“Steven helped us retire earlier and
much more comfortably”
Michael & Shirley Cotton
and Lionel & Jennifer Cotton
Cotton & Sons, funeral directors, was established in 1855 by our
grandfather, Alonzo Cotton. In 1877 his wife fell down a flight of stairs.
He took her to hospital using his horse and funeral cart.
The event was widely reported at the time and led to him establishing
the very first St. John’s Ambulance Brigade in the city.
He was awarded the MBE for his voluntary work. Lionel and I are
brothers, the third generation of the Cotton family to serve
the Bristol community.
Our retirement didn’t look very rosy
A few years ago my brother and I started planning for our retirement,
at the point where I would be 65 and Lionel 57. Being self–employed,
we had our own pensions. Based on what we were told, the capital
in our pensions would be used to pay us a fixed income.
We were disappointed by the values shown in the annual statements
and the income these would provide.
Being understood
Steven was referred to us 25 years ago when we told our accountant
of our concerns. We were anxious to get some helpful answers
about our pensions. Steven explained he couldn’t possibly give us
meaningful and valuable advice until he had a complete understanding
of our personal and financial circumstances. He wanted to know when
and how we started in business, our challenges, our successes
and how we got to where we were. He was genuinely interested
to learn how a funeral business worked. Not many people do until
the time comes! He has a very pragmatic and down to earth
approach that we immediately liked. We appreciated him looking
beyond the immediate issues we were facing and helped us create
a plan for retiring in 5 years’ time.
Getting answers – securing our retirement
Steven uncovered vital details about our pension that the provider
had neglected to tell us. For the first time we got a full picture
– and this proved hugely beneficial. Without Steven’s diligent research
and judicious advice we could have made poorly informed decisions
that would have dramatically reduced the value of our pensions.
We were relieved, to say the least. There is no doubt Steven not only
secured our retirement at the age we wanted but he showed
us we would have enough capital and income to do it at any time
during the next three years.
“Without Steven’s diligent research and
judicious advice we could have made poorly
informed decisions that would have dramatically reduced the value of our pensions.”
With Steven we were confident we had control over our pensions
and our future financial security.
How much income do we want to retire?
Prior to meeting Steven it seemed to be a simple question
of “How much income will our pension give us and will it be enough”?
The discussions with Steven made us realise that there were many
vital factors we hadn’t considered.
Mapping out our entire retirement journey
Steven asked us to describe our vision for our retirement years.
Our families are very close and shared the same interests.
Our children and grandchildren living in several different countries
and our priority was to spend our early retirement years visiting
them – as well as take holidays in the way we felt comfortable.
We wanted to spend leisure time together and to enjoy our homes.
Cashflow financial plan – being clear about
future spending patterns
The cashflow modelling opened our minds to the opportunities
and alternative ways to get the best financial outcome.
“We were now clear about what we wanted
to do, what actions to take, when and why.”
It gave us a clear picture of how our income was likely to change
during our retirement. We would want more income during the early
years when we’d be active and busy enjoying ourselves and
less as time passed. However, at the back of our minds we realised
that we might not have the best of health later in life and require care.
The cashflow financial plan reassured us we had the capital
and income to pay should this happen. We were now clear about what
we wanted to do, what actions to take, when and why.
Value for money
In business acting ethically and with trust comes first – and Steven
exemplifies this. But more than this, he cares about people, their lives and
genuinely wants them to be successful. He is extremely generous with
his time and we pay his firm a fixed fee. The services of Steven and his
team provide outstanding value for money.
“Steven helped us retire earlier and much more comfortably”
Michael & Shirley Cotton
and Lionel & Jennifer Cotton
Cotton & Sons, funeral directors, was established in 1855 by our grandfather, Alonzo Cotton. In 1877 his wife fell down a flight of stairs. He took her to hospital using his horse and funeral cart. The event was widely reported at the time and led to him establishing the very first St. John’s Ambulance Brigade in the city. He was awarded the MBE for his voluntary work. Lionel and I are brothers, the third generation of the Cotton family to serve the Bristol community.
Our retirement didn’t look very rosy
A few years ago my brother and I started planning for our retirement, at the point where I would be 65 and Lionel 57. Being self – employed, we had our own pensions. Based on what we were told, the capital in our pensions would be used to pay us a fixed income. We were disappointed by the values shown in the annual statements and the income these would provide.
Being understood
Steven was referred to us 25 years ago when we told our accountant of our concerns. We were anxious to get some helpful answers about our pensions. Steven explained he couldn’t possibly give us meaningful and valuable advice until he had a complete understanding of our personal and financial circumstances. He wanted to know when and how we started in business, our challenges, our successes and how we got to where we were. He was genuinely interested to learn how a funeral business worked. Not many people do until the time comes! He has a very pragmatic and down to earth approach that we immediately liked. We appreciated him looking beyond the immediate issues we were facing and helped us create a plan for retiring in 5 years’ time.
Getting answers – securing our retirement
Steven uncovered vital details about our pension that the provider had neglected to tell us. For the first time we got a full picture – and this proved hugely beneficial. Without Steven’s diligent research and judicious advice we could have made poorly informed decisions that would have dramatically reduced the value of our pensions. We were relieved, to say the least. There is no doubt Steven not only secured our retirement at the age we wanted but he showed us we would have enough capital and income to do it at any time during the next three years.
“Without Steven’s diligent research and judicious advice we could have made poorly informed decisions that would have dramatically reduced the value of our pensions.”
With Steven we were confident we had control over our pensions and our future financial security.
How much income do we want to retire?
Prior to meeting Steven it seemed to be a simple question of “How much income will our pension give us and will it be enough”? The discussions with Steven made us realise that there were many vital factors we hadn’t considered.
Mapping out our entire retirement journey
Steven asked us to describe our vision for our retirement years. Our families are very close and shared the same interests. Our children and grandchildren living in several different countries and our priority was to spend our early retirement years visiting them – as well as take holidays in the way we felt comfortable. We wanted to spend leisure time together and to enjoy our homes.
Cashflow financial plan – being clear about future spending patterns
The cashflow modelling opened our minds to the opportunities and alternative ways to get the best financial outcome.
“We were now clear about what we wanted to do, what actions to take, when and why.”
It gave us a clear picture of how our income was likely to change during our retirement. We would want more income during the early years when we’d be active and busy enjoying ourselves and less as time passed. However, at the back of our minds we realised that we might not have the best of health later in life and require care. The cashflow financial plan reassured us we had the capital and income to pay should this happen. We were now clear about what we wanted to do, what actions to take, when and why.
Value for money
In business acting ethically and with trust comes first – and Steven exemplifies this. But more than this, he cares about people, their lives and genuinely wants them to be successful. He is extremely generous with his time and we pay his firm a fixed fee. The services of Steven and his team provide outstanding value for money.
Approval for this testimonial given on 5/5/2024
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