The Three Hats approach
to financial planning

Most people expect their financial planner to start with pensions and ISAs. We start somewhere completely different - with you.

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Why we’re different

Most financial advisers lead with products - pensions, ISAs, investments. But until we understand what you want from life, we can't help you make smart decisions about your money. It's that simple. We call our approach the ‘Three Hats’ approach to financial planning.

Three older women sitting on a bench outdoors, laughing and enjoying tea or coffee, with trees and a rocky hill in the background.

Hat one • understanding you and your life

  • We ask questions about your life, not your money, for example:

    • “What does your ideal life look like?”

    • “When do you want to stop working?”

    • “How do you want to help your family?”

    • “What are you scared might happen?”

    This meeting is completely free. No charge, no obligation.

    • We don’t talk about products such as pensions and ISAs

    • We don’t look at investments yet

    • We don’t make recommendations

  • Your money must have a purpose. We can’t build a plan until we understand what that purpose is for you.

Person in business attire using a stylus on a tablet with financial charts, with a laptop displaying graphs and pie charts, on an office desk with documents and a pen holder.

Hat two • crunching the numbers

    • We show you what your future looks like in real numbers

    • We use ‘bucket planning’ to visualise money flowing in and out

    • We test different scenarios: early retirement, helping children, unexpected costs

    • A clear answer to: “Will we be OK?”

    • Peace of mind about your financial future

    • A roadmap showing how to use your money purposefully

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Hat three • making it happen

    • We implement your plan

    • We consolidate and structure your pensions and investments

    • We set up your spending pot and growth pot

    • We establish our ongoing relationship

    • 100% equity evidence-based portfolios (growth pot)

    • Safe reserves for spending (spending pot)

    • No active management, no market timing, no risk questionnaires

    • We use an evidence-based, low-cost investing approach

  • We’re not here to beat the market. We’re here to help you achieve your life goals. The investment bit is the easy part – it’s the behaviour management and life planning that creates real value.

A middle-aged couple sitting on a sofa, smiling and embracing each other, in a cozy living room with natural light.

Our ongoing partnership

  • Annual reviews focused on your changing life circumstances

  • Monthly newsletter with our perspective to help inform and educate you, not just market noise

  • Ongoing behavioural coaching to keep you from making expensive mistakes

Philosophy

  • Your life will change. Children need help. Grandchildren arrive. You want to travel more. We’re here to help you adapt your plan to what matters most right now – and make sure you’re still going to be ok.

A happy middle-aged couple sitting on the grass in a field during sunset, preparing hot drinks with thermoses and mugs, surrounded by backpacks, enjoying outdoor camping.

Who this works for
(and who it doesn’t)

Our approach isn’t for everyone - and that’s intentional. We work best with certain types of clients, and we’d rather be honest up front than waste your time.

    • You have enough wealth that retirement is possible (or close)

    • You want someone to tell you what’s possible, not just sell you products

    • You’re willing to trust expert guidance and stick to a plan

    • You value peace of mind over chasing maximum returns

    • You’re just looking for transactional advice

    • You want to manage investments yourself

    • You’re looking for promises about investment performance

See how it’s worked for others

  • “We’d spent years saving but didn’t know what we could actually afford to do with it.”

    A couple approaching retirement discover they don't have to choose between helping their children and living the life they'd always wanted.

    Read Marianne's story
  • Portrait of a confident older man with gray hair and beard, wearing glasses and a white button-up shirt, standing outdoors with arms crossed in front of a modern glass building.

    “I wouldn’t have retired when I did if it hadn’t been for Graeme”

    Eddie had been working for decades, assuming he still needed the income. Then Graeme said something simple: you don't need to. That one conversation changed everything - and Eddie retired at 56, finding a new sense of purpose through travel, tennis and community.

    Read Eddie's story
  • A smiling couple taking a selfie on a city street, with buildings and trees in the background.

    "I assumed I'd be working for another five years. I retired two months later."

    Stuart assumed he had another five years of work ahead of him. After one meeting with Graeme, the picture changed completely - he retired two months later. Now he runs a rugby club, Helen has found her own rhythm, and neither of them worries about money.

    Read their story
  • A smiling middle-aged man in a blue shirt at a crowded indoor market.

    “Graeme gave me the confidence to retire at 50”

    A cautious saver who always assumed he'd work until retirement age, George discovered that he already had the freedom to stop. With Graeme's help, he retired at 50 and learned that the point of money is to enjoy it.

    Read George's story
A woman with curly red hair wearing a light blue shirt is smiling while standing among purple and white flowers outdoors.

Experience it for yourself

The Three Hats approach is experiential – you need to go through it to understand how transformative it can be. Book a free discovery meeting and see if we’re right for you.

Book free discovery call