Carolyn Gowen, one of the founders of leading London Financial Planning firm Bloomsbury Wealth, has died at the age of 58 after a short battle with cancer just a few months after retiring.

Ms Gowen had a distinguished 30 year career in Financial Planning and was one of the best known Financial Planners in London.

She combined living on a small holding in France for many years, surrounded by her beloved animals, with a job running a growing Financial Planning business. She regularly commuted from France to London.

She had retired from Bloomsbury in July this week although continued to do some consultancy work until she fell ill. She was well known for her Financial Bodyguard Blog site designed to help consumers think about Financial Planning and other topics.

On her LinkedIn page earlier this year she wrote: “After more than 30 years helping others reach financial independence I am now enjoying FI (financial independence) myself.”

Planners and colleagues have been quick to pay tribute to Ms Gowen who was known for her professionalism and hard work. She was a strong supporter of the professionalism of the sector and professional bodies.

In a tribute colleagues and friends at Bloomsbury Wealth, including principals Robert Lockie and Charles Wood, said: "It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Carolyn Gowen (née Corless), friend and recently retired branch principal at Bloomsbury Wealth, following a battle with cancer.

"In this profession there are many giants who quietly strive to improve their clients lives and help build a more inclusive profession.  Carolyn was just such a person, known professionally throughout the world as a passionate CFP professional.  Behind the individual who built fantastic relationships with clients was a steely determination to do the right thing and to ensure that they were in the best position they could be to live their lives to the full.  From the many moving tributes that we have received from clients and others, it is clear that she was held in very high regard.

"She moved to France in 2007 with her husband Eddie and a menagerie of horses, goats, sheep, dogs and cats.  Even though a dispute with the vendor left them sleeping in the barn for a couple of nights until it was resolved, she never lost her enthusiasm for the place and over the next few years she and Eddie gradually restored it to the wonderful condition it is today.

"She was famed within Bloomsbury for her ability to collect exhibitor ‘swag’ at conferences and we suspect that she collected so many notebooks that there were enough to roof most of the farmhouse. Her love of animals meant that she often went off to look at potential additions to the farm, occasionally returning with an unplanned horse or donkey!

"She read prolifically in her efforts to understand more about the world, often getting up an hour early to read while looking over the countryside and she also started a local book group in her village to encourage others to read more too. Carolyn also loved Liverpool Football Club and her enthusiasm for all things LFC was an important part of her life, with Thursday morning team calls often starting with a discussion of the previous night’s match. Carolyn, you’ll never walk alone."

Ms Gowen was a director and co-owner of London-based Bloomsbury Wealth, which won several awards over the year for its wealth management and Financial Planning. She worked for Bloomsbury for over 18 years.

She was a Certified Financial Planner, a Chartered Fellow of the CISI and a Chartered Wealth Manager and had worked in the Financial Planning profession since 1987.

Former colleague Jason Butler said: “The sad thing is that she retired from Bloomsbury earlier this year to enjoy the fruits of her hard work, living with her husband Eddie on their beautiful French smallholding.

“She spent all her working life working with clients to help them live their best life, only to find that cruelly snatched from her when she hung up her Financial Planner boots. 

“Carolyn was tenacious, meticulous, hard working and utterly reliable and she was instrumental in building Bloomsbury Wealth into the quality firm it is today. I am proud to have worked with her and remember fondly her care and commitment to doing the best job for clients.”

Ms Gowen is survived by her husband Eddie and her many animals who lived on her small holding.