Gary Blackledge

Areas of expertise

I am regularly involved in all stages of retirement planning. Especially for those clients that have achieved financial independence, this can also include mitigating Inheritance Tax and frequently will involve advising different generations of family members.

I wholly embrace the concept that the starting point for assessment of a Final Salary scheme pension transfer is that it is going to be unsuitable advice for the vast majority of people. But Evelyn Partners will entertain this work, in the right scenarios. I am pleased to be one of their authorised pension transfer specialists in this regard.

Experience

I have been a qualified Private Client adviser for 21 years. I currently mentor an adviser colleague and we frequently work together on my client's affairs.

Notable client work and achievements

It has been particularly satisfying to see people achieve a completely different lifestyle, as a result of planning undertaken by me. This can include addressing the question "Can I afford to retire now Gary and what standard of living will I have?"

I have also enjoyed seeing the younger generation of family members be relieved of high levels of mortgage debt and financial burden, simply because I demonstrated that their parents/grandparents were in a position where their money would outlive them, not them outlive their money. But to relinquish access to lifetime wealth needs a robust process to provide a comfort level with doing so and it is necessary to demonstrate future threats like care cost should (we hope) not be a concern.

I am fortunate enough to have been asked to be the Financial Planner for a number of Partners in other Professional Services firms, both Legal and Tax. I think there can be no better endorsement than that.

Professional qualifications and memberships

I am a member of the Personal Finance Society, hold the Fellowship qualification and am a Chartered Financial Planner as a result. I have also in the past undertaken and passed a similar qualification known as a Certified Financial Planner.