. So all of a sudden the whole industry said, we don't want people in the office, we want virtual assistants. Yeah. So overnight, Jim went from five financial advisors to 15 financial advisors that she provided support for.
00:05:14:23 - 00:05:38:11
Chris Homer
And this was the first part where we went, oh my God, it's not a hobby. It's now a business. We've now got to employ stuff and that side of it. So Jim's business started growing where she got the first member of staff. More people came on. We needed more. And by the end of that year, she'd got eight members of staff working for her through the Covid year.
00:05:38:13 - 00:06:06:11
Chris Homer
Wow. So that was then where we were like, right, okay, what what's now the plan? What started is a bit of giving you the choice, giving you the freedom. We now they go in, how do we manage it? What procedures have we got in line, what H.R needs to come in employment contracts and all of that. And Jim would never want it to have been a business owner when we started that idea out, it was purely for flexibility for her to to be with her.
00:06:06:11 - 00:06:06:15
Chris Homer
Yeah.
00:06:06:19 - 00:06:16:13
Chris Dawes
Yeah, it was what started as being that sort of self-employed sole trader doing what she was good at. Yeah, with the hours that she wanted. But this thing's now got a life of its own.
00:06:16:14 - 00:06:17:07
Chris Homer
Absolutely.
00:06:17:09 - 00:06:20:23
Chris Dawes
Wow. So it's not an uncommon story either, is it? No.
00:06:20:25 - 00:06:27:20
Chris Homer
No, absolutely. You do hear it a lot. Where is that an idea? But you think it's almost never going to take off. And then bank.
00:06:27:20 - 00:06:28:17
Chris Dawes
Tale of a Tiger.
00:06:28:21 - 00:06:30:04
Chris Homer
Yeah. There it goes. Yeah.
00:06:30:11 - 00:06:34:11
Chris Dawes
Wow. Okay. So does JP admin still exist now.
00:06:34:14 - 00:06:35:02
Chris Homer
Yes.
00:06:35:02 - 00:06:35:15
Chris Dawes
Right.
00:06:35:15 - 00:06:54:01
Chris Homer
So they prove that they still provide my back office support. Yeah. Because that's then what gave me the flexibility to be a financial advisor. Yeah. Because the biggest things that hold people back on launching a business is I can't go and see clients. I can't build my client base because I'm too busy doing the admin.
00:06:54:06 - 00:06:54:23
Chris Dawes
Yeah.
00:06:54:26 - 00:07:02:06
Chris Homer
Well, I did somehow manage to create this option of where I can get all my admin done.
00:07:02:09 - 00:07:03:05
Chris Dawes
At mate's rates.
00:07:03:10 - 00:07:07:27
Chris Homer
Mate's rates. Exactly. Which gave me the freedom to just go and see clients.
00:07:08:00 - 00:07:08:28
Chris Dawes
Wow.
00:07:09:00 - 00:07:21:12
Chris Homer
So that was where it was the no brainer idea of doing it. It was the bit that kicked me to do it. That's I think another interesting part of the journey.
00:07:21:14 - 00:07:25:00
Chris Dawes
Is that pre understanding the name or.
00:07:25:02 - 00:07:46:27
Chris Homer
So. Yeah I mean so I mentioned I've got two stepchildren. So Josh, Poppy Ariella. Yeah. So when we built well when Jim had this business idea or the admin side of it, we just sat down and we said, well, what's it going to be called? And Jem just put Josh Poppy his name together and just went, well, JP and it kind of just fell off the tongue and like that it just worked.
00:07:46:28 - 00:08:08:01
Chris Homer
Yeah. And I really hope ServiceNow and goes, well why am I last. Well you think JP doesn't really give it the the same ring to it. So it's just interesting how Josh is the eldest, then Poppy, then Abby 11 those initials together. Really rubbish excuses. Well, you can't get in trouble for that. Yeah. So, yeah, there was no real I wouldn't say thought process.
00:08:08:01 - 00:08:28:01
Chris Homer
It was just we sat down now. But it's not always. Absolutely. Yeah. And it might make me thinking like legacy. Yeah. Purpose and something where it can carry on. It's got a meaning behind it. There's a succession plan there to think, well, if one of them ever want to come in the industry and want to carry on with it, you know, each ready made.
00:08:28:05 - 00:08:49:20
Chris Homer
Yeah. And I think the other part of it where I see now is a lot of businesses. You put it as your name. Well what's the succession plan on the business. If it's your name nobody's going to want to carry on that name because it's not their name. Yeah. And I think that's where a look this wasn't something especially where we all know that I see as a short term business.
00:08:49:23 - 00:09:05:07
Chris Homer
This is a longer term basis with succession plans is to go, who's going to come and carry on when me and Jim decide time's right for us to take a back seat. The name can be the the brand still there. The reputation is still there. It's just new blood coming in to carry on.
00:09:05:08 - 00:09:26:27
Chris Dawes
Agreed. And I mean, it scans well, the JP as you say. But then JP admin or JP financial planning means you've got the descriptive element as well. So yeah it makes sense. Okay. So that's the wonderful personal element of the name. Yeah. And I think especially for, for, for you with the financial planning is that you're helping families and individuals.
00:09:26:27 - 00:09:41:07
Chris Dawes
So the family connection there is really nice. You touched on an interesting story of why the financial planning bit came along. So what were you so you were employed at this stage? Yes. For somebody else.
00:09:41:07 - 00:09:42:00
Chris Homer
Yeah.
00:09:42:02 - 00:09:43:03
Chris Dawes
What changed?
