_Monday

_{I start the day with Darren (hubby and business partner) and we sit down for our monthly business planning meeting. I do all the client facing work and marketing while Darren deals with the operations side of the business including supervision of our advisers (as well as myself there are two registered individuals and an appointed rep). His workload has dramatically increased recently so we’ve just taken on CATS, the compliance company, who are brilliant and they are now doing our file checks. We’ve kept Simply Biz too because it makes sense financially for all the advisers to have access to the technical helpline. In the afternoon I see a client who we took on when we bought an IFA practice last year. This client has several pension pots and he wants us to look at them for him. I get an unexpected call when I return to the office – some girlfriends are off out to the cinema and did I want to go? The next couple of hours are spent laughing at the silliness of the film Bridesmaids.}

_Tuesday

_{I am training for the Great North Run. I don’t know how I got into it as I am not really a runner but I’m doing it for charity so will try my best. I run five times a week and today I have four miles to do! I am out the door by 6.30am so that I can be back in time to get my train into the City. I log my fastest four mile time so I’m very pleased! I have my CFP certification preparation day today which I am really excited about. I spend a whole day with the CFP tutor and seven other people all as eager as me to get the process right and pass the assessment. I will be ordering my case study when I come back from my holiday so it doesn’t eat into the 12 week time frame allowed for submission. I have to say that I can see why so many people who don’t go to the assessment day fail. After 5 CII exams this year (the last one was J02 Trusts last week) it’s refreshing to put a case study plan together instead and I am looking forward to it – I think!}

_Wednesday

_{I start the day with a five mile run. It was a good run and thankfully I didn’t have to go out as early as yesterday. One of our advisers Andy is coming in for a meeting and lunch today to go through some compliance procedures. It’s great to see him and catch up. It was his birthday the day before, 30 years old. What I wouldn’t give to be 30 knowing what I know now! We had a really long chat about VAT and how ultimately almost all of our income will be VATable. In the meantime, we discussed how we will go about splitting our annual charges into advice (VATable) and non-advice (non- VATable) fees. An afternoon of reading through reports that Cathi (Para-Sols) my Paraplanner has put together for me and then I shoot off straight afterwards to take my son to the doctors.}

_Thursday

_{Today’s run is four miles again but it was very hard work. It was slow too and I am hoping it’s just a bad day. Darren is off to South London today to carry out an observation on a client meeting with one of the advisers so I am left to sort the children out too. My mum helps out in school holidays so I drop them off there. I then meet up with an old client for a review meeting and we do it over lunch at Wagamamas just round the corner from our Moorgate office. He has just been left an inheritance and wants to set up a trust for his children. All the knowledge from the trust exam came flooding back so it was perfect timing. I spend a couple of hours working in the Moorgate office and have a great initial chat with a new client who found us online – fabulous! I then get back for the children and switch from Financial Planner to mummy for the rest of the day.}

_Friday

_{No run today as it is one of my rest days but somehow it feels strange not running. I waste time worrying that August has been quiet for new clients and then remind myself that every August is the same and vow to be away for the whole month next year. But then yesterday’s client calls me up and asks me if I would also help out his two sisters who have also received the same inheritance. Result!}

_{In the afternoon, I have a long Skype conversation with Philip Calvert (IFA Life) to discuss whether or not we should run our Financial Life Planning workshops again. We have had many advisers enquire about them and we are trying to figure out if there is sufficient demand. We decide that if we do them again then we will change the content to include practical examples of how to include life planning methodology into a Financial Planning client proposition.}

_Weekend

_{I spent the weekend with the family and just chill out enjoying the weather which is sunny for a change. I get a three mile run in on Saturday and then seven miles on Sunday. Yay!}