About Us
We provide financial advice. But what does this mean in practice? We help you make the best use of your hard-earned resources of today to prepare you for your future.
Our understanding of your current financial situation is the keystone to building a financial plan which will meet your future needs. Many people have goals and dreams, but a goal without a plan is just a wish… an achievable goal is a dream with a deadline.
So, it all starts with listening. We listen to your needs, your hopes, your dreams, and we formulate a plan, which enables us to offer you clear, no-jargon advice on the most appropriate financial products for your personal circumstances.
This is the start of our journey together, to prepare the plan to meet your goals, to ensure that you, your family and your assets are protected, and to help you build a brighter, more secure future.
Where we can help you
We believe that you will require financial advice throughout your financial life, this is how we can help:
- Protecting wealth – Protecting you and your family’s standard of living against the unexpected.
- Property wealth – Ensuring the best arrangements for your home, second home, buy-to-let or commercial properties.
- Managing wealth – Making the most of tax-efficient investment opportunities so that money is available when you want to spend it.
- Creating wealth – Ensuring you maximise your standard of living for when you do not want to work so hard.
- Business wealth – Helping small and medium-sized enterprises to grow and become more profitable.
- Preserving wealth – Preserving the value of your estate for the benefit of your family.
- Retaining wealth – Retaining more of your hard-earned money legally and ethically.
Why we believe in the value of financial advice
Why should you use an adviser? Because we believe in the value of advice; financial advisers make a difference to your financial future.
The Value of Advice – Show me the money
As an example of the value of advice, research* shows that the average UK income in retirement is £18,000 per annum. However, the average for people who have never used a financial adviser is £17,168. Those who set an income target and used a financial adviser on a regular basis receive an average annual income of £24,175 in retirement. Put another way, by not working with a financial adviser, a client can potentially lose out on an extra 41% or as much as £147,147 over the course of a 21- year retirement.
*Source: Retirement Income Uncovered – The New Normal 2016
Which?, the consumer champion, surveyed 4,989 of their members in February 2022. All of those in this survey had taken financial advice in the past 5 years. The vast majority (82%) rated their experience as positive when it came to value for money.
The Woodward’s Team
Together with Tina, Kirstie and Alex, clients are supported by:
Ellie Gilbert – Office Manager & Senior Administrator
Joe Martin – Administrator & Trainee Mortgage and Protection Adviser
Jon Tinker – Paraplanner
Kirstie Dean
Director & Financial Adviser
Kirstie achieved Chartered ALFBF Status in 2020 and has more than 10 years of financial services experience. She strives to help every client achieve their financial goals and recognises that each client’s situation is unique.
During her career so far, Kirstie has experience in a number of roles within the financial services sector starting as a Financial Administrator, progressing onto a Paraplanner and then qualifying as a Financial Adviser in 2016.
Key Points:
- Experience in all areas of financial advice, with particular specialisms in pre- and post-retirement planning, and long-term care.
- A member of The London Institute of Banking and Finance (LIBF).
- Worked across all client areas and specialises with private clients, corporate clients, and other professionals.
- Built a solid network of clients by providing advice and high quality service to local people, business owners, clients in the mid stage of working life and people coming up to retirement wanting to maximise their standard of living.
- Has a network of specially selected experts to support all her clients’ advice needs.
- Achieved many qualifications during her career including:
- First Class Degree in Finance, Accounting and Management (BSc Hons)
- Level 4 Diploma for Financial Advisers (DipFA)
- Level 6 Advanced Diploma in Financial Advice (Adv DipFA)
- When Kirstie isn’t working she enjoys making memories with her friends and family, walking her dog Jessie in the Peak District, and keeping fit at the gym.
- Her interests include cooking, football, and travelling. She loves discovering new places and everything they have to offer.
Specific Skills:
- Investment planning
- Pre- and post-retirement planning
- Pensions and divorce
- Intergenerational wealth planning
Tina Wright
Director & Financial Adviser
Tina achieved Chartered ALFBF Status in 2020 and has more than 35 years of financial services experience. Tina has been with Woodward’s since leaving school in 1984.
She believes working with clients as she progressed through the business was the ideal foundation for her work as a Financial Adviser.
Key Points:
- Experience in all areas of financial advice, with specialisms in pre- and post- Retirement Planning, Equity Release and Long-Term Care.
- Achieved Chartered Status through the LIBF.
- A member of The LIBF and The Personal Finance Society
- Worked across all client areas and specialises with private clients, corporate clients and other professionals.
- Built a solid network of clients by providing advice and high quality service to local people / business owners / people starting on the property ladder / clients in the mid stage of working life / people coming up to retirement wanting to maximise their standard of living.
- Has a network of specially selected experts to support all her clients’ advice needs.
- Her interests outside of finance which include loving the thought of keeping fit through walking and exercise. However, she feels that leaving this to the experts is a much better idea whilst she gets on with cooking her home grown produce and drinking wine.
Specific Skills:
- Investment planning
- Pre-retirement planning
- Pension and Divorce
- Equity Release
Alex Shankland
Mortgage & Protection Adviser
Alex joined Woodwards in 2022. Having previously worked as a postman, Alex studied CeMAP whilst still delivering our mail!
He is now a fully qualified Mortgage and Protection Adviser and has been advising since 2019.
Key Points:
- A member of The London Institute of Banking and Finance (LIBF).
- Has a network of specially selected experts to support all his clients’ advice needs.
- Experienced in all areas of residential mortgages and personal protection.
- Built a solid network of clients by providing advice and high quality service to local people.
- Alex is a football fanatic and supports the “Mighty Rams” – Derby County. At a weekend you’re likely to find him wherever the Rams may take him!
Specific Skills:
- Residential mortgage advice
- Joint borrower, sole proprietor mortgages
- Buy to Let mortgages
- Personal protection packages
