So what have people said about PensionMan?
Personal financial coaching
Easy and accessible coaching from your friend in finance
Meet PensionMan
If personal finance and pensions appear just too daunting, come and have a chat with me, PensionMan. I will strip out the jargon and explain how everything fits together: from your pension to tax and investments.
It’s all so much easier to understand if you’re not being bamboozled with acronyms or feeling bounced into buying financial products with little indication how much you’ll actually be paying for them.
Because I am an educator, not a fee-driven adviser, I will show you how things work so you can do as much as possible for yourself. It’s all out there, people just need a friend to show them around.
Book a session today and start taking control of your finances
Frequently Asked Questions
PensionMan is finance without the jargon and where there’s no such thing as a stupid question. It’s a good, friendly chat where you get to ask all the questions you like and there's no hard sell or thousands of pounds of fees.
Fixed price sessions are usually via Zoom, but can be face-to-face or over the telephone, whichever is most convenient for you and makes you feel most comfortable.
1. What can I expect from my coaching sessions?
Every session is different depending on people’s interests and concerns. Some people come with specific questions or situations. Perhaps to understand their state or company pensions, especially convoluted issues such as the pensions lifetime allowance. Others want to explore the pros and cons of property investment. How do you decide if buy-to-let is right for you?
Most often though people just want to feel a little more in control of their finances and aren’t sure where to start.
The aim is always to put you in control of your finances to the greatest extent possible.
2. Are you a financial adviser and will you be trying to sell me financial products?
No I am a financial educator with more than three decades of experience in pensions and investment and a passion for helping people understand personal finance. Weird I know, but true.
Because I am not a financial adviser I can’t provide specific investment advice and I certainly won’t be selling you any financial products.
PensionMan is all about giving people the opportunity to learn how to do things for themselves. What we usually find is that once you understand how these things work (and most of it is not difficult I can assure you) what you need to do actually becomes obvious very quickly without the need for specific financial advice.
Of course certain legal and financial matters do require specialist advice. In such circumstances we don’t hesitate to encourage you to seek further, more detailed assistance.
3. If you’re not a financial adviser what is your experience?
I have worked in finance for over thirty five years and began my career in pensions administration. I write a regular column on Wealth for Bloomberg and have been published in a number of publications, including the Washington Post. My wife and I present a personal finance radio show called Money, Money, Money on Switch Radio [http://www.switchdunmow.com/index.html]. I am a member of numerous pension, audit and finance committees, principally in the education and finance sectors.
My wife Vicky and I also self-manage a portfolio of rental properties. We are frequently sought out to speak, not just about the rewards of property investment, but the trials and tribulations, regulation and financial management.
I am also the author of the Bluffers Guide to Economics, which sold more than 100,000 copies. My latest project is more ambitious. It examines how serious misconceptions about how finance actually works have damaged the economic prospects of generations of younger people and how, ultimately, that is bad for all of us.
4. How much does it cost?
For a fixed price of £150 you get up to an hour and a half of solid guidance, a sympathetic ear and a free follow up session just to make sure you get the most from my help.
Bring a friend or partner along for no extra cost!
5. And finally, what if I really don’t feel my session was excellent value for money?
We have a full, unconditional, money-back guarantee if you feel your coaching session wasn’t excellent value for money, or that it simply didn’t work for you.
1. What can I expect from my coaching sessions?
Every session is different depending on people’s interests and concerns. Some people come with specific questions or situations. Perhaps to understand their state or company pensions, especially convoluted issues such as the pensions lifetime allowance. Others want to explore the pros and cons of property investment. How do you decide if buy-to-let is right for you?
Most often though people just want to feel a little more in control of their finances and aren’t sure where to start.
The aim is always to put you in control of your finances to the greatest extent possible.
2. Are you a financial adviser and will you be trying to sell me financial products?
No I am a financial educator with more than three decades of experience in pensions and investment and a passion for helping people understand personal finance. Weird I know, but true.
Because I am not a financial adviser I can’t provide specific investment advice and I certainly won’t be selling you any financial products.
PensionMan is all about giving people the opportunity to learn how to do things for themselves. What we usually find is that once you understand how these things work (and most of it is not difficult I can assure you) what you need to do actually becomes obvious very quickly without the need for specific financial advice.
