Financial Planning Practice Celebrates Re-launch

Financial Planning Practice Celebrates Re-launch

By Matt Corke, Kingfisher Place Financial Planning

Kingfisher Place Financial Planning celebrated their re-launch this January, two years after taking on their first clients, at a time when Director and Financial Planner, Matt Corke, celebrates his tenth year working as part of the St. James’s Place group.

Matt first joined the SJP head office in Cirencester as an apprentice in 2015, spending most of the last decade working as a Technical Consultant, advising the UK’s largest body of Chartered Financial Planners with some of their largest and most complex client cases. Whilst this was a brilliant way to develop his skills and knowledge, he says serving clients of his own over the last two years has been far more rewarding: “Personal finances are probably the most personal thing people are asked to talk about and, very often, sitting down with a financial adviser is the first time many families or business owners have had that conversation. It’s an amazing privilege to be a part of that discussion and help people shape their plans for the future.”

The branding of the business pays homage to Matt’s own family and their legacy. “16 Kingfisher Place is my Grandparents’ home; it’s where I grew up. My Grandad taught me so much about my values- in life and in business- that when I was thinking about the name my Practice would carry into the future, I wanted to make sure it was something that truly reflected that and carried his memory.”

Matt took a sabbatical from St. James’s Place in 2021 to deploy overseas with the Army Reserves and decided upon his return that the time was right to start taking-on clients of his own and building the trusted, long-term relationships which he says are foundational to the relationship between a client and their adviser. For the last two years, he worked for another small financial planning practice in the area, before being invited by St. James’s Place to step-up and form his own late last year.

Typical clients of Kingfisher Place now fall predominantly into two categories: either business owners concerned with profit extraction and financial protection, or those beginning to think actively about their retirement planning and eventual legacies; though Matt’s youngest client was just 8 weeks old when his pension was first put in place! Matt’s technical background has led him to work closely with accountants, solicitors and other key professionals, many of whom he has met through Cotswold Networking. “I see my role as to look more strategically and long-term for my clients, tying in closely with other professionals to deliver key parts of a plan such as an updated Will or a tax return. A mentor of mine summed it up really well recently, saying: ‘my client is not the person sat in front of me today, it’s the person they’ll be in 20 years’ time.’

Matt is a member of our Cheltenham and Cirencester groups, where he has an office. He also works in the City of London for a day or two each week, supporting clients and working with other professionals there.

www.kingfisherplace.co.uk

www.linkedin.com/company/kingfisherplace/

www.linkedin.com/in/matthewcorke/

0753 177 9402 /