Richard Powell

Hello, my name is Richard. I’ve been a client of White Stone for the last three to four years, and my main contact there is Matt Naylor, whom I knew from a previous connection.

I needed a financial planner when I was coming up to early retirement, because I wanted to make sure that the savings I had, and the pension that I was saving into, were going to be big enough and last long enough that I wouldn’t run out of money and that my family would be looked after.

In the latter days of the first people we were talking to, my main adviser was due for retirement, and he introduced Matt to me because he was working for that company at the time. I found with the financial advisers I’d come across and heard about, he was one of the few people in that other company who actually listened to what you wanted to do and took such reliable notes that he could almost tell me what I’d said at the last meeting. And I’d say, “Oh yeah, that’s right, that’s what I did say, but things have changed now”, or “Yeah, that’s dead right. I want to stay with that.” And they picked up the ball running.

He’s been able to help us with introducing us to various “safe” ways of saving money and helping our money accumulate. Nothing’s 100% safe these days, but he came up with sound ideas and recommendations. He speaks in normal English. He doesn’t speak in financial technical details, because I’m not a financial man, so he made it very easy for us to understand.

I am a lot more confident in my financial future despite what’s happening in the world and what’s happening locally. He’s taken me through what is a nice, comfortable feeling of taking down my tax-free allowance before 75, but also saying, “A notice, what you’ve left behind is still building up,” and advising on what to do with that tax allowance. “Don’t just spend it all by going out and buying yourself a really big car or something.” No, he said, “Just carry on with your life as it is, because that’s what you want to do. That’s what you’re saving for, is to live in this same comfortable lifestyle that you’ve got now.”

It’s nice to say you’ve got excess money, but if you inherit something from somebody else, what should you do with it? Where should you spend it? Should you spend it or should you save it? He says, “Why not both?” It makes you very comfortable that you are making decisions that are good, reasonable, and reliable.

Yes, I would recommend Matt because of the attributes he brings to a meeting with you, the way he approaches it, and the way he helps you solve your problems. He just gives you advice and tells you which path to walk along. He’s very easy to work with.