Financial Planners need to own their 'business ethic' and ensure that it reflects their values and the outcomes they personally want to see, according to Chapters Financial’s Keith Churchouse.

Mr Churchouse FPFS, Chartered Financial Planner and founder of the Guildford-based Financial Planning firm, talked recently to Financial Planning Today magazine about how he built his business, his love of book writing and the media.

He launched the firm in 2004 when he wanted to focus on Financial Planning but struggled to find an appropriate place to do it, so he decided to start his own business on his own terms.

Chapters Financial now advises approximately 600 clients with funds under advice over £160m. It focuses on retirement planning and implementation, along with investments and inheritance tax planning.

Mr Churchouse said: “Running a business is challenging and invariably lonely. The buck stops with you and never fails to keep you awake at night at times. However, with those challenges you accept the rewards of your hard work and that affords your chosen lifestyle.

“It is without doubt satisfying to deliver and implement a financial plan that is tailored to an individual need. At the review stage, it is also satisfying to look back at past recommendations and to know that you would do the same thing today. This is important to us and allows us to grow the business with confidence.”

He has a big local media presence with regular slots on BBC Radio Surrey, which he started doing in early 2005.

He said working with the media is “great fun” and “keeps you on your toes” and that it gives existing clients and contacts confidence when they hear your voice on the radio.

Keith Churchouse is principal at Chapters Financial, Guildford. He is a Certified Financial Planner, Chartered Financial Planner and Chartered Wealth Manager. He is also a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society (FPFS). His qualifications include a BA Honours degree in Financial Services from Napier University.

Mr Churchouse started in financial services in 1985 as a bank clerk, before moving into mortgage broking and then in 1994 into financial advice. He co-owns Chapters Financial Limited, a Chartered Financial Planning company, in Guildford.

He has written many financial books with his latest: ‘Coming in to Land, Runway to Retirement’ published in August. You can read the full article in the latest issue of Financial Planning Today Magazine.

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