00:09:43:03 - 00:10:08:10
Chris Homer
So the deal always was I stay employed, I stay safe, as everybody say. Yeah, yeah. And Jim had the freedom. We didn't have any financial pressure on what that business generated because we could live on my salary. I really came along, two years. The bond I had with Mariella wasn't there. I was, I was working, I was traveling everywhere, doing my job.
00:10:08:12 - 00:10:28:24
Chris Homer
Yeah. And then Covid hit again, and all of a sudden I'm back at home. My daughter can see her dad. Yeah. I'm there when she wakes up. I'm there when she goes to bed. And as things started to open up and people were going back to the office, all that face to face element was coming back in. I didn't want to go back.
00:10:28:26 - 00:10:50:27
Chris Homer
I thought, I'm now torn. I've now had that bond with my daughter. I've now almost now I feel I'm choosing to I want to see my daughter. Do I want to go to work? Yeah. And I didn't like that fading. She was going to nurse you through Covid. So I was taken to nursery, so I was almost feeling like what a dad should or could be doing.
00:10:51:00 - 00:11:10:05
Chris Homer
So I just said to Gemma, I said, I'm not going back. And she was a bit like, what do you mean? I said, well, I've worked with financial advisors. I've helped financial advisors, set up their business. I've helped them deal with all the client situation. The only thing I haven't done is sat in front of a client and actually gone through the paperwork.
00:11:10:07 - 00:11:20:01
Chris Homer
I said, so if I just manage myself as I would manage every other financial advisor, I said, why? Why can't I give it a go? And she went, oh, right, then go on then.
00:11:20:03 - 00:11:20:22
Chris Dawes
Really?
00:11:20:22 - 00:11:39:24
Chris Homer
And I was like, oh yeah, well, I was already for a fight. Yeah. It was, it was almost too easy. Yeah. And then I thought, oh, okay. Yeah, go and do it. Wow. And then it was that pause of like, oh my God. She's now agreed. I was almost like, oh great idea. You're going to say no. And it's going to be awful in the future.
00:11:39:24 - 00:11:58:12
Chris Homer
As to why I never did it, did you hear that? Where is now? I'm like, right, okay, I've got the green light, I've got no excuse. No. And when we look to the and we like that risk and reward and we was like, so if it doesn't, go to plan, if it doesn't work out, what's the worst that can happen?
00:11:58:15 - 00:12:24:10
Chris Homer
And it coincided with Jim's business growing at an alarming rate during that year. So all of a sudden, Jim's business that was didn't need to worry about the financials, didn't need to worry about what it was bringing in. Now that became our safety net. Yeah. Because it's like, well, actually, if this carries on going at the moment, we don't see why it wouldn't because we're getting more inquiries, more people wanting the support.
00:12:24:12 - 00:12:30:25
Chris Homer
We can now live off what the business is producing to give me the financial freedom to go and build something else.
00:12:30:25 - 00:12:31:11
Chris Dawes
Yeah.
00:12:31:14 - 00:12:50:19
Chris Homer
So that was it. At that point, I spoke to my employer, told them what my plan was, 100 in my notice, and we then said, well, what do we do with the name? And that's when we said, well, let's keep it together, because the future plan at that point was then to say, well, we are going to be one big team.
00:12:50:24 - 00:13:11:19
Chris Homer
So yes. Will they provide admin support for other businesses? The plan to grow the financial planning side of it, we should all come together and be under one roof at some point in the future. Yeah, and it was then the succession of thinking, well, the is that Jim was looking after, she was getting to know the clients because she was talking to them.
00:13:11:21 - 00:13:40:04
Chris Homer
Clients knew her well. What were the financial advisors going to do when they decided that there was they didn't want to advise anymore? Well, they wanted to go into retirement. There was a succession plan idea with going, well, those advisors could then the clients have still got the same back office support. But the only difference being is that rather than Mr. Smith sitting in front of them, there was a new advisor, but the client was comfortable in all the back office, knew they were seen.
00:13:40:06 - 00:13:43:08
Chris Dawes
Because there was a there was a continued voice there still.
00:13:43:08 - 00:14:11:05
Chris Homer
Yeah. So we kind of had that option as well going. So we said, well, we need the businesses to be aligned. So JPA Financial Planning seemed the right match for JP admin, but also for the business plan of the of the succession of going. Well, Mr. Smith is retiring. JPA financial planning is the new advisor of which JPA admin have been providing you with support over the last however many years.
00:14:11:07 - 00:14:20:21
Chris Homer
So that was kind of the idea. And the first time we'd kind of got a bit strategic with going, well, what does the future look like? How do we kind of bullet proof or for what we want to do?
00:14:20:24 - 00:14:38:01
Chris Dawes
What is the entrepreneurial spirit isn't it? Yeah. You kind of take what you're good at and make it a viable proposition. Yeah. And I love that. Now, the one thing that does jump out to me though, is that that I find inspiring. I just love that story. It's so cool. And I didn't know that. Which is why this is new.
00:14:38:01 - 00:14:55:00
Chris Dawes
And I'm like, that's that's really clever. That's a longer term goal because that is the the succession of of the advisors retire. And so presumably you had to get off your backside and go and get new clients on board as well at this stage.
00:14:55:00 - 00:15:18:26
Chris Homer
Yeah. And this is the bit where we scratch your head and go, how did it all happen? If I fast forward to today, everything I've just said was the plan is where we sit today. Oh, so JP admin don't provide any support for any other financial advisor other than JP financial planning because it's all happened as we put out there what our plan was.
00:15:18:28 - 00:15:19:16
Chris Dawes
Wow.
