Financial Planner Life Podcast
Welcome to The Financial Planner Life Podcast. We cover an intimate and honest account of what it’s really like to work in the financial planning profession.
Our guests share their stories of success, failures, and learnings, as well as what to expect from a career in the financial planning profession! We host guests at various stages in their careers, as well as multiple roles, to ensure that our audience has a variety each week.
Financial planners, business owners, paraplanners, and back-office staff all have their own stories to share, and The Financial Planner Life podcast serves as a platform for them to discuss their personal and professional journeys. The podcast covers a multitude of topics, from mindset and motivation, health and wellbeing, all the way to diversity and inclusion.
We approach each episode with the idea that it will educate and spark a conversation within the industry on topics that may not be openly discussed. If you're considering a career as a financial adviser or are curious about learning more about this exciting sector, we encourage you to give the podcast a listen.
The Host: Sam Oakes is the host of The Financial Planner Life Podcast. since 2008 Sam has been supporting leading national and global financial planning firms in finding the best talent, he was the director of Recruit UK, a 7 figure turnover financial planning recruitment company that he successfully exited in 2024, Sam now works as the Head of Creative for Hoxton wealth, building out podcasts, YouTube and social content for this fast growing fee based international financial planning firm.
Sam has always had a passion for financial services, starting as a trainer for a leading product provider in the UK, and he has been in the industry for over 20 years.
He sees himself as a partner to the industry and wants to contribute useful resources, such as this podcast, to educate those who are further seeking advice and help about how to push their careers forward in this amazing profession.
Episodes
275 episodes
How Financial Planners and Investment Managers Serve Wealthy Families
Most financial planning firms have both a financial planner and an investment manager. Far fewer have a team that operates as a single unit, with a shared philosophy, clearly defined roles, and a consistent client experience regardless of who's...
I left St James's Place for an IFA and Instantly Regretted it!
Should technical professionals go freelance immediately or start as employed advisers? Alwyn Van Staden's journey offers a fresh perspective on entering financial planning from a technical background.In this episode of Financial P...
Are these the Best Paid Jobs and Benefits in Financial Planning? Frazer James, The best should be paid more!!!!
Frazer James aren't looking for every candidate. They're looking for A++ people.Check out the jobs and book a meeting with James Mackay today!!And if...
The Truth About Selling an International Financial Planning Business
What actually determines whether a financial advice firm can be successfully sold?In this episode of Financial Planner Life, we sit down with Dan Dickinson to explore the reality behind selling a business and why most advisers are thinki...
Are These AI Agents for Financial Planners the best in 2026?
What if financial advisers could spend 70%… or even 100% of their time with clients?Book a demo - here In this episode of Financial Planner Life, we sit down with Alan Gurung, foun...
Inside Titan Wealth: James Kaberry & Andrew Fearon on Consolidation, Private Equity and the Future of Financial Advice
Consolidation is rapidly reshaping the financial planning profession.But what’s really driving it? And what does it actually mean for advisers, firm owners, and the future of advice businesses?In this episode of Financial Planner ...
Building a Financial Planning Career in Public: Lessons, Risks & Opportunities
What happens when you realise your relationship with money needs to change, and it ends up changing your entire life?In this episode of Financial Planner Life, Sam Oakes speaks with Hannah Wooldridge about her journey from living with £1...
From Rugby Player to Financial Adviser: How Titan Wealth’s Sports Academy Supports Career Change
What happens when a professional athlete’s career comes to an end… and what comes next? In this episode of Financial Planner Life, Sam Oakes sits down with Ethan Waller, a former professional rugby player turned financial pla...
Employed Financial Planner Academy - The Openwork & Redmill Advance Partnership
In this episode of the Financial Planner Life Podcast, Sam Oakes is joined by Helen Longland from Openwork and David Tait from
A Financial Adviser Built AI That Replaced His Job for £149 a Month
How can financial advisers use AI to grow their business without hiring more staff?Book Free Demo of Wealth Space - HereIn this episode of Financial Planner Life, Sam Oakes si...
Investment Banker to Self Employed IFA - Caroline Laudren
In this episode of the Financial Planner Life Podcast, Sam Oakes speaks with Caroline Laudren-Quillet, who transitioned from investment banking at Deutsche Bank to becoming a self-employed IFA and financial planner.Just two...
Building An International Financial Advice Powerhouse - Titan Wealth International
The Evolution of International Financial Planning | Titan Wealth International | Dubai Careers and Global Financial Advice OpportunitiesInternational Financial Planning is evolving and
How A Paraplanner Became A Financial Planner At Titan Wealth
Thinking about a career change into financial planning?How do you become a financial adviser if you’re changing careers? In this episode of The Financial Planner Life Podcast with
Redmill Advance: Raising Standards in Financial Planning Education & Qualifications
In this special episode of the Financial Planner Life podcast, Sam Oakes welcomes David Tate, Managing Director and Founder of
42-Year Legacy, Startup Energy: Reinventing a Family Advice Firm
This week on the Financial Planner Life podcast, I’m joined by Sean Standerwick, co-owner of MLP Wealth Management, a financial planning firm based on the high street in Surrey with a powerful story: a 42-year legacy that's now be...
How A Career Pivot At 45 Built A Purpose-Led Financial Planning Practice
In this episode of Financial Planner Life, Sam Oakes speaks with Heather Hiley, founder of Heather Hiley Financial Planning and a Partner Practice with St. James’s Place. Heather shares her inspiring transition f...
From 17 Clients to £500M+ AUM: How Marc Norris Built a Thriving Financial Planning Firm
Title: From 17 Clients to £500M AUM: How Marc Norris Built a Thriving Financial Planning FirmIn this episode of Financial Planner Life, Sam Oakes is joined by Marc Norris, founder of Twelve Wealth Management...
How A 20% Pay Cut Became A Career Breakthrough In Wealth Management
In this episode of Financial Planner Life, Sam Oakes talks with Neil Whiteside, a financial planner at First Equitable, about his winding, risk‑reward career journey from starting as a cashier in banking to embracing fina...
Life as a Hyper Local Female Financial Planner in Bishop’s Stortford
In this episode of Financial Planner Life, Sam Oakes speaks with Tammy Salmon and Emma Layton of Salmon Financial Planning, a partner practice of St. James’s Place in Bishop’s Stortford.We hear how E...
How to Build a Referral-Driven Financial Planning Business with Rosie Hooper
This week on the Financial Planner Life podcast, Sam Oakes sits down with Rosie Hooper, Chartered Fellow and Financial Planner at Quilter Cheviot. Rosie shares her inspiring 26-year journey from her early days in bank management, through...
He Built 40 Clients in a Library. Now He Manages £58M AUM
This week on the Financial Planner Life podcast, Sam Oakes speaks with James Westpfel, a financial planner at Foster Denovo, who shares his career journey from self-employed to employed and how going hyper-local helped him build a thriving clie...
From the Trading Floor To Financial Planner with £70 Million AUM
In this episode of the Financial Planner Life podcast, Kanishk Swarup shares his incredible journey from high-stakes equity derivatives trading at JP Morgan and Credit Suisse to launching his own financial planning practice thro...
Active vs Passive investing: A Pointless Debate for Financial Planners?
In this episode of Financial Planner Life, host Sam Oakes sits down with Andrew Spence, Co-Founder of Aspen, to challenge the industry’s most controversial questions - what we call the Marmite topics of financial p...