Herald - Issue 418

Page 56 • The HERALD • 27th January 2022 v THE HERALD - Proud to be part of your community v Looking for a Bookkeeper? Sole Trader - Limited Company Self Assessment, Accounts, Payroll Please call Johanna on 023 8089 9365 ASK A PROFESSIONAL Send your local news to The Editor, The Herald, 2 High Street, Hythe SO45 6AH 25 Years On and I Still Love It! by Michael Osman, Oyster Financial Planning On the 6th January 2022 it was exactly 25 years since I started my journey as a financial adviser. I started with a 7-year apprenticeship at Commercial Union in Southampton getting the Hythe Ferry in every day. en got made redundant and I then chose Standard Life to learn my trade. Standard Life’s training and ethics were rst class. I remember my rst day, I was 24 years old and was thrust into a ‘sales’ meeting with all the management team and around 20 existing advisers. We were asked to draw a picture of what being an adviser meant to each of us. My new colleagues drew a variety of sports cars, yachts and big houses. I drew a simple ‘Red Cross’. When asked to explain my image. I simply said: “ I think I can help people” , very di erent from my colleagues. To this day I still feel the same. I then got made redundant again a er 7 years. I then helped set up a new IFA practice in Chandlers Ford. In the 10 years I was a Director there I had the very best education on business and running a great nancial planning practice. I then le there and set up Oyster Financial Planning in 2014 on Hythe Marina. I took all of the knowledge I had learned and used it all from day one with Oyster. Since 2014 we have gradually grown by simply helping people and giving them con dence, peace of mind and reassurance about their nancial future. Seeing happy clients who now have a clear plan for life is just the best thing to witness and is very ful lling and makes me smile. is is why I still love my chosen career! ank you to all of our clients over this time. To see how we can help you pop into our o ce opposite Lloyds Bank in Hythe. Michael Osman