00:15:19:16 - 00:15:38:08
Chris Homer
And that's the scary thing as to how quickly it's gone. So as I got off my back side, I when I, started looking for clients, I knew of a business where an individual was looking to retire. So I said, right, I'll come and work with you for 18 months. The plan is I'll help you with your succession.
00:15:38:08 - 00:15:57:03
Chris Homer
I'll get to know the clients on the 18 month, then the clients then fully come in to to my world, so to speak, and you can go off and enjoy your retirement knowing that your clients have been looked after, hand it over in the right way as opposed to, retiring today. You new advisors here tomorrow?
00:15:57:04 - 00:16:00:12
Chris Dawes
Yeah. They don't like that, do they? Because it's a very personal connection, isn't that.
00:16:00:12 - 00:16:01:06
Chris Homer
Yeah, absolutely.
00:16:01:11 - 00:16:02:11
Chris Dawes
Both directions.
00:16:02:11 - 00:16:29:27
Chris Homer
Yeah. So that was kind of the plan of where I thought like, well, I can kick start the journey. I found one individual and then we can build it and go that way. By the time I got to the 18 month agreement points within that business, I had two offers that did exactly the same. Wow. So with 18 months, I've got three people where we'd kind of put out into the the world of going with a succession plan.
00:16:29:27 - 00:16:34:08
Chris Homer
And those two individuals worked with Jen under JP admin got.
00:16:34:10 - 00:16:34:26
Chris Dawes
Yeah.
00:16:34:28 - 00:17:03:26
Chris Homer
So it was like, wow, this has gone crazy in 18 months. Six months later, I'm recruiting my first advisor and going, I can't look after all these clients. I now need to bring an advisor in. Then six months later we're approached by another business. Can we back in? So all of a sudden, within two and a half years, we've had four businesses back in, the three of us advising with a fourth on the horizon.
00:17:03:28 - 00:17:23:12
Chris Homer
Wow. And it was just incredible to think again. The same with what happened with the admin side of the business. We didn't really market, we didn't really promote, we didn't really push it out there. Yes, we had an idea behind closed doors, but it just happened. And then we founder in the same situation again with the financial planning side of it.
00:17:23:19 - 00:17:47:15
Chris Homer
We knew what we wanted to do, but we hadn't really planned it and gone, right, let's do this, let's do that. And we're sitting here two years in thinking, right, we've now got this problem over this. So which is a good problem to have. And that was then the start of the capacity on the admin. And that was when it probably became difficult because Gem's always wanting to help people, struggles to say no to people.
00:17:47:18 - 00:18:09:03
Chris Homer
But we're now at a point of going, we can't keep saying yes over here because we've got a needs on this side of the business where I'm going. I need more support, I need more back office, etcetera. So that was the start of then the succession of going, how do we slowly move admin into financial planning to become that one big team?
00:18:09:03 - 00:18:13:21
Chris Homer
Yeah, that we said at the outset was always the aim to get to wow, wow.
00:18:13:26 - 00:18:43:27
Chris Dawes
So I mean, I was making sure I was following all the points there because it was sort of like a web at the beginning. That is now become a very simple model at the end of the day. Yeah. I mean, we first met two years ago, I reckon, or certainly in 2024 compared to being in 26 now. I think that explains why it was never that impression that I got back then when we first met, because you must have been.
00:18:43:29 - 00:18:54:29
Chris Dawes
I mean, it had been a little while after the pandemic, obviously, but you were still sort of on that trail of of trying to get new clients into some extent. Hence you were a network in which I don't think you do as much.
00:18:55:02 - 00:19:15:17
Chris Homer
No, no, no, my advice is do it more okay with it. No, but yeah, I'm more trying to get the business plan. Yeah. Things, go with it. But yeah, when we caught, it was almost slap bang in the middle of that growth. Yeah. And it was that catch 22 with go in I want to promote I want to gain new clients.
00:19:15:19 - 00:19:28:04
Chris Homer
But naturally there's more people backing in. There's more. There's one in succession plans. So it's kind of like well which route do I go? Because if I went both routes, I felt it was going to fall down.
00:19:28:04 - 00:19:29:08
Chris Dawes
Point. Good point.
00:19:29:09 - 00:19:49:12
Chris Homer
So that was the dilemma I was in at that point. And it was almost like, well, let's get this bedded in first. Let's see what having Good Falls is in the business, because it's always been me and Jem. Now all of a sudden there's other people, other personalities, other voices, other people that have run a business on their own before.
00:19:49:15 - 00:20:08:21
Chris Homer
And I know within a business. But did they ever change the mindset to be, I'm now not a business owner. I'm within a business. And that that's always difficult to have when it's it's your baby, it's your dream. You've got your vision. How do you bet other people's thoughts in.
00:20:08:23 - 00:20:30:17
Chris Dawes
But the one thing that strikes me from listening to that back story is that by your nature, you go in with your eyes wide open because I've, you know, I've heard pivots and, you know, big ideas, not just I do this job, but it was like, okay, let's widen that scope of where that sits. Plus, we've now pivoted.
00:20:30:17 - 00:20:55:10
Chris Dawes
Actually, that's happened sooner than we thought. So there's because there's luck involved with businesses as well. Yeah. You've got to be prepared to see it. Put yourself into the positions where it could happen and be versatile enough to sort of make those changes. Well, you've proven that that you were naturally open to that. I say as a as a business owner myself, is that I respect what I, what I'm here in there.
00:20:55:13 - 00:21:10:10
Chris Dawes
So when you've got these challenges of other people doing it their way, I kind of envisage that you're like, actually, this is a good chance to hear alternative views, alternative ways of doing things. Was has that been the case?
