The life coach, Gary Ryan Blair, once said: “Every task, goal, race, and year comes to an end. Therefore, make it a habit to finish strong.”
In what turned out to be a turbulent year, the UK has had to deal with the consequences of the short-lived Truss administration’s “mini-Budget” and the subsequent reversal of many of its policies in the new government’s autumn statement.
Read more: Your autumn statement update, and what it means to you.
While the nation has reeled from political turmoil, an energy crisis, and struggles with the cost of living, at Aspire we have worked hard to support our local community.
This has included our work alongside the Bristol Bears Foundation, cricketer Georgia Adams, and the Break the Cycle charity.
Read on to discover how we’ve been keeping active as a business for our clients, within the community, and with an eye on 2023 and beyond.
Exam success showcases the wealth of knowledge in the Aspire team
Throughout 2022, the Aspire Partnership has grown, while taking on new and exciting challenges in the process.
Our team has had a lot of exam success:
- Oli Knibbs passed his first CII Diploma exam: financial services, regulation and ethics.
- Kate Gillings passed two Diploma exams: investment principles and risk, personal taxation.
- Izzy Strozewska has passed her final Diploma exam: financial planning practice. She now holds the Diploma in Financial Services.
- Jack Powell passed the advanced exam: retirement income planning.
- Naomi Keith passed the advanced exam: personal tax and trust planning.
And there’s still more to come next year: Harry Persad and Kate Gilling will be hoping to complete their diplomas, while Naomi Keith and Jack Powell are on target to achieve Chartered Financial Planning status.
Success deserves reward and we’re proud of offering career opportunities to our employees despite our firm’s relatively small size. So, congratulations are in order for Kate Gillings and Oli Knibbs on their recent promotions to junior paraplanner.
The recent onrush of positive news only fills us with even more confidence that we can continue to provide you the highest quality planning services possible in the new year.
Women lead the way as Aspire continues to support the local community
As part of our ongoing work with the Bristol Bears Foundation, we joined members of the Bright Sparks project from Oasis Academy on an exciting tour around the Bristol Bears home stadium.
The women of Aspire were also thrilled to attend the “Women in Sport” event at Ashton Gate on 30 November. We enjoyed great discussions delivered by players from Bristol City Women, Bristol Bears Women, and Ashton Gate’s Chief Commercial Officer, Sarah Farrar.
As a business that takes pride in our female representation across every level of our organisation, it was great to hear from respected figures who are breaking boundaries for women across sports and finance.
Our own Charlotte Croose recently returned on a part-time basis after a year of maternity leave. She’s an outstanding example of the difficult juggling act women in finance can face as they seek to balance career progression with caring for their children.
Charlotte said of her return to work: “Being able to return to work on a part-time basis really helped the transition and provides a great balance between my new mum life and my continuing career.”
Last but not least, on 17 December, Aspire’s very own Rocky, Harry Presad, will be taking part in Ultra White Collar Boxing’s (UWCB) fundraising event for Cancer Research – good luck Harry!
The new year and beyond
A lot of great moments have been shared by the Aspire team throughout 2022 and we don’t plan on stopping there.
We are pleased to confirm that Ryan Kent will be joining the team in the new year. Ryan holds a first-class honours degree in accountancy and finance with a background as a senior helpdesk consultant at Hargreaves Lansdown.
We have plenty in store for 2023 including:
- The launch of our brand-new website
- Our entry into the Professional Adviser Awards – Adviser Firm of the Year
- Our mission to reach the VouchedFor “top-rated” adviser list published in the Times in January. You can help us reach our goal with a kind review.
After the ups and downs of 2022, we hope 2023 brings about a degree of calm, but are prepared to face any new challenges it presents us.
Steve Pine, one of our partners, says of investments: “2023 looks like it may be just as challenging so we will continue to offer investment strategies that aim to provide higher than expected returns for investors whilst ensuring their investing journey is aligned to their experience and risk profile.”
The new year brings about the all-important run-up to 6 April as Ian Larthe de Langladure, another of our directors, puts it: “The end of the financial year is a deadline that many clients need to be aware of both personally and within their businesses.
“By working closely with clients and their professional advisers we can ensure they utilise all of their allowances before they are lost on 6 April.”
Spring offers new opportunities. At Aspire, we have a great team with a wealth of experience to offer, particularly to those at a crossroads in life. If you or a loved one is unsure of how to plan for the future, it may be worth seeking out professional advice to help meet your long-term goals.
Get in touch
We hope you have a very merry Christmas and, if you are stuck for things to do, don’t forget to check out our guide to the top Christmas markets. We are off to Paintworks for our team’s 1920s-themed Christmas night out (rumour has it there will be dodgems) — wish us luck!
Until then, if you have any pressing financial concerns or would like to discuss your plans for 2023 in more detail, email us at helpme@aspire.co.uk or call 0117 9303510.
Production
of clients would recommend us to their friends, family or colleagues
believe that working with us has helped them achieve their financial goals
were satisfied with our understanding of their needs and objectives