Pete Matthew CFPCM began the Meaningful Money website five years ago, with his video and audio work becoming a major feature. In 2014, for the first time ever, more new clients enquired from his website than from client referrals and 2015 is going the same way.
The former IFP south west branch chairman said he had been “blown away” when a couple approached him out of the blue wanting his help after watching one of his videos on the site.
Asked what the core idea was when he set out five years ago, he told Financial Planner Online: “I wanted to play my small part in bridging the advice gap by educating ordinary people about money. I figured that ignorance might be holding some people back from engaging with their money, and maybe fear has a bit to do with that too.
“By educating people just enough to be able to spot a good idea from a bad idea, then I hoped I could add to the sum of human wealth in a very tiny way.”
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He said it had enabled him to reach consumers far beyond his Cornwall-based Financial Planning practice Jacksons Wealth Management.
He said: “The project appealed to my desire to help more people than I could ever do one-to-one at my practice, and my love of technology was certainly a factor too. I love gadgets and computers and was able to put that passion towards a productive end, and learn some new skills along the way.”
Mr Matthew has, in effect, become a Financial Planning broadcaster and technology has been the key to spreading his messages far and wide.
He began by posting videos but then moved into audio podcasting in late 2012, and began putting out a weekly show in May 2013.
He said: “When I first set up my Flip video camera on the promenade in Penzance back in April 2010, I was just having a go at something I’d read about and seen others doing online. Certainly I didn’t think I’d still be doing this five years later and for it to have had such a big impact on my life.
“When I was first approached out of the blue by a couple who had watched my videos, I was blown away. From there a steady stream became, if not a flood, then at least a medium-sized waterway.”
He is looking to recruit at least one more team member to help him cope with the growth in demand.
He said: “I’m delighted that since starting I have won several industry awards, and impacted thousands of people to make better financial decisions. I know this because I get emails all the time telling me how people have started budgeting or decided to get serious about their company pension after having watched a video or listened to a podcast.”
He added: “That’s what keeps me going; knowing real people are going to be better off as a result of my inspiration and their hard work.”