Ian & Sue

Sue:

Hi, my name is Sue, this is my husband, Ian. We’ve been with GPFM, since the late 80s. So over 30 years, which is quite something, I think, and we are looked after by Scott Atkinson.

Ian:

I got in touch with GPFM through a work colleague, who was brought up with Gerald Pepper and were best friends. I met Gerald several times, at a time when I needed to start thinking about investing and putting money into the stock market.

Sue:

I think the problems we had were the fact that we wanted to invest, but we didn’t really know what to do. We trusted Gerald Pepper, he guided us through the process of initially investing in the stock market and it just went from there really.

Ian:

We really felt comfortable with everybody that we’ve come across at GPFM through the years, whether it was Gerald Pepper or Scott Atkinson, they’ve always treated us like normal people. They were not trying to sell us anything, and look after our best interests in the future and at the time, we were investing.

The best thing for me working with GPFM has been that we have been able to retire early, enjoy our lives to the full, and do exactly what we’ve wanted to do for many years.

Sue:

They’ve helped us with lots of things really, we’ve had quite a long journey with them. Investments, ISAs, bonds, an array of things really, quite a varied portfolio, and it’s all worked towards us being able to retire early. We’re still on the journey with them, and they’re still providing what we need, which is great.

Ian:

It makes me feel absolutely great to work with GPFM Scott, who now looks after us and is a really nice guy, he feels more like a friend than an adviser. He talks to us in a very simple way, so we understand everything, there’s no jargon. It just feels like things are looked after properly for us.

Sue:

Scott has all the tools to show us what’s going to happen in the future. I know it’s only a guide, but it’s a reassuring guide, we can see how things are looking in the times ahead. It just reassures us, we’re living the dream and we retired early, which is great. We’re young enough to do what we want to do. Can’t say any more than that, really, it’s just perfect.

Ian:

The three words I would use to describe them would be competent, professional, and very knowledgeable.

Sue:

Probably the best piece of advice they’ve given us is “don’t panic when times are tough.” Because it’s easy to panic. You look at what’s happening in the world, and you think, oh my goodness, how much money have we lost? But, we are in it for the long term. Scott reminds us of that regularly and with his calming influence, it’s easier not to panic.

Ian:

I would recommend GPFM to any of my friends or relatives. They’ve given us everything over the years that we’ve wanted from an adviser. They are just a company that I think anybody would feel at ease with and confident with. I would have no hesitation in recommending Scott or any of the members that I’ve met.

Sue:

I think Scott gives us the confidence to do the things that we want to do basically. We sit here and think, “gosh, do you think we should do this? Or do you think we should do that? Have we got enough money? Can we afford it?” And then when we have a review with Scott, we realise, “yeah, we can do these things and we’re young enough to do them and let’s do them now.”