An adviser in the spotlight – Tom Schofield

At Foster Denovo, we have lots of great advisers with a wealth of knowledge and experience in financial services. To help you get to know them better, we are delving into their role at Foster Denovo, their day to day lives as well as finding out more about them personally.

This month, we spoke to Tom Schofield who joined Foster Denovo last year. Tom, a true Yorkshireman and sports enthusiast, started out playing professional rugby in Newcastle before jetting off to Australia and LA to continue his sporting journey. However, Tom decided to return to the UK and pursue a career in financial services. Tom has a Level 4 diploma in Financial Advice, a Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice, and is passionate about providing quality advice to his clients.

 Hi Tom, tell us a bit about what you do at Foster Denovo?

I’m fairly new to Foster Denovo, joining the business in November last year as a Financial Adviser. My role is pretty varied, but I spend the majority of my time speaking with new and existing clients. I have clients who are in different stages of their lives and I help them with financial planning, wealth accumulation, later life planning and much more!

Do you specialise in any specific areas?

I can offer advice across all areas and have a diverse set of skills. I really believe that my clients should be able to come to me for any of their financial needs. And, if I can’t help, I will be sure to find someone who can.

What’s your favourite thing about your job?

The best part of my job is meeting new people. I love that everyone’s circumstances are different, and I get to help them at some of the most important times in their lives.

What originally got you interested in becoming a financial adviser?

My dad! He’s also a financial adviser at Foster Denovo. The way he works and witnessing him helping many people over the years, inspired me to do the same. I also studied Economics at university, so with my ability to talk to almost anyone, and my degree, I thought it would make the perfect mix.

What career highlight are you most proud of?  

I have a couple. One of my clients owns a business and when I first met him, he didn’t have any financial planning in place for his business or himself. I started to help him with his own personal finances, and he started to see real benefits. We had a discussion about the impact financial planning had on him and what it could do for his employees too. Before long, I spent time with all of his employees discussing their pension programme and supporting them with their own individual financial situations. The benefits to the employees and the business have been incredible.

Another highlight for me was helping a client who was going through a really tricky time. They were trying to buy a house, have a child and were also not well. I helped them build up their assets, manage their debts and give them structure to their finances. It was so rewarding.

When you’re not in the office, who do you like spending time with and why?

I have a really great circle of friends and enjoy spending time with them and my girlfriend. We recently got a Cocker Spaniel called Polly, who is now 4 months old, which has been fun and challenging. In hindsight, I think my girlfriend is preparing me for sleepless nights in the years to come…

What is your definition of success?

I think there are two definitions. Professional success is about having the skills to be at the top in your field of expertise and personal success which is about having the dedication and ambition to get there. In my opinion, you can have all the skills but if you’re not willing to put in hard work, you won’t be successful.

What’s one hobby you’d love to get into?

I’m not sure I really need any more hobbies. I’ve just started playing golf and finally got a handicap of 18. I want to get that into single figures which could take me 1 year or 20! I took up cycling last year too and after only 6 weeks of training I did the NC500, which is a 500-mile route in Scotland. I would like to climb Mount Kilimanjaro as that’s not only a physical challenge but a mental one too.

Where can people find you at party?

Not dancing! I have two left feet so you’d more likely find me propping up the bar and having a good laugh with mates.

To arrange an initial meeting with Tom or any of our experienced financial advisers please contact us. Or, if you are an adviser looking grow your financial planning business and would like to find out more about Foster Denovo, get in touch here.

This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice or a personalised recommendation.

Foster Denovo Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.