Financial advice shouldn’t feel complicated.
Below you’ll find honest answers to the questions we’re most often asked by professionals looking to bring life, wealth and purpose together.
Your first meeting is always free, no pressure, no obligation.
If we both feel there’s a good fit, your upfront planning fee for the full AlignedLife Plan is typically £2,995 but depends on the complexity of your situation. This covers the additional upfront work with clients including deep discovery, life and wealth modelling and delivery of your personalised financial life plan.
Our monthly planning retainers range from £295 to £495 per month, reflecting the level of advice, complexity and hands-on support required. It is not solely based on the level of assets you have.
Implementation work, such as pension consolidations or investment setup, is charged separately at a fixed, agreed fee.There’s no VAT, and fees can often be paid directly from existing investments or pensions if appropriate. Most clients see it as an investment in clarity, confidence, and freedom not just financial advice.
We charge flat, transparent fees not percentages of your portfolio. All fees are agreed in advance so you’ll always know the cost before any work begins.
You’ll always know exactly what you’re paying and what you’re getting. This means our advice is completely independent and unbiased, focused on what’s right for you not what earns us more money.
Ian Richards is a Chartered Financial Planner, Fellow of the Personal Finance Society, and one of fewer than 1,000 advisers in the UK to hold this distinction. With over 17 years in financial services, including 12 years advising clients directly, Ian has helped hundreds of professionals turn wealth into freedom and confidence.
For the past six years, he’s led Work to Live Financial Planning, building a boutique firm that helps successful people bring life, wealth, and purpose together through clear, values-led advice.
He’s also an accredited coach, known for combining deep technical expertise with genuine listening and a life-first approach to financial decision-making. Work to Live Financial Planning Ltd is an appointed representative of ValidPath Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Financial Life Management goes beyond traditional advice.
It’s an ongoing partnership that helps you:
Understand what “enough” looks like (your Freedom Number)
Keep your finances aligned with your values and goals.
Make confident decisions as life evolves
It’s about clarity, not just returns. Confidence, not spreadsheets.
If you want to make smart, confident decisions about your life and money then yes.
A financial plan isn’t about chasing market returns; it’s about creating a roadmap for your life.
Without one, most people end up reacting to events rather than designing the future they want. We help you get intentional, clear and in control.
Most advisers focus on products and performance.
We focus on you your life, your values, your purpose. We can handle everything your existing adviser does (investments, pensions, tax, protection) but through the lens of your bigger picture. It’s life-first, not product first.
We work with successful UK professionals in their 40s and early 50s, typically earning £150k+ or with over £250k+ in assets, who want to simplify financial complexity and gain clarity and freedom. That includes business owners, senior executives and independent consultants who want to live well now, without screwing up the future.
Not by market returns but by return of life.
When clients tell us they feel lighter, freer, or living the life they wanted, that’s success.
Your financial plan isn’t a document that gathers dust; it’s a living strategy that evolves with your life.
Absolutely. While everything starts with your life plan, we bring specialist expertise across:
Pensions and SIPPs
RSUs and executive benefits
Tax-efficient wealth strategies
Business-owner planning
Protection and estate planning
Every recommendation ties back to your bigger picture not just your balance sheet
Book a free Discovery Call to see if the AlignedLife Plan is right for you. You’ll walk away clearer about your goals, whether we work together or not.