Kay Skelton, an SJP client of 8 years, shares her personal story, and explains why she trusts her SJP Partner to look out for her and her family, whatever happens.
At a glance
SJP client Kay Skelton is a successful business owner and mother, who is embarking on a new stage in her life as a single parent.
Her strong relationship with her SJP Partner Trevor is helping her feel confident about the future for her and her daughter.
She and Trevor share their story of building trust over time and developing a long-lasting professional relationship.
Kay Skelton believes in the power of building strong professional relationships. She founded KS Advisory, her successful, post-Covid business, on doing exactly that.
“I describe myself as a ‘client whisperer,” she explains. “I help busy business owners look after their most valuable asset – their clients. Good client relationships are pivotal to any business. During the pandemic, my business networking job disappeared overnight. I had to rethink my future.“
“I spotted a niche in client management – and built my business around that principle. Great relationships matter.”
Nonetheless, it was a daunting time to go solo. “I was very lucky, because I had also bought my dad’s bookbinding business, back in 2010, after working there for 14 years, “she explains. “I ran that for six more years, before selling up in 2016, but I kept the building and rented the units as industrial lets.” This gave Kay a reliable and regular income, to balance the variable cash flow of self-employment.
Taking time to find the right adviser
Kay met her SJP Partner, Trevor, in 2016 at the networking business, that Kay then worked at as a client relationship manager. They saw each other at weekly meetings, got to understand each other well and came to respect each other’s professional expertise.
Kay and Trevor had developed a good rapport at the meetings, so when she did ask him to take a look at her pensions, their relationship would prove to be invaluable for everything that lay ahead.
Although she wholeheartedly endorses financial advice, Kay says, she’d had her fingers burned in the past.
“I had a financial adviser whom I’d also met while networking back in 2014. I saw him at the weekly networking meetings, but as soon as I left that organisation, I just didn’t hear from him again. It was as though he’d abandoned me and my pension as soon as I left the group.”
Pensions and life goals – getting started
Trevor tracked down several of the pensions that Kay had lost track of when she parted ways with her former financial adviser. And he introduced her to cash-flow modelling – the ability to plot out your financial situation over decades, to see where you’ll be when you retire.
“That was the eyeopener,” Kay says. “You can actually predict how much money you’ll have along your whole lifetime. Life doesn’t always go according to your plan – and if something changes, you can use the forecast to adjust and adapt to the new situation. “
A change of direction
In 2023, something did indeed change. Kay and her partner decided to separate, and she and her daughter are moving out of the family home. Having a financial adviser that could empathise with her situation as well as provide practical support was key.
“Now I’m a single parent, I run ideas past Trevor,” she says. “It’s been good to have someone’s opinion that I trust to bounce ideas off. He’s my sounding board – helping me find a mortgage and visualise what my finances will look like going forward.”
“Trevor’s door is always open”
Trevor is someone Kay feels she can turn to, whatever lies ahead. “I’m taking each day as it comes,” she says. “Moving is stressful, and each week is completely different to the next. Trevor never knows what I’ll be asking for his advice on next, but I know I can have regular conversations as often as I need.”
Trevor describes their relationship as a series of “little nudges” – presenting choices, offering options and challenging some actions. “Kay really listens and takes on board what I suggest,” adds Trevor. “We have a great relationship. She values what I do and understands it.”
“Trevor tells me it ‘like it is’,” Kay says, “which I really like. He’ll be quite frank with me if I’m thinking of making an unwise decision. And most of the time, I bow to his knowledge – he’s the expert.”
“He’s always there when I need him. It’s a friendship as well as a professional relationship. “
Advice you can rely on from a person you trust
Despite the upheaval she’s currently living through, Kay says she feels confident about what lies ahead. “My pensions are doing well, and Trevor’s shown me that, when I do eventually retire, there will be plenty of money – and I’m reassured that the two of us will still be in contact regularly.”
“I believe everybody should speak to a financial adviser whether they choose to take their advice or not.”
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
The value of an investment with St. James's Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds you select and the value can therefore go down as well as up. You may get back less than you invested. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.
The advice provided to Kay Skelton was given after a full evaluation of their specific needs, circumstances and requirements. The solutions provided would not be suitable for most investors and the information provided does not constitute advice.
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