00:21:10:10 - 00:21:23:16
Chris Homer
Yeah, absolutely. Oh yeah. I'm a big believer like that with a team. Yeah I never want people to think that I'm the director. I'm the owner of the business. It's my way or the highway because my way isn't always going to be right.
00:21:23:19 - 00:21:40:10
Chris Dawes
Especially when you're talking clients. Very small requirements, very expectations. Got to be open, I guess. And I probably come from this mold, is that you will have your sets of principles. Yes. You founded this business on that case. Yeah.
00:21:40:13 - 00:21:40:23
Chris Homer
Yeah.
00:21:40:29 - 00:21:43:23
Chris Dawes
But the way that they achieving can be varied.
00:21:43:23 - 00:22:05:29
Chris Homer
Yes. Would you. Absolutely. Yeah. You know, it's my approach has always been we sit in front of any client. You know, previously there was a lot of people saying that I looked up in the financial services. If people haven't got X amount to invest, I'm not going to say in front of them. That was a big thing in my culture when we set up that financial advice is relevant for everybody.
00:22:06:06 - 00:22:18:27
Chris Dawes
You know, because I've always, not always. I had a period where because it also has a lot of companies have wealth manager. And I know we've got to train your wealth in the title of this series.
00:22:18:29 - 00:22:19:16
Chris Homer
Yeah.
00:22:19:18 - 00:22:43:00
Chris Dawes
But wealth does not mean I'm loaded. I'm wealthy. And what is wealthy? We're wealthy because we've got loving families around us that. Yeah, that's one thing for me. Yeah, but it really is open for everybody. Don't get blinded by that word wealth. This is for absolutely everybody. Like, yeah, you know, am I doing the right thing with with my investments, with my future, with my here and now?
00:22:43:03 - 00:22:43:22
Chris Homer
Yeah.
00:22:43:24 - 00:22:46:06
Chris Dawes
Yours is a much more holistic view.
00:22:46:06 - 00:23:04:29
Chris Homer
Definitely. Yeah. And that was what I purposely didn't put wealth in the business name because I hated that word. It was very when I talked to clients, with other businesses before I went out on my own. You saw that as a barrier. It was like, well, I'm not wealthy. Yeah, wealth management means I've got to have millions in the bank.
00:23:05:01 - 00:23:07:20
Chris Dawes
Or loads of properties or whatever different things.
00:23:07:20 - 00:23:14:09
Chris Homer
Yeah, yeah. So I personally I didn't want it in there. And the reason I put planning in there is because we plan for everything.
00:23:14:14 - 00:23:15:00
Chris Dawes
Yeah.
00:23:15:02 - 00:23:23:01
Chris Homer
If you think like the weekly shop, most people don't go to the supermarket and just I'm going to wing it. I'm just going to go down there, put loads of things.
00:23:23:02 - 00:23:31:02
Chris Dawes
Why the wife doesn't take me shopping all day and invariably ends with lots of junk in it. But you're absolutely right. The proper people.
00:23:31:05 - 00:23:52:08
Chris Homer
Going on holiday, you know. You know what time I forgot to be at the airport? What time does my flight leave? So everything in naturally in life we plan what we want to do. Yeah. And that's what my ethos with the whole with the financial services is plan. You plan your future, plan your life. And it's all right saying let's plan for retirement.
00:23:52:10 - 00:23:59:23
Chris Homer
But retirement is a long way away. So what about what's the plan in the short term plan medium term. And then what's the long term?
00:23:59:25 - 00:24:18:19
Chris Dawes
I've had people include a write up. My kids are going to go to university at some point. That's going to be bloomin expensive. Like Wham! For that, you have targets with houses, presumably not just in terms of, full blown retirement, but but build it up to a company sale or something like that, which of course, you've had the experience of.
00:24:18:21 - 00:24:25:18
Chris Homer
Yeah. Doing all that. Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. And, and I say to clients all the time, if we haven't got a goal, what's the point.
00:24:25:18 - 00:24:26:07
Chris Dawes
Yeah.
00:24:26:10 - 00:24:52:03
Chris Homer
And that's the biggest thing that I try and cytokines when I first meet them when we're looking at their reviews. Now if a client says to me, I want to invest whatever money is, my first question is why? Because if we don't understand that, there's no purpose behind it. Yeah. And I know the first thing that's going to happen, whether it's six months, 12 months, six years down the line, you'll look at your bank statement and you'll and you'll ask yourself, why am I putting that amount of money away and you'll fucking.
00:24:52:04 - 00:24:52:26
Chris Dawes
Have enjoyed it.
00:24:52:27 - 00:25:00:07
Chris Homer
Exactly. And that's the bit that has to be that purpose. Otherwise the financial plan won't work. It will break.
00:25:00:11 - 00:25:01:13
Chris Dawes
Yeah.
00:25:01:15 - 00:25:20:00
Chris Homer
So that's why then that was in there. So we can start saying to clients and talking and going this is about planning. This isn't necessarily about you having wealth now, but it might help you or plan for you to be wealthy, whatever that looks like to you as an individual in the future. Yeah, but if you haven't got that plan, it can't happen.
00:25:20:03 - 00:25:43:24
Chris Homer
And sometimes the best plan is do nothing. Now let's revisit in 12 months, two years, three years down the line because it's about being secure now. Yeah. And a lot of clients come to us and they're worried about retirement. But it's okay. Well, why aren't you worried now? So you want to focus on 20, 30, 40 years down the line, but actually what's going to make life more comfortable now.
00:25:43:29 - 00:25:45:29
Chris Dawes
Yeah. And so you're most active.