Of course certain legal and financial matters do require specialist advice. In such circumstances we don’t hesitate to encourage you to seek further, more detailed assistance.
3. If you’re not a financial adviser what is your experience?
I have worked in finance for over thirty five years and began my career in pensions administration. I write a regular column on Wealth for Bloomberg and have been published in a number of publications, including the Washington Post. My wife and I present a personal finance radio show called Money, Money, Money on Switch Radio [http://www.switchdunmow.com/index.html]. I am a member of numerous pension, audit and finance committees, principally in the education and finance sectors.
My wife Vicky and I also self-manage a portfolio of rental properties. We are frequently sought out to speak, not just about the rewards of property investment, but the trials and tribulations, regulation and financial management.
I am also the author of the Bluffers Guide to Economics, which sold more than 100,000 copies. My latest project is more ambitious. It examines how serious misconceptions about how finance actually works have damaged the economic prospects of generations of younger people and how, ultimately, that is bad for all of us.
4. How much does it cost?
For a fixed price of £150 you get up to an hour and a half of solid guidance, a sympathetic ear and a free follow up session just to make sure you get the most from my help.
Bring a friend or partner along for no extra cost!
5. And finally, what if I really don’t feel my session was excellent value for money?
We have a full, unconditional, money-back guarantee if you feel your coaching session wasn’t excellent value for money, or that it simply didn’t work for you.
Pippa
“Great! Felt like a dinner party with friends”
Darren F
“Great format - personable, relaxed and enjoyable evening of learning”
Sylvia
“I think it is a great initiative. The challenge with financial advisors is that I am not sure how competent they are and it is tricky to find someone one trusts. Therefore I think it is very helpful to be able to speak openly to someone who has really their interest at heart (versus their firm’s or personal interest).”
Maureen B
“Fantastic – thank you very much!”
Helen D
“Very informative, lots of info to take in. Very friendly approach and knowledgeable.”
Paty I
“Very informative and an eye opener”
Angela B
“felt relaxed in asking questions no matter how stupid I thought they were”
Petra N
“Excellent, detailed, informative and actually easy to understand”
Kasia N
“relaxed, extremely informative``
Barbara R
“I am the sole breadwinner for my family and very budget conscious/miserly, so I usually just read up as much as I can and muddle through on my own. This was a treat for me``
Padraig M
“Stuart's style is open and sharing which means no question is too stupid! You don't feel intimidated``
Olya S
``Talking to Stuart was enlightening and a true pleasure. I feel clearer about my financial strategy and more comfortable making further financial decisions. Would highly recommend to talk to Stuart and listen to his podcasts to anyone who are at the point of transition in life or just would like to get their financial plans in order!''
David D
``Stuart is a man of integrity and with an encyclopaedic knowledge of pensions, investments, tax laws and inheritance tax. As such he is able to comment with precision on a broad range of financial topics. He is not a financial advisor and he does not have any vested interests or potential conflicts. As a result I would trust him to the moon and back.`` January 2022
DP
``The sessions are conducted in a very relaxed and friendly manner which makes what is often perceived as a dry subject surprisingly enjoyable. Stuart is extremely knowledgeable on the fundamental aspects of investing and the ins and outs of financial planning essentials such as tax, inflation, property investment, pension plans, annuities, the stock market and more. I found a session with the Pension Man to be a wise investment in itself!`` March 2022
MS
``The coaching sessions with Stuart were very informative, with a friendly touch and easy to follow information. He was able to answer in a skillful way to all the questions I had prepared for him. In addition, he gave me insights to areas I didn't consider previously. Highly recommended!`` March 2022
RT
“I found a coaching session with Stuart very helpful and insightful, he’s guided me through the steps and shared some really useful practical information on how to take things forward. Overall very useful and I look forward to having a follow-up session after I have taken these practical steps” June 2022
AM
“We found Stuart to be a very friendly and knowledgeable person. We appreciated the opportunity to talk through our situation with someone independent, and benefitted from his comments and experience.” July 2022
SH
``Dear Stuart, I would like to thank you for the comprehensive consultation session on Pensions. For someone with little knowledge about finances and taxes, you made it sound simple so I was able to understand every point we covered. The session was very interesting and informative.`` July 2022
Disclaimer
I am a Financial Educator. I am not an IFA
