Adeptli's Podcast

In this episode of The Adeptli Podcast, Jamie and Julia are joined by Brian Swanson, M&A specialist and co-founder of Avantum Partners, to explore what really makes a financial advice business ready to buy or sell.

Brian shares his perspective on the changing M&A market, the growing influence of private equity and why many advice firms are far less sale ready than their owners realise. The conversation covers valuations, deal structures, founder dependency, advice quality, file standards, culture and the importance of preparing for a sale years rather than months in advance. 

They also discuss why buyers need to look beyond financial and legal due diligence, what happens when culture and client propositions do not align, and why clients should be viewed as relationships rather than assets under management. Brian explains why integration is where the real work starts.

A practical and candid conversation for advice firm owners, acquirers and leaders thinking about succession, growth, acquisition or the long term value of their business.

In this episode of The Adeptli Podcast, Jamie and Dave are joined by Ian Price, who reflects on almost 50 years in financial services and how the advice industry has changed along the way.
Ian discusses the shift from product-led advice towards financial planning and long term client relationships, as well as his own experience of retirement and why purpose, health and having something meaningful to do matter just as much as the financial plan.
The conversation also covers cashflow planning, the advice gap, regulation, changing client expectations, new entrants to the market and the movement of advisers between firms and networks. Throughout, Ian returns to one constant: the importance of trust and the relationship between adviser and client.
A candid and wide ranging discussion about what has changed, what hasn’t, and why Ian remains optimistic about the future of financial advice.

What does it take to grow a financial advice business without losing control of the people, processes and client experience along the way?

In this episode of The Adeptli Podcast, Jamie and Dave are joined again by Sian Matheson, Managing Director of Meta, and Thomas Kelly, Director of Operations at William James, to explore what it really takes to grow a financial advice firm without breaking the business around it.

From business planning and acquisitions to recruitment, outsourcing and adviser development, Sian and Thomas share their experiences of managing growth in two very different advice businesses. They discuss why simply adding more people is not always the answer, how better use of data can expose the real cause of capacity problems, and the importance of giving people clarity as roles and responsibilities evolve.

The conversation also explores how firms can protect the client experience as they become bigger, the balance between organic growth and acquisition, and whether the increasing consolidation and private equity investment across financial advice will ultimately be good for clients.

A practical and honest conversation about growing an advice firm without simply adding more people, more complexity and more cost.

Jamie and Julia are joined by Thomas Kelly, Director of Operations at William James, and Sian Matheson, Managing Director of Meta, to explore what really happens inside the engine room of a financial advice firm.

The conversation looks beyond the client meeting to examine the people, processes, systems and communication needed to deliver good advice consistently.

From handovers, client segmentation and operational risk to AI, MI and the traditional one-client, one-adviser model, this is a practical discussion about what clients never see but definitely feel.

How do you grow a financial advice business without losing the personal touch?

In this episode of The Adeptli Podcast, Jamie and Dave are joined again by Alex Kell, Principal of Quayside Wealth Management, to explore what it really takes to grow a financial advice business.

Alex shares the story of building Quayside from an academy start up into a growing, multi-adviser, multi-office advice firm, and reflects on the decisions, challenges and trade offs that come with growth.

The conversation covers recruitment, culture, process, client service, business acquisition, adviser development and the importance of building a firm that can deliver consistently without becoming impersonal.

Alex also discusses why he has chosen to grow organically for much of the firm’s journey, what changed when Quayside made its first business purchase, and why growth only works if the client experience remains at the centre of the business.

A practical and honest conversation for anyone thinking about growth, succession, acquisition and how to build a business that lasts.

In this episode of the Adeptli Podcast, we’re joined by Alex Kell, Chartered Financial Planner and Principal of Quayside Wealth Management, to explore what it really takes to build trust with clients.

Alex shares his journey into financial advice, the lessons he learned from changing careers, and why client relationships should be built around people, not products.

Together, we discuss credibility, client trust, handling difficult conversations, and why good financial planning often starts long before any recommendation is made.

This is an open and practical conversation about advice, relationships, responsibility, and how honesty helps clients make better decisions.

In this episode, Jamie is joined by Adeptli co-founder Dave and retirement planning expert Andrew Stokes to explore one of the most significant upcoming planning changes facing advisers and clients.

From April 2027, unused pension funds and death benefits will form part of an individual's estate for Inheritance Tax purposes. While the headlines have focused on the tax implications, the reality is far more nuanced.

The discussion explores what is actually changing, which clients are most likely to be affected, and why many of the solutions being discussed may not be as straightforward as they first appear.

The conversation covers:

• What the April 2027 changes really mean in practice 
• Why there may not be a single "right answer" for clients 
• The relationship between retirement planning and estate planning 
• Common misconceptions around pensions and Inheritance Tax 
• The risks of acting too early…and the risks of waiting too long 
• How advice firms should be preparing advisers and clients 

A practical and thought provoking discussion that challenges some of the assumptions currently emerging around pensions and Inheritance Tax planning.

Episode description - In this first episode of the Adeptli Podcast, Jamie and Julia are joined by Andrew Stokes, who spent over 40 years in retirement planning, including around three decades as Head of Pensions at St. James’s Place.
 
Andrew has recently retired himself, giving him a rare view of retirement planning from both sides: as a technical expert and as a retiree.
 
The conversation explores the human and technical realities of retirement, including identity, purpose, tax free cash, drawdown, ISAs, DB pensions, state pension assumptions, client engagement and the importance of holistic planning.
 
An honest and practical discussion on why good retirement planning is about far more than pensions alone.