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PODCAST

Financial Planner Life Podcast

Welcome to The Financial Planner Life Podcast. We cover an intimate and honest account of what it’s really like to work in the financial planning profession.Our guests share their stories of success, failures, and learnings, as well as what to expect from a career in the financial planning profession! We host guests at various stages in their careers, as well as multiple roles, to ensure that our audience has a variety each week.Financial planners, business owners, paraplanners, and back-office

business careers

All Episodes

45:02

How to Build a Referral-Driven Financial Planning...

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/11/19

This week on the Financial Planner Life podcast, Sam Oakes sits down with Rosie Hooper, Chartered Fellow and Financial Planner at Quilter Cheviot. Rosie shares her inspiring 26-year journey from her early days in bank management, through corporate employee benefits, to becoming a highly respected private client planner. Rosie talks candidly about how growing up in a household where money was tight shaped her relationship with finances and fuelled her passion for planning. She opens up about t...

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36:31

He Built 40 Clients in a Library. Now He Manages £58M...

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/11/12

This week on the Financial Planner Life podcast, Sam Oakes speaks with James Westpfel, a financial planner at Foster Denovo, who shares his career journey from self-employed to employed and how going hyper-local helped him build a thriving client base from scratch. After 22 years working in a building society, James made the leap into self-employment. With no client book and no lead funnel, he turned to his local community for opportunity. His strategy? Show up in person, build trust and off...

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46:41

From the Trading Floor To Financial Planner with £70...

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/11/07

In this episode of the Financial Planner Life podcast, Kanishk Swarup shares his incredible journey from high-stakes equity derivatives trading at JP Morgan and Credit Suisse to launching his own financial planning practice through the St. James’s Place Academy. We explore what it’s really like to work on a trading floor, the burnout behind big bonuses, and the unexpected truth: even successful finance professionals often have no financial plan. Kanishk opens up about growing up in a small to...

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55:50

Active vs Passive investing: A Pointless Debate for...

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/10/29

In this episode of Financial Planner Life, host Sam Oakes sits down with Andrew Spence, Co-Founder of Aspen, to challenge the industry’s most controversial questions - what we call the Marmite topics of financial planning. Aspen was born out of something deeper than disruption. After a personal health crisis led Andrew to reflect on the impact of his work, he decided to build a model portfolio service that put purpose, clarity & client outcomes first. Now, he’s leading the charge on topic...

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38:27

From JP Morgan to £150M AUM: - Building a...

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/10/08

Karen Berisford, Chartered Financial Planner and Fellow of the PFS, left a prestigious investment role at JP Morgan to build a client-first advice practice with St. James’s Place. She prioritised trust, time control, and service over scale-at-all-costs. In this episode of the Financial Planner Life podcast, Karen shares how she grew to £150M AUM without relying on social media or paid marketing. Instead, she focused on referrals and long-term, values-led growth. You’ll learn: How to transitio...

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34:32

Can 105 Financial Advisers Be Wrong? Find Out!

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/10/03

Is This the Best IFA Network? Sam Oakes Meets Sam Wallis – New Leaf Distribution Visit: reach out to new leaf - click here Welcome back to the Financial Planner Life Podcast, where we explore what it really takes to build a meaningful and rewarding career in financial planning. This week, host Sam Oakes speaks with Sam Wallis, Managing Director of New Leaf Distribution, to unpack how this IFA network is giving self-employed advisers true branding freedom, community support,...

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27:47

Working 3 Days a Week as a Financial Planner and...

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/09/26

In this episode of the Financial Planner Life podcast, Sam Oakes sits down with Hannah Witty, Chartered Financial Planner at Foster Denovo, to explore her inspiring journey into financial planning. From working on superyachts to becoming one of the earliest Chartered female planners in the UK, Hannah shares the personal and professional hurdles she faced as a woman, a mother, and a leader in a male-dominated industry. We talk about her career beginnings, the impact of becoming a mother, navig...

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47:04

Career Tips From Successful Financial Planners Part 2...

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/09/11

Welcome to Day 2 of the Financial Planner Life Golf Day – where birdies, bogeys, and brilliant business insights go hand in hand. You can watch this episode on youtube or spotify! here This round sees Michael Yuille CFP™ (aka Mr #ChickenTuesday) and Sam Oakes take on Carla Brown (President of the PFS) and Guy Skinner (Citygate Financial Planning) in a best-of-seven match play showdown — with caddies, clubs, and competitive spirit fully loaded. What starts as a light-hearted game q...

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66:52

Career Tips From Successful Financial Planners Part 1...

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/09/11

🎥 Financial Planner Life Golf Day | Game 1: Vikash Kanani vs Paul Taylor Real Golf. Real Financial Planners, Real Finanical Planning Career advice. Watch this episode on YouTube or Spotify - here Welcome to the first ever Financial Planner Life Golf Day, where the fairway becomes a forum for honest, unfiltered career advice in financial planning. 🏌️‍♂️ The Match: It’s Vikash Kanani (MD, Chatsworth Wealth) vs Paul “The Power” Taylor (Chartered Planner & Coach) in a competitive 9-hole

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29:57

How to pass the CII R01-RO6 exams (DipPFS) in 6...

