Lynda

I live in Letchworth Garden City with my husband, grown-up son and Molly the dog.

I’ve lived there all of my life, and worked for an insurance company for 38 years, starting as an administrator and finishing as a medical underwriter. When I was made redundant four years ago, I decided I would like to retire if I could.

Where many of my colleagues were working with a London-based firm recommended by our employer, I particularly wanted to work with a local, female financial adviser.

After researching local advisers on the internet, I came across Helena. She looked friendly and approachable, so I decided to get in touch and book a meeting with her.

At that first meeting, I found Helena to be very down to earth. She was very easy to talk to and to ask questions; she spoke in my language. From the start, I felt that what she was advising was completely for my benefit, not hers. Helena took the time to get to know me and to undertake a lot of research into all of my options.

I’ve been retired for four years and I fully enjoy being a ‘lady of leisure’. We’ve had some lovely holidays in fantastic places, including New Zealand, Russia, Florida and Australia. We also took the whole family to Barbados.

I love cooking and gardening and I now have the time to enjoy these hobbies, rather than trying to juggle them around work. I also love reading and meeting up with friends for lunch, coffee and shopping. I feel very lucky to have chosen the career I did, and to have found a trustworthy financial adviser in Helena.

I continue to work with Helena. For example, when my parents passed away, she helped me with the form-filling and pointed me in the direction of other professional advisers. I know I can contact her if I have any further financial needs. I’ve recommended her to several friends, and they’ve all been very happy with the outcomes.