“He gave us a clear visual picture
of our true financial position,
and obtained £28,000 in
compensation from our insurers”
Philip & Sara Addis
I started my fine wine company in 1983 and as Managing Director
and major shareholder I successfully grew it over a period
of twenty-seven years before eventually selling it.
I was also a major shareholder in a winery and was heavily
involved in preparing the business for its sale.
My wife Sara, and I, knew the proceeds should be invested
and asked a large and well-known investment
company to advise us.
“One of our priorities was to give our daughters
some financial help – but we wanted to make sure we would remain financially secure.”
Unhelpful advice that left us confused
After a short time our adviser moved to a new employer.
He now gave us different advice which
conflicted with what he had previously told us. We decided
a second opinion was sensible. I also was unclear about my several
different pension policies and I didn’t understand my options
at retirement. One of our priorities was to give our daughters some
financial help – but we wanted to make sure we would remain
financially secure. We were aware of the negative effects of inflation
and the uncertainty of investment returns and potential loss.
We wanted to know more about where and how our money
was invested and to control the risks. There was an awful lot
of information available, all of it confusing! When we made plans
with our businesses we had accurate information to guide our decisions.
But with our personal finances we didn’t have a clear overview
– we were having to rely on guesswork.
At last – someone who listened
and whose advice was easy to understand
Fortunately, my sister had been a client of Steven’s for over
20 years and suggested I talk with him. I was immediately struck
by how different his approach was. He didn’t ask about
the investments and policies we had. He began by getting to know
how I started the business, the journey to selling it and
my family circumstances. He was very generous with his time
and insisted that Sara should be at our future meetings.
We had a lot of ‘stuff’ and after several meetings over a number
of weeks, we felt confident with regard to any advice
he might give us in the future.
Getting answers – simplifying the confusion
Steven advised us to leave our investments as they were.
He made it interesting, explaining and simplifying what had previously
mystified us in ways that made perfect sense.
“Operii dealt with the discrepancies and
the insurance companies on my behalf.
A few days later, I received a compensation
payment of £28,000.”
This reassurance saved us time, worry and unnecessary cost.
For my various pensions, Steven and his team obtained information from
the insurance companies that they had omitted from the annual
statements. This revealed some historical anomalies. Operii dealt with
the discrepancies and the insurance companies on my behalf.
A few days later, I received a compensation payment of £28,000.
He explained to me in clear and concise language the various ways
I could use my pensions when the time came. Principally it was about
how to take the income when I wanted in ways that would
save me unnecessary income tax.
How financial planning gave us the clarity
to take well informed decisions
Steven is a financial planner rather than just a wealth manager.
He’s focussed on us as people. He sees the money, our money, as a means
to an end for us, rather than as an end in itself. The discussions were
about us – our personal financial circumstances, vision and goals.
At the heart of all this was the financial cashflow plan.
“It was a eureka moment! All of a sudden it was
so much easier to take well informed decisions.”
This gave us an accurate overview of all our assets and investments,
income and expenditure. It also projected forward to show
how our capital position would change in the years ahead.
For the first time we had a clear visual picture of our true position.
It was a eureka moment! All of a sudden it was so much easier to take
well informed decisions. We could ask questions and see the
implications in terms of income, tax and capital. “What if we did this”?
“What if we wanted to do that”? “What will happen if we do such
and such?” Immediately we could see the graphics change to show
the fresh outcome”. We could now see how much we could afford
to give our daughters for their wedding and buying a home.
Our circumstances and our capital are formally reviewed annually.
We know we are on track and what to do next. We’re relaxed because
we now know what’s going on and that our finances are structured
in such a way that our lifestyle is cushioned from whatever
the future may bring.
What we like about working with Steven
At the start, Steven and Operii put in eight months of detailed
and assiduous work. Not once did he try to sell us anything
or move our investments to his firm. The work was of the highest
standard and saved us thousands of pounds.
“He actually makes financial planning
and the world of investments interesting
and easy to comprehend.”
Steven is very professional and acts with honesty and integrity.
He explains the basic simple things everyone should be doing to be
in control of their money. He actually makes financial planning
and the world of investments interesting and easy to comprehend.
What we like, most of all, is the fact we can speak with Steven
or a member of his team whenever we want and we have regular
conversations. In all our discussions he is refreshingly direct and open
while it is plain that his interest is in us as individuals and as
a family, rather than in our money.