00:25:46:06 - 00:26:08:04
Chris Homer
Yeah. Yeah. And so sometimes it's what, just open a savings account. And just save a little bit there. You've still got the flexibility to put into an investment further down the line. But why we almost go in let's say for 40 years later when actually we might not have got on the property ladder. We might not feel fully secure financially in a day to day basis.
00:26:08:12 - 00:26:14:28
Chris Homer
So let's get that sorted first and then we can look at the other options. So like you foundations on your house.
00:26:14:28 - 00:26:15:11
Chris Dawes
Yeah.
00:26:15:17 - 00:26:18:17
Chris Homer
Not on a build a house without a solid foundation.
00:26:18:19 - 00:26:37:18
Chris Dawes
Agreed. And those things change year on year for us. Don't. Nice. Yeah. That's where the long term relationship comes in. Yeah. Now I have a question and I may we may have already answered this or it might be a wrong question. It was just one that I thought of. The let me put the question as I wrote it.
00:26:37:18 - 00:26:52:20
Chris Dawes
What made you think that there was a better way of doing this? Now, I had that as a question, and I thought it was about how to offer that advice. Is it more about that? There was a different way to join the dots together?
00:26:52:23 - 00:27:17:18
Chris Homer
Yeah, I think so. I think it was for my experience of when I was managing businesses. And we've talked about the limits. Yep. There was a lot of, financial advisors that would cap on who they would sit in front of. So I wanted to remove that and to take that away and make sure that everybody can has access to financial advice, whatever they've got, whatever the discussion is with it.
00:27:17:21 - 00:27:34:15
Chris Homer
The next bit was then specialist, so a lot of people would say, I'm a pension specialist or I'm an investment specialist. Now, while I get there's an element of that from a business point of view, I wanted to build the business to have specialists within the business.
00:27:34:15 - 00:27:35:01
Chris Dawes
Yes.
00:27:35:04 - 00:27:55:10
Chris Homer
So within JP Financial Planning, we have got specialist advisors that are licensed in all areas. So we've got a long term care specialist. We've got a defined benefit transfer specialist. So while it might not all be me that has got those licenses within the business, we can look after all of the clients.
00:27:55:10 - 00:27:56:26
Chris Dawes
So we're buying into a team.
00:27:56:26 - 00:28:19:10
Chris Homer
Yeah. And that's the other bit I find outside of it. Is it because people would say I'm a pension specialist? All that talk to their clients about was pensions. But I'm a big believer is if you only look at one element of a financial plan, how can you say that you're giving that client the right advice and it's not impacting something else?
00:28:19:15 - 00:28:44:24
Chris Homer
Yeah. So it's that word and you've used it a lot holistic. And that is really important to me with clients that we look after everything holistically. I think from a client's point of view, in something where we've had to work with clients and break it down, is this there's a lot of stigma within the financial services industry that you've almost if I tell you everything, you're going to tell me to move everything or you're going to tell me to invest everything.
00:28:44:26 - 00:29:02:11
Chris Homer
So I talk to clients, but I need to know what cash you've got in the bank, not because I want to tell you to invest it, but I need to make sure you're financially secure now so that if we are doing pension advice and looking 30 or 40 years down the line, locking that money away, I'm comfortable that I'm not impacting your life now.
00:29:02:12 - 00:29:07:10
Chris Dawes
Yeah, it could become my own internal version of what they say robbing Peter to pay Paul.
00:29:07:11 - 00:29:08:03
Chris Homer
Absolutely, yes.
00:29:08:03 - 00:29:12:27
Chris Dawes
Normally we associate with two different people, but you could be doing that to your current now and your future now.
00:29:12:27 - 00:29:14:05
Chris Homer
Yeah, yeah.
00:29:14:05 - 00:29:35:06
Chris Dawes
Wow. Yeah. Had not really thought. And you need to understand all I can goes to be able to advice. Oh I get that. Yeah. And I've never thought of that at all. Yeah. And it makes sense. And yet you do have the experts that know those subject matters within the organization. But you're buying into the team. Look at the whole thing.
00:29:35:06 - 00:29:38:02
Chris Dawes
Yeah. Wow. That makes so much sense.
00:29:38:02 - 00:30:06:09
Chris Homer
Yeah I think you're looking after that client fully. Yeah, yeah. And that was a big, again, ethos culture of growing the business going that we weren't there on day one. But part of that plan was like, how do we make sure that we can cover every client's needs? Yeah. Bring in a mortgage advisor in this year solely to look at mortgages, because, again, with the experience, if I'm not dealing with mortgages every day, do I really know what's going on with the rates?
00:30:06:09 - 00:30:25:19
Chris Homer
Can I really sit there in front of a client and go, I'm a mortgage expert. I know what a mortgage is. I know the process of it. But we need somebody that lives, breathes it, does it daily within the JP family. So again, the client feels safe, secure and looked after as opposed to go in. I don't really know the mortgage details.
00:30:25:19 - 00:30:43:15
Chris Homer
Go and go and speak to somebody else about it. Let's focus on this. But again, the right advice might be other than that, cash going into an investment, why don't you repay your mortgage down? Yeah, because looking at the rates going up, it could save you money on the long term, which means your mortgage is repaid quicker, which then you'll get more money back in your pocket.
00:30:43:17 - 00:30:51:17
Chris Homer
Could retire early. So you can see that really quickly. I just looking at something and telling the client don't invest, repay the debt.
00:30:51:19 - 00:30:52:01
Chris Dawes
Yeah.
00:30:52:01 - 00:30:55:16
Chris Homer
Could make a significant impact to their overall financial journey.