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/09/01

How do you pass the CII RO exams and achieve the DipPFS? In this episode of Financial Planner Life, host Sam Oakes speaks with Gary Paul (Academy Relationship Manager, St. James’s Place Academy), John Smith (Qualifications/Technical Trainer, Redmill Advance) and Rebecca Bidwell, who passed the DipPFS in just 5 months. We answer the top questions aspiring advisers ask: What are the RO exams? → Six modules (RO1–RO6) that make up the CII DipPFS qualification.Which RO exam is hardest? → Mo...

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53:03

85 First Client Meetings in 2 Months, Why I Love...

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/08/27

How do you get clients as a financial planner without buying leads or relying on referrals? In this episode of Financial Planner Life, Sam Oakes interviews Jak Ali, Managing Director of J.A. Financial Planning Ltd, a Partner Practice of St. James’s Place Wealth Management. Jak shares exactly how he generates clients as a financial adviser using creative, confident, and relationship-based business development. He has built his entire client base without depending on lead providers or a legac...

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35:00

Mortgage Adviser Explains Why She Went Self-Employed...

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/08/21

Mortgage Adviser Explains Why She Went Self-Employed, and Will Never Go Back! 👉 “I left my job after 16 years, and it turned out to be the best decision I ever made.” That’s what Carly Naylor, Mortgage and Protection Adviser at Foster Denovo, told me when we sat down to record this episode of Financial Planner Life. Carly’s been in financial services for over two decades. She started her journey in high street banking, moved into mortgage advice, and spent 16 years with one firm before

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41:15

So, you want to be a self-employed IFA? Watch this...

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/08/13

If you’re a newly Level 4 Diploma qualified financial adviser with or without CAS status, an experienced financial planner wanting to run your own practice, or a mortgage broker looking to expand into financial planning, this episode of the Financial Planner Life podcast is a must-listen. This week, host Sam Oakes speaks with Mark Hobbs, founder of New Leaf Distribution - an IFA network that supports advisers at every stage of their career. From helping mortgage brokers future-proof their in...

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54:33

AI Is a Fuel, Not a Tool: Redefining Financial Advice...

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/08/06

What if your advisers could serve 20–30 more clients, save 45 minutes per meeting, and reduce suitability report time from 3 hours to 10 minutes - all without hiring more support staff? That’s what Saturn AI is already delivering for over 600 financial planning firms ( 1600 Advisers ), and in this episode of the Financial Planner Life Podcast, Sam Oakes sits down with co-founder Rohit Vaisha to explore how. But this isn’t another “AI will replace advisers” narrative. Saturn’s mission is...

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51:57

I never thought someone like me could be a financial...

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/07/29

Thinking about a career in financial planning? In this episode of Financial Planner Life, Miriam Murphy joins Sam Oakes to share her powerful career switch story, from Executive Assistant to qualified financial planner, with support from the St. James’s Place Academy. Miriam opens up about her early money mindset, paying off debt, buying a home, and how mentorship from Rob Gardner helped her see the potential she hadn’t yet recognised in herself. If you're considering becoming a financial pla...

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53:26

Restricted or IFA? What is best for my Financial...

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/07/24

Wayne Griffiths | One Financial Solutions | Financial Planner Careers In this episode of the Financial Planner Life podcast, Sam Oakes sit down with Wayne Griffiths, Managing Partner at One Financial Solutions, to explore how he’s creating meaningful, supportive career paths for self-employed financial planners. We also dive into the ongoing debate: what’s better, restricted or IFA? Wayne shares his honest views and explains why the best advice always comes down to trust and intention—n...

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48:58

Self-Employed Chartered Financial Planner with £10M...

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/07/15

From Admin to Self-Employed Financial Planner with £10M AUM by 26! In this episode of the Financial Planner Life Podcast, Sam Oakes sits down with Lawrence Bearman, a 26-year-old Chartered Financial Planner at Westminster Wealth Management who's gone from admin assistant to managing £10 million in assets, all within his first year of self-employment. We unpack: Why Lawrence chose to go self-employed with just £3M AUMHow he tripled his assets in 12 months without cold calls or networking...

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45:18

“Built a £60 million AUM Financial Planning Business...

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/07/10

From Critical Illness to £60M Practice: Russell Cook’s Story of Resilience, Mindset and Career Growth at Foster Denovo In this special partnership episode of the Financial Planner Life podcast with Foster Denovo, we speak with Russell Cook — a senior partner, self-employed financial planner, and two-time survivor of life-threatening illness. Russell shares how he built a thriving £60 million practice advising 120 clients, despite facing a rare blood cancer diagnosis and later, a brain tumour....

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52:11

From Council Estate to Financial Planning TV & Social...

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/07/03

In this episode of the Financial Planner Life podcast, host Sam Oakes reconnects with Emmanuel Asuquo, a leading financial planner, TV personality, and social media educator. Emmanuel was Sam’s second-ever guest when the podcast launched, making this a special full-circle conversation. They dive deep into Emmanuel’s journey from growing up on a council estate to becoming one of the UK’s most recognisable financial planners, using platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube to educate and ...

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51:49

She left the Army and became a Financial Planner Mum,...

Financial Planner Life Podcast ·

2025/06/26

In this episode of the financial planner life podcast, Sam Oakes sits down with Katie, a former Army officer who transitioned into a successful financial planning career with the St. James’s Place Academy. Katie’s story is one of resilience, adaptability, and building a business that fits around life’s big moments, including becoming a mum mid-way through growing her firm. We cover: ✅ How military skills like leadership, discipline, and resilience translate into financial planning ✅ What it’...

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257 results

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