Simon Walker's in the smile business

Simon Walker’s ambition is to be happy – now he has the confidence to achieve it

Simon Walker, a dentist with a special interest in aesthetic dentistry, describes himself as being in ‘the smile business’. “Most of the time I’m helping people that have problems with their teeth improve the way they look,” he explains. “It’s not about creating false, Hollywood smiles, but about helping them make the best of what they have and giving them confidence.”

As in work, also in life. Since 2006 we’ve helped Simon make the most of his finances and to realise his ambition to lead a happy and fulfilled life. The life plan we’ve created for him has delivered flexibility for today, security for tomorrow and a more healthy approach to money.

Simon qualified as a dentist in 1990. Since then he’s worked hard to build a flourishing practice. But, aged 40 and with a growing family, he began to feel that work was taking up too much of his time and energy.

“I’m passionate about work, but the most important thing in my life is my family. My wife and I came to the very firm conclusion that we wanted to experience our children’s childhood as fully as we could – that meant working a little less hard and having more financial freedom to experience the good things in life today.”

But Simon admits to being ‘a bit of a hoarder’, who worries about money and the future. “I had conscientiously put money away over the years. But I never felt it was enough – so I just kept on and on working and saving, working and saving.”

When he met with Paul Reynolds of Aspire things began to change. With Paul’s advice Simon was able to relax more and appreciate the value of the portfolio he’d accrued. “Paul helped me make sense of my investments and to see that I’d actually done rather well! Nor did he take a heavy handed sales approach. For the first few meetings we barely talked about money, how much I earned or what I should invest in. Instead we talked about my aspirations for the future and how I wanted to live today. It was a breath of fresh air.”

In the months that followed, they worked together to overhaul Simon’s finances. First on the list was his ISA and PEP portfolio. “Most of my investments were FTSE tracker based because I had little faith in managed funds. But, I guess it depends who’s managing them – and Aspire does so very proactively,” reflects Simon. Aspire uses a multi-fund approach and regular contact to discuss switching options. Simon has certainly seen growth accelerate under this commitment. “They’re simply flying,” he enthuses.

Next on the list was Simon’s retirement plan. “I was locked into traditional pension products which, Paul convinced me, would deliver mediocre value. I just didn’t realise there were alternatives. I now have a Self Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), which gives me more flexibility to access exciting investments with potential for greater return. I don’t know when I plan to retire - I’m enjoying work too much right now - but I know the money will be there when the time is right.”

And it’s that level of future security that gives Simon the confidence to live better today. “I don’t worry about spending money these days, because I know my life plan is on course. Life is for living and the years when my children are growing up are the most important,” he reiterates.

Living for today

Over the next two years Simon hopes to scale down to work only four days a week. And he’s embarked on some dramatic life changes. In 2007 he bought the family’s dream home, a period house with a large garden. Aspire organised the mortgage using the creative approach Simon has come to expect. A sixteen year interest only mortgage keeps repayments manageable, while provision has been made in Simon’s investment portfolio to pay the outstanding capital at the end of the term.

Simon will also be drawing some ‘serious money’ out of his savings this year to renovate and extend the house, which he admits is currently ‘a victim of a 1970’s’! He also hopes to buy adjoining land to create extra space and freedom.

“We’re creating the house we want our children to grow up in. After all, the best investment you can make in the future is to live a good life today.”

It seems that Simon, just like his dentistry clients, has a lot to smile about.

Find out how Aspire can put a smile on your finances. Telephone 01905 622 180 or email info@aspirepersonalfinance.com