“He gave us a clear visual picture of our true financial position, and obtained £28,000 in compensation from our insurers”
Philip & Sarah Addis
I started my fine wine company in 1983 and as Managing Director and major shareholder I successfully grew it over a period of twenty-seven years before eventually selling it. I was also a major shareholder in a winery and was heavily involved in preparing the business for its sale. My wife Sara, and I, knew the proceeds should be invested and asked a large and well-known investment company to advise us.
“One of our priorities was to give our daughters
some financial help – but we wanted to make sure we
would remain financially secure.”
Unhelpful advice that left us confused
After a short time our adviser moved to a new employer. He now gave us different advice which conflicted with what he had previously told us. We decided a second opinion was sensible. I also was unclear about my several different pension policies and I didn’t understand my options at retirement. One of our priorities was to give our daughters some financial help – but we wanted to make sure we would remain financially secure. We were aware of the negative effects of inflation and the uncertainty of investment returns and potential loss. We wanted to know more about where and how our money was invested and to control the risks. There was an awful lot of information available, all of it confusing! When we made plans with our businesses we had accurate information to guide our decisions. But with our personal finances we didn’t have a clear overview – we were having to rely on guesswork.
At last – someone who listened and whose advice was easy to understand
Fortunately, my sister had been a client of Steven’s for over 20 years and suggested I talk with him. I was immediately struck by how different his approach was. He didn’t ask about the investments and policies we had. He began by getting to know how I started the business, the journey to selling it and my family circumstances. He was very generous with his time and insisted that Sara should be at our future meetings. We had a lot of ‘stuff’ and after several meetings over a number of weeks, we felt confident with regard to any advice he might give us in the future.
Getting answers – simplifying the confusion
Steven advised us to leave our investments as they were. He made it interesting, explaining and simplifying what had previously mystified us in ways that made perfect sense.
“Operii dealt with the discrepancies and the <br>insurance companies on my behalf. A few days later, I received a compensation payment of £28,000.”
This reassurance saved us time, worry and unnecessary cost. For my various pensions, Steven and his team obtained information from the insurance companies that they had omitted from the annual statements. This revealed some historical anomalies. Operii dealt with the discrepancies and the insurance companies on my behalf. A few days later, I received a compensation payment of £28,000. He explained to me in clear and concise language the various ways I could use my pensions when the time came. Principally it was about how to take the income when I wanted in ways that would save me unnecessary income tax.
How financial planning gave us the clarity to take well informed decisions
Steven is a financial planner rather than just a wealth manager. He’s focussed on us as people. He sees the money, our money, as a means to an end for us, rather than as an end in itself. The discussions were about us – our personal financial circumstances, vision and goals. At the heart of all this was the financial cashflow plan.
“It was a eureka moment! All of a sudden it was so much easier to take well informed decisions.”
This gave us an accurate overview of all our assets and investments, income and expenditure. It also projected forward to show how our capital position would change in the years ahead. For the first time we had a clear visual picture of our true position. It was a eureka moment! All of a sudden it was so much easier to take well informed decisions. We could ask questions and see the implications in terms of income, tax and capital. “What if we did this”? “What if we wanted to do that”? “What will happen if we do such and such?” Immediately we could see the graphics change to show the fresh outcome”. We could now see how much we could afford to give our daughters for their wedding and buying a home.
Our circumstances and our capital are formally reviewed annually. We know we are on track and what to do next. We’re relaxed because we now know what’s going on and that our finances are structured in such a way that our lifestyle is cushioned from whatever the future may bring.
What we like about working with Steven
At the start, Steven and Operii put in eight months of detailed and assiduous work. Not once did he try to sell us anything or move our investments to his firm. The work was of the highest standard and saved us thousands of pounds.
“He actually makes financial planning and the world of investments interesting and easy to comprehend.”
Steven is very professional and acts with honesty and integrity. He explains the basic simple things everyone should be doing to be in control of their money. He actually makes financial planning and the world of investments interesting and easy to comprehend. What we like, most of all, is the fact we can speak with Steven or a member of his team whenever we want and we have regular conversations. In all our discussions he is refreshingly direct and open while it is plain that his interest is in us as individuals and as a family, rather than in our money.
Approval for this testimonial given on 16/4/2025
Copyright © 2025 – OPERII