00:30:55:19 - 00:31:15:21
Chris Dawes
That it's just a no brainer in my head is to be able to look at the big picture and equally, not just from a a perspective of they might not understand it well enough to do it themselves. And I'm, I'm talking from experience now. There'll be some bits. I'll go. Yeah I think I understand those areas well enough, but I'm so busy apathy kicks in.
00:31:15:23 - 00:31:16:29
Chris Homer
Yeah.
00:31:17:02 - 00:31:18:13
Chris Dawes
Just let that keep going.
00:31:18:18 - 00:31:19:19
Chris Homer
Yeah.
00:31:19:22 - 00:31:35:25
Chris Dawes
And that doesn't make it the best thing that's happening right now. I mean, the most obvious one that immediately, linked to me is like, yeah, actually, I'm better off getting that loose of a mortgage down and live mortgage. I mean, that's our biggest debt for goodness, our biggest month for the outgoing in most cases, isn't it? Yeah.
00:31:35:25 - 00:31:52:29
Chris Dawes
And what a difference I sitting there getting excited at the idea of not doing that absolutely on a monthly basis. But equally it might not be because mortgages in a lot of cases have historically been the cheapest form of that. Yeah. So it might be no no no no no don't. In fact, let's free up a little bit more because we can do this I don't know that.
00:31:53:02 - 00:31:59:10
Chris Dawes
Yeah. So that that holistic view makes sense. But without forgoing the experts in those individual fields.
00:31:59:10 - 00:32:08:08
Chris Homer
Yeah. And link back to where you've just announced the plan. Yeah. And that's like you said, that's kind of the golden nugget, I would say, if I was sat in front of you as a.
00:32:08:08 - 00:32:12:10
Chris Dawes
Client is not for now. Yeah, it could be for a year, six years time, whatever.
00:32:12:10 - 00:32:24:23
Chris Homer
Yeah. You've just said the feeling of being mortgage free and the smile on your face that you felt. So me now as an advisor is going what the plan is, how do I get you mortgage free? Yeah. And what happens and.
00:32:24:26 - 00:32:30:11
Chris Dawes
Presumably tell me. Lovely dream, Chris. But you know what? We need to focus on this first.
00:32:30:11 - 00:32:58:22
Chris Homer
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, but it's that nugget that that's your. Why. Yeah. So all of us and whatever we do or whatever we then potentially plan for, we've got our why now. And that makes a massive difference because then you're not going to worry where the where you're putting money in the bank account, overpaying on your mortgage, saving into an Isa that almost becomes irrelevant because the why is this is the plan at such and such day, I want to be mortgage free.
00:32:58:28 - 00:33:00:27
Chris Homer
What's the best way to do that?
00:33:00:29 - 00:33:17:09
Chris Dawes
Or you turn it on its head and go. Actually, my goal was not actually to be mortgage free. My goal was to have more money to play with on a monthly basis, yet strictly speaking. Yeah. And it's so it's sometimes it's picking through because then you've got to understand the why of the why.
00:33:17:12 - 00:33:19:00
Chris Homer
Yeah. I mean that's yeah.
00:33:19:03 - 00:33:24:08
Chris Dawes
That's what I'm suddenly hearing mad different. I'm you can see these epiphanies happening to me. You can't hear.
00:33:24:09 - 00:33:24:21
Chris Homer
It is it.
00:33:24:23 - 00:33:26:15
Chris Dawes
But then realize his mind's a mess.
00:33:26:16 - 00:33:45:11
Chris Homer
So it's not that it's there. He's. What's happened is what normally happens in a client meeting. Yeah. Bad. And the hardest part, or the starting part of the meeting is to get the products away from a client. Because nine times out of ten, I want a pension, I want an Isa. No you don't. So what kind of pension do you want?
00:33:45:11 - 00:34:08:18
Chris Homer
What could I should you want? That's just the name of it. And it's breaking people down to go. That might be the product that facilitates it, but you don't want it. You want to be mortgage free. You want to work for money. And that is the start important to the conversation. And that's the most important part in my opinion, to start with, to understand the why and the why of the why in the why of the why of the why.
00:34:08:18 - 00:34:09:02
Chris Dawes
He does.
00:34:09:02 - 00:34:16:10
Chris Homer
And that will snowball. And then all of a sudden and it happens is go. Once you've had that conversation, the product selects itself.
00:34:16:13 - 00:34:25:29
Chris Dawes
Yes. I've had many situations in various things I've done over the years where you try and go look, to be honest, the title of a product that I might bring to the table is irrelevant.
00:34:26:02 - 00:34:26:15
Chris Homer
Yeah, the.
00:34:26:17 - 00:34:40:19
Chris Dawes
The outcome is the critical thing here, and I see that that's what you're doing. So presumably JPA Financial Planning UK and they can get in touch with you guys. Yeah. And don't feel the need to come in with any predetermined.
00:34:40:22 - 00:34:42:13
Chris Homer
Oh absolutely. It's just a chat.
00:34:42:18 - 00:34:59:09
Chris Dawes
Absolutely. And the reason why I make that thing is that I can almost feel the weight come off my shoulders and go, okay, I'm not going to look daft. I don't need to have even answers because that's what we're coming for. But yeah, I don't even need to kind of go. I know exactly what I want to achieve.
00:34:59:09 - 00:35:00:00
Chris Homer
Absolutely.
00:35:00:00 - 00:35:04:04
Chris Dawes
Let's be honest, none of us are that different in terms of it. We want freedom. We want.
00:35:04:04 - 00:35:05:12
Chris Homer
Security.
