Olivia West

Senior Director, Private Clients

Olivia joined 7IM in 2012 and has more than 20 years’ experience in the Wealth Management industry. She works to provide the highest standards of advice and service to her clients and their families, and prides herself on the long-term relationships she has built with them, while helping them achieve their ambitions.

7 Questions with Olivia

1. How did you get into wealth management?

I started my career in pure investment management, initially as an analyst and later managing funds of funds. After doing this for several years, and as I contemplated my future career path, a mentor of mine suggested I move towards private client wealth management, as he felt my background and knowledge of investment management would combine well with my people skills and ability to understand individuals and what drives them.

2. What’s the biggest highlight of your career in wealth management?

Undoubtedly the quality and depth of the long-term relationships I have built up over the last decade and a half. The better I know my clients and understand how they prioritise and what matters to them, the better I am able to help them.

3. What do you find most rewarding about managing people’s wealth?

I most often meet prospective clients at a time when they are going through a change in their life, which has resulted in them consulting a financial adviser. This might be a sale of a business, an inheritance, a move to retirement or a relationship breakdown, but whatever the nature of the change, it is probably associated with a level of stress and uncertainty.

The most rewarding aspect of my job is being able to deliver advice and a long-term plan to remove that stress and uncertainty, and to see my clients move over time from the period of flux to a place where they are confident and secure in their long-term financial future.

4. What’s the worst non-financial investment you’ve made?

I was persuaded by my flatmates to participate in a lottery syndicate at university… which served only to compound the student debt I was left with!

5. If you could pick one financial habit for everyone to have, what would it be?

I think I’d have to say financial discipline. The power of saving small amounts from early on in life cannot be understated. Planning for your future and for a rainy day. Knowing what life costs and how you’re going to fund it.

Being in control of your finances is extremely empowering, and there is a lot of research confirming that financial wellbeing (which doesn’t necessarily mean untold wealth, but more often being in control of your finances), is intrinsically linked with emotional and mental wellbeing – all of which are vital to our overall happiness and contentment. If you need help with this, start a conversation with an adviser.

6. What’s the right time to speak to a wealth manager about your finances?

It’s always a good time to start talking with a wealth manager – and often the sooner you put plans in place for your financial freedom, the better the chances of this succeeding. However, as I’ve mentioned, I often work with those who are going through a transitional phase in their lives, and this is likely to be a particularly important and beneficial time to speak to an adviser.

7. For individuals searching for a wealth manager, what are the most important aspects they should consider?

There are many good firms and advisers out there, and it can be difficult to differentiate or decide which is right for you. I would say the most important thing to remember is that the initial choice is just the start of a long-term partnership which, if successful, will endure for many years, and even decades.

Make sure you are comfortable with the people and the firm that you choose for this journey, that they communicate in a way that resonates; that the seeds of trust are there to form the foundation of a rewarding long-term relationship.