Chartered Financial Planner James Herbert has joined Plymouth-based national financial advice firm Continuum as a financial adviser.

He will be based in Stoke on Trent and will focus on the Staffordshire region.

He specialises in planning for investments, pensions, estate planning and protection for individuals.

Mr Herbert joins the partnership from Amber River True Bearing. He also spent over 13 years at Atomos Wealth where he was wealth planning director.

He said he chose to join Continuum due to the resources the partnership can provide while maintaining his independence.

He said: “With Continuum there is no pressure on me to push the products of a particular supplier. Instead I can give honest advice and access the very latest products from across the industry. I can always develop the very best solution for clients – and I can search the entire financial market to find the products which deliver it.”

He said he believes that the recent Budget has provided opportunities for retirement-specialist financial advisers to expand their client book.

Mr Herbert’s appointment follows a number of other new joiners to the partnership, including head of compliance Rob Fardey who joined in September from SimplyBiz where he was director of compliance services. Other previous roles include senior compliance management positions at firms including Quilter, Deutsche Bank, Investec and Rathbones.

Continuum was set up in 2014 by founding partner Martin Brown as a national IFA. It is part owned by M&G which bought a 49% stake in 2022 with the intention of fully acquiring the business over time.

Continuum has assets under influence of over £2.35 billion.