00:35:05:14 - 00:35:20:01
Chris Dawes
Yes, we want longevity. But I want a bit of here and now as well. But I'll go through a bit of a pain to for that or whatever. Get the conversation started. Yeah. You go you guys are the experts throughout the team and we get happy. Yeah.
00:35:20:03 - 00:35:25:05
Chris Homer
Absolutely. Like Santa just without the long beard. Well, exactly.
00:35:25:12 - 00:35:27:28
Chris Dawes
I thought we want to bring up that yours is still darker than mine, but.
00:35:28:05 - 00:35:33:13
Chris Homer
That's why it stays shorter. Because I got a little bit longer. He's going to see the gray coming face.
00:35:33:15 - 00:35:38:13
Chris Dawes
Oh, it doesn't even matter if it's short anymore. So I mean, even the hair is going to get rid of it. It's gone.
00:35:38:15 - 00:35:39:18
Chris Homer
00:35:39:20 - 00:36:00:05
Chris Dawes
Loving the story about the business. And over these episodes, we're going to touch on a whole host of topics. We're going to meet some of the advisors, part of the team. Yeah. Operational staff, all of that sort of thing. And, and hopefully it's going to really open up this world of financial plan. I knew I was going to use the phrase destigmatize it, which is probably a bit unfair, but but.
00:36:00:08 - 00:36:02:24
Chris Homer
I think I think there is an element of that. Yeah, as well.
00:36:02:24 - 00:36:27:18
Chris Dawes
And the biggest one that I now realize from this is not just that is don't pigeonhole. Yeah, there's an awful lot more that we're going to touch on now. We will constantly be making key claims. Relax, Charlie. We're going to make these claims that this you know, we will not be making categoric financial advice if you're in these by any stretch of the imagination, but it's to sort of demonstrate that there's conversations to be had around them.
00:36:27:18 - 00:36:28:13
Chris Dawes
I think that.
00:36:28:15 - 00:36:29:10
Chris Homer
Absolutely sums.
00:36:29:10 - 00:36:30:19
Chris Dawes
Up where we're going to be going with this.
00:36:30:19 - 00:36:48:13
Chris Homer
Yeah, definitely. And if I go back to the very beginning, that was the first bullet point, is making people feel they have access to following. And we'll talk about. Exactly. And that's just getting people talking and they're interested in thinking about it is the main thing.
00:36:48:18 - 00:37:05:26
Chris Dawes
And, you know, it's the opportunity to see that this stuffy, image in our head that we might have a financial planners, as we have now seen, is not the case at all. I mean, I am going to bring it up. We've got Swindon Wildcats jerseys hanging in the background. Your recently a fellow sponsor? Yes. We're a sponsor.
00:37:06:00 - 00:37:12:05
Chris Dawes
Yeah. Oh you're sponsoring the helmet. Yes. It looks really, really good. And you're now addicts of the game.
00:37:12:05 - 00:37:12:20
Chris Homer
Absolutely.
00:37:12:20 - 00:37:14:03
Chris Dawes
As a family, which is lovely.
00:37:14:07 - 00:37:23:12
Chris Homer
Yeah. The three of you. Yeah. And that's again the great link there. The family business, enjoying the family sport and the family feel that you get when you go and watch the World Cup.
00:37:23:16 - 00:37:24:29
Chris Dawes
Like just say.
00:37:25:04 - 00:37:28:28
Chris Homer
It just again. It just brings it all together and just feels like home.
00:37:28:28 - 00:37:33:05
Chris Dawes
Yeah. Exactly. That. That's it. This one here.
00:37:33:08 - 00:37:33:18
Chris Homer
Yeah.
00:37:33:25 - 00:37:53:05
Chris Dawes
For any more, for anybody who obviously does it might not necessarily follow the hockey. This is our Netty, keeper. And you donned some of his stuff and you went in. Go. Not in the game for me. And we've won the league. I wouldn't have been with, you know, if I.
00:37:53:07 - 00:37:54:14
Chris Homer
Right it.
00:37:54:17 - 00:37:56:06
Chris Dawes
But they were shoo in pucks at you.
00:37:56:09 - 00:37:57:00
Chris Homer
Yeah.
00:37:57:02 - 00:38:02:21
Chris Dawes
We've got some examples. These things are solid. And you were in the go having them fired at you.
00:38:02:21 - 00:38:04:00
Chris Homer
Yeah.
00:38:04:03 - 00:38:04:25
Chris Dawes
Are you mad?
00:38:04:29 - 00:38:25:25
Chris Homer
Well it was it was a joke to start with, I think. And then the joke turned into a plan and Charlie was right. Well, you got to do it. And I was like, well, okay. So, Yeah, I don't know. I it's one of those that came out and you thought, why it'll never happen. Spoke to to, at the World Cups and, he seemed came for it.
00:38:25:25 - 00:38:39:06
Chris Homer
And next thing I know, I'm in the changing rooms. I'm getting kitted up. There's a great video out there. Ryan Wells is there, shaking his head as I'm getting kicked it up. So even he's probably thinking, what are you doing?
00:38:39:07 - 00:38:42:05
Chris Dawes
Yeah, because they're not mad enough going go no. Exactly that in.
00:38:42:05 - 00:39:03:05
Chris Homer
Mind. Yeah. And from watching Rennie play, he makes it look so easy. The way he gets down, gets up, moves around. Yeah I couldn't move 50 minutes and he's on camera is on microphone I am literally go in get this kit off me. Get me off this ice. My knees are in bits.
00:39:03:05 - 00:39:07:02
Chris Dawes
I don't I have my knees hurt watching him. It's just crazy isn't it. Yeah.
