Case Study: Andrew Mullaney

May marked five years of working with our client Andrew Mullaney (Andy), who is managed by our Financial Adviser, Matt Booton.

Andy built his career with Lloyds Bank over 35 years. He is married with two grown-up children, and he was looking for support with retirement, including advice in relation to his pension which would allow him and his wife to retire early and enjoy a long retirement together. With support and advice from our KLO team, Andy and his family have been able to realise some key objectives and personal milestones, including retiring early and going on a dream family holiday to New York.

Andy explains more below in his own words:

“We were both able to retire at 55 and were able to begin to reshape our lives and achieve some ambitions that we had always wanted to do, both individually and collectively as a family.

“I view the decision to trust KLO as being our financial advisers of choice as one of the best decisions that I have ever made. They have never taken our relationship for granted, have added masses of value to us as a family unit, helped make some dreams come true and have set out good, sound, clear strategies that are tailored around us as a family, giving longevity and sustainability to our plans.”

What was our client looking for?

Andy was looking to prepare for his retirement, including making strong financial plans that would guarantee he benefited from his pension, as well as ensure that he and his wife could retire early and enjoy more family time together.

Andy was distressed after watching his father pay into a pension pot for over 30 years but passed away before he could benefit from this. His mother also passed away shortly after, so his pension pot was effectively lost back into the scheme. He wanted to make sure this didn’t happen to him and his family.

However, when trying to access his pension he was confronted by an issue with his company pension, as he wasn’t eligible for early pension release, and his pension scheme was inflexible. Therefore, he was looking for support from a qualified adviser.

Why did Andy choose KLO Financial Services?

Andy explains in his own words: “As an employee at Lloyds Bank, I was surrounded by many great advisors, however, none were qualified to discuss defined benefit pension transfers. I was also looking for independent advice from someone who was highly qualified and experienced, and someone I knew I could trust to reach mine and my family’s goals.”

Andy sought advice from his boss, who recommended speaking to our Financial Planner Ellis Smith, who provided initial expert advice and set all of the wheels in motion for a solid and successful relationship. Since 2019, Andy has been working with our Financial Adviser Matt Booton, who later took over Andy’s relationship.  Andy specifically commented about the ongoing service he receives:

“I really like the way that for every meeting there is always masses of preparation, consideration of our needs (I like detail), current circumstances and appreciation of what we want to do. The advice is clear, concise and no promises are ever made that cannot be met. The follow-up is equally diligent and communication excellent”.

“It often feels like we are their only clients and that is a true measure of the way they work. The attention to detail, desire to understand you as people and to shape their offering around exactly what you want is faultless. It is also done without the daunting technicalities that the financial world loves to immerse itself in, something that my wife who had not had the financial training that I had, certainly could have struggled with. It is no surprise that I have recommended them to several friends, colleagues, and acquaintances.”

How did our Financial Planner maintain a successful relationship with our client?

Matt has gone above and beyond the expected for this client, such as including additional support through the difficulties and investment fears faced by the pandemic.

When the UK was locked down following the spread of COVID-19, the markets were in a form of free fall, and all investors were concerned about the welfare of their investments. Andy explained that Matt’s response to this demonstrated his great delivery and integrity:

“Matt phoned me in the calm gentle way that he has, firstly enquiring about our health and wellbeing. He then asked my views on the markets and how I felt about my investments. After I had spoken, he gave his view, backed it up with professional commentary and proactively reassured me that it was definitely not the end of time financially.

“This was exactly the reassurance that even a seasoned financial professional like me needed. For someone without my training, the calls that Matt made must have felt like having a lifeline thrown to you in a very stormy sea. There then followed several well-timed emails, further calls, and an open offer for a discussion anytime. Just what I and I’m sure everyone else he spoke to needed.”

“Didn’t Anyone Ever Tell You? It’s All A Game!” by Andrew Mullaney

In September 2021, Andy achieved his long-standing ambition to become a published author, and published his part memoir, part self-development guide: “Didn’t Anyone Ever Tell You? It’s All A Game!”.

His publication is a personal and practical take on surviving and sometimes winning at life, including its quick wins and avoidable traps, using a combination of anecdotes, interviews, and pieces of advice to help readers get the most out of life and become the best version of themselves.

Want to take a look? Andrew Mullaney’s book “Didn’t Anyone Ever Tell You? It’s All A Game can be found here. It is so available on Amazon, most book retailers and as an ebook too.

Also, connect with Andrew Mullaney on LinkedIn to learn more about his personal ventures.

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KLO Financial Services

We are independent financial advisers offering bespoke, personal financial services to our clients across Warwick, Birmingham and London – from personal financial planning, inheritance tax planning advice and independent pension advice to corporate solutions such as business protection insurance.

Looking for expert financial advice? Speak to our advisers by calling 01926 492406 or emailing enquiries@klofinancialservices.com!