Rebekah, Hertfordshire

My name is Rebekah Raymond, and I have been a client of Dukes for approximately three years. Adrian Duke-Cohan has been giving me advice.

Unfortunately, my husband passed away from cancer about three years ago. This left me to deal with the finances, which I hadn’t really done before. I was also in receipt of quite a large sum of money that I needed advice on the best way to invest.

I needed help with investing sums of money safely and wisely, with the idea of passing it down to my children as well. Adrian gave really useful advice on future planning investments, as well as more current ones and pension advice too.

At the time, I was trying to decide whether I wanted and needed to work. Following the loss of my husband, I was desperate to work to concentrate on anything other than that. But after some time, I didn’t particularly want to work and wanted to be around for the girls more. I wasn’t convinced that that was a good idea. I’m used to working, and it just felt rather decadent and lazy. So, it was helpful to discuss that with him.

Actually, I did know that Adrian was a financial advisor previously, but hadn’t realised that the place that I’d approached was where he was working. So, it was it was very reassuring when I went in, because I’d previously known him loosely as a friend of the family.

I like the fact that they’re local, so I could go in and talk to somebody easily. It made things simpler. I had used another financial advisor previously, who actually came to the house. But this involved setting up meetings and moving stuff back and forth, which was more complicated in terms of paperwork. It’s just nice to have somebody local.

It’s given me confidence in the investments that I’ve made. I’ve liked the fact that I’ve got a portal where I can see what’s happening with everything at a glance, all in one go. Adrian also did some financial profiling going forward, which gave me the reassurance that I have the funds I need to provide for myself and my children.

I would say that Adrian is approachable, knowledgeable, and instils confidence in me that things are taken care of.

The thing that I found the most useful was definitely the confidence that I got from the forward planning, because it’s just something that I have never been overly interested in. But now the responsibility falls on my shoulders, and looking after my children is very important.

It’s given me a lot of confidence in managing money and knowing that it’s in safe hands, really, as is the fact that I can ask questions at any point, as they’re a very approachable team. Whenever I’ve been concerned about anything, it’s been easy to speak to somebody.

The best thing about working with Dukes and Adrian, particularly, is that I’m very happy to ask anything of them. If I’m concerned about any aspect of my finances, I can get in touch readily and they’re always happy to hear from me.

One of the best pieces of advice that Adrian has given me over the last few years is that investment in areas other than property is also viable and financially beneficial. I’d grown up in a background that believed having something tangible was the best way to invest your money. But that also comes with quite a lot of work. Instead, my money is now working hard for me, without me having to manage a property that I’m letting, for example.

I would definitely recommend, and have recommended, Adrian and Dukes because they are such a helpful team. They’re very approachable and knowledgeable. In particular, I like that they can help you look forward into the future with your finances, project how they might progress, giving you best- and worst-case scenarios, and offer you the reassurance that your investments are going to do what you need them to.