00:39:07:07 - 00:39:08:04
Chris Homer
So after that.
00:39:08:05 - 00:39:11:06
Chris Dawes
You just walked off leaving me. That's what I'm.
00:39:11:06 - 00:39:30:22
Chris Homer
Done. Yeah. That was like. They were like, what's going on? And that was it. I was just gone with that while I was standing. It was okay because I could just move, you know, you were lucky. You could flick one round. As soon as they started running towards me and making me move, that was it. I'd got no chance because I just.
00:39:30:23 - 00:39:36:23
Chris Homer
I didn't know how to move on the ice and be with it. But I can stand there, stand there and hit the puck and hopefully I'll get something on it.
00:39:36:26 - 00:39:45:06
Chris Dawes
Wow. I mean, and like I said, these things are solid and they're small, but I mean, it's a small goal, but they they only need a little tiny piece.
00:39:45:09 - 00:39:46:08
Chris Homer
With how quick that.
00:39:46:08 - 00:39:54:24
Chris Dawes
Yeah. And that's why you can't just stay stood up. You need to be stood up at times, down at other times. And you're trying to, you know, block it or they are mad. They are insane.
00:39:54:24 - 00:40:06:00
Chris Homer
Oh, and the story is that, you know, all the players have told me about where they've gone through and throwing yourself in front of that, that's flying towards you and things that. Yeah, yeah, you just you get why why did you do it?
00:40:06:00 - 00:40:24:14
Chris Dawes
Well, you take Ed Bradley, one of our, defense guys is that he took during the game. I think it was to his knee for memory. Just missed the padding and just went through the little gap. And he missed two weekends. Well, that's four games, you know, and so absolutely, you know this this this will take it. So yeah.
00:40:24:15 - 00:40:32:28
Chris Dawes
Yeah we say that the the NetEase talk to the post. That's when when everyone's at the other end they're just having a little conversation to the post there. That mad.
00:40:32:28 - 00:40:33:17
Chris Homer
Yeah. Yeah.
00:40:33:17 - 00:40:49:15
Chris Dawes
So that's your next goal. You got to be making friends with the post. But a great opportunity and a great need to be involved. And also of course that's another big community thing. And we're going to be touching on this a lot, is that you're very much into the whole community. Yeah.
00:40:49:15 - 00:40:52:02
Chris Homer
So yeah. And giving back definitely.
00:40:52:05 - 00:41:10:05
Chris Dawes
Which we've got some wonderful stories. I think the next episode as we sit here today, this is the plan. Anyway, he's going to be with Charlie, and we're going to talk about how there is a specialty of someone with some expertise is that that is, someone that's come from professional sport itself.
00:41:10:06 - 00:41:10:15
Chris Homer
Yeah.
00:41:10:19 - 00:41:15:22
Chris Dawes
Realize that people who are kind of paid this money and no idea what to do with it and gone, we got to stop that.
00:41:15:27 - 00:41:16:17
Chris Homer
Yeah.
00:41:16:19 - 00:41:23:13
Chris Dawes
And I love that you're opening your eyes and go, right, let me sum up your phrase in your head. Must be who else can I help?
00:41:23:15 - 00:41:25:14
Chris Homer
Absolutely. Yeah, definitely.
00:41:25:15 - 00:41:27:10
Chris Dawes
Is amazing.
00:41:27:10 - 00:41:54:06
Chris Homer
Yeah. And they say you're going to hear Charlie's story. From when I heard that story, I was my mom was blown with it. And again, from an outside looking at this luxury professional sports world, you think they've got it? It's amazing. Yeah, yeah. And you start to realize that it's not everything that you see from the outside that isn't what they feel on the inside.
00:41:54:09 - 00:41:55:04
Chris Dawes
I'm really looking for.
00:41:55:04 - 00:41:56:03
Chris Homer
Yeah, absolutely.
00:41:56:05 - 00:42:08:21
Chris Dawes
And that's why I just still made it here. Is it kind of emphasizes your your mindset for me, I think it really does. This is very much about trying to help people. Yeah. And JPA at JPA admin was there to help people.
00:42:08:21 - 00:42:10:01
Chris Homer
Yeah.
00:42:10:04 - 00:42:16:18
Chris Dawes
Etc. etc. I could carry on talking forever with you and we will do in Coventry over beers as well.
00:42:16:18 - 00:42:17:24
Chris Homer
Yeah, absolutely.
00:42:17:27 - 00:42:21:23
Chris Dawes
With the hockey finals. And we'll get you back on various shows.
00:42:21:23 - 00:42:22:05
Chris Homer
Yeah.
00:42:22:07 - 00:42:30:01
Chris Dawes
And what have you. But I love delving back into the history of you, the family, the company, the ethos and principles.
00:42:30:01 - 00:42:31:24
Chris Homer
Yeah.
00:42:31:26 - 00:42:35:13
Chris Dawes
Wonderful to hear. And I look forward to hearing more from you in future episodes today.
00:42:35:14 - 00:42:36:12
Chris Homer
And thank you.
00:42:36:15 - 00:42:52:23
Chris Dawes
So thank you very much for joining us, Chris. Hope, my hair, the founder in this first episode, and it should be, I always say should be because we never know. It could change. But if it's not the next one, it will be very soon because he ain't getting out of it for long. But she should be on. The next one will be Charlie.
00:42:52:25 - 00:43:23:09
Chris Dawes
But stay tuned. We'll have plenty of episodes to talk about. Everything to do with JPA financial Planning, JPA, train your wealth. See you next time.
00:43:23:12 - 00:43:23:14
Chris Dawes
You.