Berkshire, Reading, and the wider Thames Valley provide an important hub for commercial business as well as a popular place to live. It is also the core focus of Simon Jones DipPFS BEng, the latest professional to join the UK-wide team at Continuum, and where he is looking forward to putting his skills and experience to work with new clients.
Simon is based locally and brings valuable qualifications as well as a wealth of regional experience to the business. Crucially, despite his impressive professional credentials as an independent financial adviser in Reading, not all of this experience was gained in the financial sector.
“I originally came into financial advice as a “career changer” from the IT and Telecoms industry. But I began to realise that I was really a ‘people person’. Working with people rather than hardware was the obvious choice. But in fact, there’s a combination of technical and people skills needed in the role.
I get a lot of satisfaction from helping clients with their financial and retirement planning and bringing clarity and focus into their financial lives.
Simon Jones, Independent Financial Adviser
Getting direct positive feedback from clients and knowing you’re doing a great job for them feels great and happens much more often than in the B2B corporate world!”
Combining technical expertise with a human touch
Simon puts the human side of advice first.
“Its all about meeting and relating to people. I take a personal approach towards my clients throughout the advice process – using my experience and knowledge to provide bespoke financial solutions. That means I help clients by really listening to their story, defining what they want to achieve financially and then helping them build a strategy for success, based on what I’ve learned about them.”
I’m committed to building strong relationships with clients through this process of listening and understanding – and then putting my expertise to work to find them the solutions they need.”
Transitioning from restricted advice to whole of market freedom
Simon has been working as a financial adviser for several years, working in and around his native Reading. What prompted him to make the move to Continuum?
“I built my knowledge of the financial sector with a major financial institution. But the more I learned about people and their needs, the more convinced I became that working in a restricted advice background, where I was only able to recommend the products provided by my employer was not the answer for me – or for my clients.
“Independence means I’m not tied to any product, provider or service; I’m only interested in what’s most beneficial to you”
I was able to recommend solutions which would meet people’s needs – but I was always concerned that there might be better solutions offered by other providers. Now I’m working as a fully independent adviser, it feels very liberating. I can search the entire financial market for the solutions my clients really should have – those that offer the best answers to their particular circumstance and life goals.”
“I’m backed by a strong and experienced support team allowing me to be there for clients.”
Merging local Thames Valley care with a nationwide financial services firm
Simon explains that it is the ability to combine working as an IFA, and being entirely independent avoids compromises for clients. But working as part of the Continuum team ensures he can call on expertise and resources that are simply not available to advisers working in isolation.
“Continuum offer me the freedom to call on solutions from the entire financial market, but they also give me professional support and superb facilities.”
Welcoming Simon Jones to the Reading division
Continuum’s Managing Partner Martin Brown is delighted to welcome Simon to the Continuum team.
“We’ve always seen what we do as a 3-way partnership between our adviser and the client and our broader team. Simon is a natural fit for this approach.
Martin Brown, Managing Partner
I’m very pleased that he has made the decision to join our team in and around Reading. It is an important area for us, and good news not just for Simon and for ourselves – but also for all the clients he will be working with in the future.”
Simon is looking forward to meeting new clients and putting his specialized wealth management expertise to work. If you live or work anywhere across the Thames Valley and have pressing financial questions, he can help you find better answers.
Contact Simon today to book your free initial consultation with a leading independent financial adviser in Reading who combines deep analytical skills with the backing of an award-winning national platform.
Expert wealth management: Independent financial adviser in Reading
- Tech sector industry insight: Leveraging an engineering background (BEng) and corporate IT sector experience to deliver analytical, structured wealth planning for tech professionals and business owners.
- True whole of market freedom: Operating as a fully independent advisor, allowing Simon to scan the entire UK marketplace to deliver bespoke, uncompromised asset structures.
- National scale backing: Partnering with Continuum allows Simon to pair highly personalised local care across Berkshire with the extensive compliance, administrative, and research resources of a premier nationwide financial services firm.
- Comprehensive regional guidance: Providing clear, strategic solutions across retirement planning Thames Valley, wealth preservation, and tax-efficient investments.
The value of an investment can go down as well as up. Capital is at risk. Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate taxation advice or estate planning and some aspects of Buy to Let mortgages.
A pension is a long-term investment; the fund value can go down as well as up and this can impact the level of pension benefits available.
