Edward: I had met Tony some years ago to arrange my pension plan which was then reviewed each year at a meeting. I put off looking at our ‘bigger picture’ because I was too busy running my own business. It wasn’t until Clare was considering leaving her job in a school to spend more time at home that we decided to find out more about her pension options. I was into my fifties and aware that although I had no plans to retire, it was something I should understand a bit better. Running the business is my passion and it is only recently that I have felt able to step back and allow my colleagues to play a bigger part.

Clare: We both met with Tony in Eldon’s offices and spent a long time talking about what our future ideally looks like. This included whether we planned to move abroad and the assistance we want to give to our children James & Christy. We went into great detail about our current position, what we spend, and how we feel about our finances. It was quite intense at first but Tony explained that the more information he had the more accurate our projections would be. The software that Tony used was amazing. We were reassured that I could afford to retire.

Edward: We could see that, even allowing for different scenarios with the business, we will have enough to cover our expenditure and help James and Christy through university and into homes of their own. I am now looking forward to retiring at 60. Tony has shown us how to extract funds from the business in a tax efficient way. My own accountant was impressed with his expertise.

Clare: It is easy to ignore your personal finances when you are busy but I wish we had started organising our own lives sooner as it has really shaped our plans for the future.