Sue and Neal

My name is Sue Davis, this is my husband Neal, and we’ve been with Astute for just under three years now.

What did you do in your professional lives?

I first started out on the mechanical side down at Shell as it was. From age 20 to when I retired, I worked on the same unit: pharmaceutical and diesel products.

I started my career as a solicitor and worked for 10 years, which I really enjoyed. Then we decided to start a family, and I became a stay-at-home mum. When the kids went to school, I got involved with their primary school, was invited to join the team, got some qualifications, and worked as a teaching assistant for 16 years. I loved every minute of it.

How did you discover Astute?

My initial contact with Gary, I felt a click with this. We had a follow-up meeting with Sue and liked him straight away. It made our decision very easy.

How would you describe your Astute experience?

Gary is a really personable man. He made us feel at ease and explained what can be quite a complicated area for someone who isn’t in finance. He made it easy for us to understand.

For me, the big thing was reassurance, knowing we were going to be safe for the future.

Gary is very thorough. Each time he visits, we spend the first 45 minutes just chatting, nothing about finance, whether it’s golf, holidays, skiing. Then we get down to the nitty-gritty of what happens next. He’s easy going and puts us at ease every time.

We had at least three meetings with Gary before making decisions. It wasn’t just a quick half-hour chat, it was very thorough.

What were your goals when reaching out to Astute?

It was always our long-term plan to retire at 55. That was the aim, and we both worked hard all our lives to achieve that – paying off mortgages and getting things financially in place. I worked shifts for 35 years since I was 20. It’s not good for your body, so that was a driving reason to stop. I wanted to take up golf again, travel, and just do what we wanted.

Travel was a big thing. We talked with Gary about budgeting a set amount each year for holidays, and he factored that into our plan. Another big motivator for us was helping our children.

It was easier for us to get on the property ladder, and it’s not that way anymore.

How do you feel about your financial future?

When Gary told us our plan was feasible, that the goal we’d worked towards all our married life was actually achievable, it was a massive relief. We were absolutely elated. He came up with a plan that allowed us to live out our dreams.

Would you recommend Astute to someone looking to retire?

If anybody needed financial advice, I’d absolutely recommend Gary. We’ve told him he’s not allowed to retire! He has to look after us until the age he predicted we’d live to! We thoroughly recommend him. He’s completely trustworthy, and we feel very confident with our money being invested by Astute.