Lowes Magazine Issue 119

CONTINUING THE CELEBRATION OF OUR 50TH anniversary, journalist Rob Kingsbury interviewed one of Lowes’ longest standing Consultants, Rob Newton, alongside one of the ‘newer generation’ Gershom Chan, about how the role has changed over the years and what it means to be a Lowes Consultant in 2021. Both Rob Newton and Gershom Chan say they joined Lowes for two main reasons, the firm’s reputation in the market and its independence, which meant they weren’t tied to a limited set of investments or financial products but could find the right solution for each client and so do their best for every client they served. When they joined they both had several years’ experience as financial advisers under their belts. “I didn’t want to work for a large company that restricts what you can do and tries to fit the client to the product they want to sell at that time,” Rob says. “Whole of market advice gives the client more choice which can be selected by a trained professional fitting in with the client’s circumstances, as opposed to a narrow range of set products chosen by a restricted adviser.” What it means to be a Lowes Consultant LOWES 50TH ANNIVERSARY Gershom agrees: “I’d worked in the banking environment where we were restricted in what we could offer. When I give advice I want to be able to provide the best solution I can for the client. I would say that at Lowes we are the best at what we do. This is a role that requires we have an expert knowledge across a wide range of topics from economics through stock markets, to how to help someone open an ISA for their grandchildren. But it’s far from just being about investments, products and tax wrappers. Lowes gives its clients so much more than that; it really is a holistic service where we care about our clients not just their finances.” Rob says it’s the great satisfaction of dealing with people, listening to what they want to do and helping them to achieve it, which has kept him as a Consultant at Lowes for so long. “It’s dealing with clients every day, some of whom I have dealt with for nearly 20 years. I see a lot of clients as being friends as well as clients.” Whole of market advice gives the client more choice, which can be selected by a trained professional fitting in with the client’s circumstances. Rob Newton

Providing a service focussed on people not products has really been demonstrated during the pandemic, Gershom says. “It has been a tough period for everyone. As Consultants, we are used to dealing with people face-to-face and having that personal contact on a daily basis, so we’ve had to adapt to working from a distance. That’s had an effect on us and our clients. But what’s been great is how clients have adapted to it, talking over the telephone or on a video call. In fact the take-up of Zoom calls has been tremendous – we’ve had 80-year-olds proving technology isn’t just for the younger generations.” “What we’ve found during the pandemic is that clients haven’t so much wanted to talk about their finances – as Consultants we emphasise having a long-term outlook and not reacting to stock market fluctuations; when properly managed to a large extent the money takes care of itself – but rather clients have been more concerned around the uncertainty, the health aspects and the effect on their families. The pandemic has been

8

Lowes.co.uk