About
I am not a financial adviser, but I will understand what your planner said.
I spent a career in the City and in financial journalism, and I have a Master's degree in financial regulation. I am a trainee coaching psychologist, working towards chartered status. I also stopped working at forty, which I had not envisaged, and found out at first hand how little thought anybody has given to what happens to people afterwards.
Why 365 Saturdays?
When I retired financially at 40, people kept congratulating me on being able to live in a perpetual weekend. I know firsthand it takes work to make it feel good, rather than empty. I have built my studies and research around this area. And I have always retained a little sense of humour. 365 Saturdays can feel better with a bit of coaching psychology.
What "trainee coaching psychologist" actually means
I completed my M.A. (hons) in Psychology in 2004. I have been coaching in various capacities since.
My current title, approved by the British Psychological Society, is trainee coaching psychologist. Trainee describes where I am in a formal, supervised process, not how long I have been doing this work. I am working towards chartered status in ~2028/09, which the profession regards as equivalent to a doctorate.
That makes me what psychology calls a scientist-practitioner: everything I bring into a session has to trace back to credible published research, tested and re-tested, rather than just to what feels right in the room. I also conduct my own research into behaviour change, retirement, and financial psychology. As a client, this means you can be assured rigour, and an approach governed by published ethical and professional standards.
Trainee coaching psychologist, working towards chartered status with the British Psychological Society.
Qualifications
- M.A. (hons) Psychology, 1st class, University of Glasgow
- MSc Research Methods in Psychology, University of Strathclyde
- LLM Financial Regulation and Compliance, BPP University
Before psychology
- Years in the City, latterly at BlackRock. Award-winning financial journalist from The Association of Investment Companies.
Memberships
- Graduate member of the British Psychological Society, with graduate basis for chartered membership.
- General member of the BPS Division of Coaching Psychology, and full member of the Cognitive Psychology Section.
- Member of the Association for Coaching
Pending
- Associate Member of the International Society for Coaching Psychology
If you want to know whether working together would be useful to you, an hour's call is the fastest way to find out.
I also speak and consult for banks, asset managers and institutions.