Chartered Financial Planner. CFP Professional of the Year. Co-host of NextWealth’s AI Lab. I write, speak and think about the present and future of financial planning, particularly where it meets technology and AI.
I have been a financial planner since 2011 and I run Optimum Path Financial Planning, a directly authorised firm in rural Leicestershire. We work with analytical professionals and business owners planning for early retirement, shouldering the financial uncertainty so households can live the lives they want on foundations rigorous enough to trust.
Outside the day job I co-host NextWealth’s AI Lab, where around eighty financial services and technology firms gather quarterly to share how they are putting AI to work for clients. I speak regularly at conferences, contribute to the national press, appear on podcasts, and was named Certified Financial Planning Professional of the Year in 2023.
I don’t just geek out about financial planning, AI and technology. I am also incredibly nerdy about coffee (complete with WDT, 0.1g weight measurements, and timed espresso workflow), judo (1st Dan black belt), and just about anything else I put my mind to!
Panel of speakers with AI startups and third-party consultants, taking questions from attendees ranging from "where do I start, I'm terrified of this stuff" to "how should I deploy Claude Cowork in our advice practice"
Co-hosted a two-part discussion - 45 minutes with Heather Hopkins looking at trends, challenges and case studies of AI adoption in financial planning businesses, followed by 45 minutes with a panel of practitioners sharing their stories and taking questions from the room.
Commentary on a 52-year-old's retirement plan: weighing a second buy-to-let against globally diversified investing, the triple cost of early retirement, and why volatility looks different when no one knocks on your door with a daily property valuation.
Helping an i reader work out a way forward for their pension planning.
How HMRC's changes to refund handling affect overpayments on flexible pension withdrawals, and what to watch for if you have triggered an emergency tax code.
Candid conversation on ownership, internal succession and management buyouts in financial planning firms, plus where AI is actually moving the needle for advice businesses.
On-stage interview and Q&A with Chris Davies of Model Office on whether regulation can be a tailwind rather than a headwind for advice firms, and where AI fits.
Co-hosting a community of around eighty leading financial services and technology firms sharing practical, business-tested examples of AI in advice.
For speaking enquiries, press requests, or to say hello. If you are looking for personal financial planning advice, please use the form on the Optimum Path site instead so the right person can pick it up.