The Financial Planning Podcast

Next up on Podcast on Tour from Verve Transformation 2026, we're joined by Marnel Stafford.

Marnel's route into financial planning has been anything but conventional. After a career in hospitality in South Africa, she discovered finance later in life, moved to the UK, requalified and became a financial adviser at 50, building her client base from the ground up.

We talk about putting people at the heart of financial advice, why Marnell believes the money follows when you focus on genuinely helping clients, and how building the right team has allowed her to concentrate on what she does best: spending time with people.

Marnell also shares one of the biggest changes she's made in her business letting go of control and delegating everything from administration to managing her diary and how that shift has helped her scale while still giving clients the attention they need.

We also get into the changing role of the financial adviser in an AI-enabled world, why understanding a client's life, family and relationship with money matters far more than simply choosing products, and the business lesson Marnell thinks more advisers need to embrace: stop trying to do everything yourself.

🎙️ Recorded live at Verve Transformation 2026.

Next up on Podcast on Tour from Verve Transformation 2026, we're joined by Duncan Butler-Wheelhouse, Founder of Hoe Bridge Wealth.

Duncan shares his journey from accountancy and education into financial planning, and the lessons he's learned from building his own firm, from knowing who you work best with to being comfortable saying no to the wrong-fit clients.

We also talk about industry uncertainty, the frustrations of legacy providers, and why Duncan is focused on building a business that works for his clients and gives him the freedom to enjoy life outside of work.

🎙️ Recorded live at Verve Transformation 2026.

Next up on Podcast on Tour from Verve Transformation 2026, we're joined by Freddie Winter, Founder of Gratitude Financial Planning.

Freddie talks about building his firm from scratch, balancing business growth with family life, and the challenge of creating enough space to work on the business rather than always being in it.

We also get into the opportunities around inheritance tax planning, how AI could reshape financial advice, and why human connection, judgement and helping clients through big life decisions will continue to set great advisers apart.

🎙️ Recorded live at Verve Transformation 2026.

Next up on Podcast on Tour from Verve Transformation 2026, we're joined by Jas Nattrass, Events & Partnerships Lead at Verve.

Jas takes us behind the scenes of Transformation, from growing the event from fewer than 100 delegates to more than 500, to the feedback, planning and constant evolution that goes into making each year better than the last.

We also talk about shaking up the traditional financial services conference, the importance of creating genuinely useful events and partnerships, and why sometimes bigger isn't always better.

🎙️ Recorded live at Verve Transformation 2026.

Next up on Podcast on Tour from Verve Transformation 2026, we're joined by Cathi Harrison, Founder & CEO of Verve.

Recorded live at the event, Cathi talks about the journey behind Verve, how the business has evolved, and why so much of her focus is now on helping financial planning firms operate better, scale more effectively and make finance more accessible.

We also get into Verve's Careers in Finance platform and the work being done to bring new talent into the profession, as well as the role AI can play in making services more efficient and reducing costs for firms and clients.

Cathi also shares what she'd change in the profession if she had a magic wand, why business owners need to spend more time thinking about the business itself, not just the advice, and what makes Verve Transformation such an important day in the calendar.

A quick-fire conversation covering growth, talent, technology, accessibility and the future of financial planning.

🎙️ Recorded live at Verve Transformation 2026.

Next up on Podcast on Tour from Verve Transformation 2026, we're joined by Tony Pound, Founder of Journey Happy Financial Planning.

Tony shares his journey from more than 35 years in financial services to taking the leap into self-employment, just one month before lockdown and eventually building the boutique financial planning business he had pictured for years. We talk about finding clarity on who you really want to work with, learning to say no to the wrong-fit clients and deciding what success actually looks like for your own business, rather than simply chasing growth for growth's sake.

Tony also opens up about the shift from adviser to business owner, the question of what comes next once you've built the business you originally set out to create, and why not every financial planning firm needs to become bigger.

Plus, we discuss the isolation that can come with self-employment, the value of having the right people around you and Tony's advice for anyone currently wondering whether to make the leap themselves.

🎙️ Recorded live at Verve Transformation 2026.

We're back on tour.

To kick off our Podcast on Tour series from Verve Transformation 2026, The Financial Planning Club co-founders sit down together for a proper catch-up on all things Club.

Recorded live from the event, they talk about what's coming up over the next few months, the role the Club plays for owner-managers, why accountability and community matter so much, and how they're continuing to evolve the support available to financial planning firms.

They also get into upcoming Club events, future plans, Insights Discovery, Experience the Club, and what 2027 is starting to look like, with the usual mix of practical business chat, honest reflections and a fair amount of duck-related chaos along the way.

It's a relaxed first episode to set the scene for the series, before we hand the mic over to more guests recorded live at Verve Transformation 2026.

🎙️ Recorded live at Verve Transformation 2026.

Simplifying Financial Advice: Tech, Time & the Future of Planning with Nick Ryan & Hayley Rabbets

Nick Ryan and Hayley Rabbets join Lewis on The Financial Planning Club Podcast to talk about one of the biggest challenges facing advice firms today, complexity.

They discuss why so many firms are still losing time to clunky processes, duplicated systems and overcomplicated tech stacks, and why adding another bit of software often isn't the answer.

Nick and Hayley share the thinking behind Pilot, the importance of starting with your process before choosing technology, and how better systems can create more capacity for advisers to spend time where it actually matters, with clients.

They also get into AI, operational efficiency, the advice gap and why sometimes the biggest improvement comes from stripping things back rather than adding more.

If you're looking at your processes, tech stack or capacity inside your advice business, this one is well worth a listen.

Two Years of Growth, Leadership & Getting Out of the Way

Lee Waters is back on The Financial Planning Club Podcast, two years after his first appearance.

This time, we revisit the journey and look at what's changed inside Barwells Wealth, from leadership and delegation to operational efficiency, team culture and creating a business that isn't completely reliant on the owner.

Lee shares practical lessons on removing yourself as the bottleneck, improving processes, creating more capacity and using technology with purpose.

We also discuss the future of financial planning, the role of AI and why the human side of advice is only becoming more important.

If you're an owner manager looking to build a better, more scalable advice business, there are plenty of useful takeaways in this one.

Listen to the full episode of The Financial Planning Club Podcast.

Harry Thiel joins Lewis Byford on The Financial Planning Podcast to share the reality of building Wealthwave Financial from the ground up.

From buying a client bank and moving into a new office, to balancing family life, long hours and the pressure of growing a business, Harry opens up about the highs and challenges of becoming an owner-manager in financial planning.

Lewis and Harry discuss delegation, imposter syndrome, succession opportunities, work-life balance, building a modern advice business and why community matters when you're trying to grow something meaningful.

If you're a financial planner, adviser or business owner trying to build a firm that works for both your clients and your family, this episode will resonate.

Connect with Lewis Byford

Connect with Harry Thiel