Explore what makes us tick, and how we'll work for you
We don't take ourselves very seriously, but we take financial planning very seriously
Money can sometimes be a little scary, but it need not be boring. When you realise that you need a little help to make the most of your money, you might start to look for a Financial Planner. Our aim is to help you use your money in line with your values, to help you live a life that you consider successful. On the way you might learn a bit about financial planning and about the people you are entrusting your money to.
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Our Purpose
Stewardship Wealth has 5 visions for the future. Whilst these don’t impact the advice and planning that clients receive, they help you understand why we exist. They are: –
1) To raise money for charity. We have pledged to gift at least 10% of the gross income of the business to charity. [Feel free to challenge us on this and see if we have.]
2) To create employment. We want to create opportunities for people to work, and to work in the fun (honestly!) but challenging profession of Financial Planning. We especially want to support those returning to work from career breaks or who need some flexibility in their work life.
3) To train people. We love to share our knowledge, experience, and some might say wisdom, with others. Bringing people on and helping them learn is one of our passions.
4) To send them out. We recognise that we no longer work in a ‘job for life’ culture. Once we have trained people up, helping them achieve their professional qualifications and develop their own career, we want to encourage them to start out on their own, maybe start their own business or take Stewardship Wealth to new locations, or just use their career with us as a means of supporting causes close to their hearts.
5) To give it away. Simon’s plan in the long term (20 years+) is to give the business away. To build up his pension so that he can afford to retire without having to sell the business (and thus demonstrate good financial planning to his clients). To build a team of people that can continue to run the business when he is gone, and to gift the whole thing into a Charitable Trust. With staff and clients as trustees, 100% of the profits of the business will go to support charities locally, nationally and globally.
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Our Values
Stewardship Wealth is built on three core Values, of Faith, Family and Philanthropy (this used to be ‘Generosity’ until an insightful client provided us the alliteration we had failed to find – thanks!).
Although the business is built on many of the principles of the Christian Faith, you do not have to believe in God, or anything else, to become a client. Many great financial principles are written about in the Bible, and in our experience this ancient wisdom is still incredibly valuable to us today.
Family means a lot to many of us. in our experience, the happiest and most fulfilled people are those who get the right balance between money and family. After all, like The Beatles said ‘I don’t care too much for money, money can’t buy me love’. We’ll help you find, and keep, that balance.
There are fundamentally only 2 things you can do with money, either spend it or give it away. Savings, Investments and Pensions are just a way of storing your money (and hopefully making it grow), until such time as you spend it or give it away. And ultimately, whatever you don’t spend you are going to give away. Being generous during life is a great way to ‘buy happiness’, for yourself and others. One of the goals of financial planning is to help you identify how much money is enough, and then if you’ve got any spare, decide how to give it away, whether to family, charity, or the tax-man. [Very few people actively choose to give money to the tax-man, but many choose to give him some by not planning effectively.]
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Our People
People are why we exist…Yes, Stewardship Wealth is a business, and as such one of it’s purposes is to make a profit, but along the way we aim to create an environment where people love to be. A place that people love to work, where we create space for activity, fun and growth. That growth will be in Knowledge, Experience, Innovation and Wisdom.
It should also be a place where clients (so this could be you) enjoy coming; where you will enjoy time talking about your life, your values, your family and your dreams. You might find that you share an obscure hobby with one of our team, or you might just decide that we’re a nice bunch of people to hang about with. What’s certain is this, if you don’t like us, you won’t trust us, and if you don’t trust us then you shouldn’t pick us to be your financial planners.
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Financial Planning is a People Business. Are we the right people for you? Are you the right Person for us?
We are not the right firm of Financial Planners for every prospective client. You might be reading this website and thinking 'Who are these clowns? I wouldn't trust them with my money!' Or you might be thinking 'Hey, I like the way these guys speak. Maybe they are genuinely decent people I could trust!' If you haven't been referred to us by a friend, family member, neighbour or colleague (which is how most of our new clients hear about us) then head over to the 'About You' section to find out if we've helped other people like you in the past.
It takes a lot of nerve to leave the safe, secure, salaried confines of an established business to set up on your own, but that’s what Simon did when he set up Stewardship Wealth. It starts with just one man, in a room, with a head full of knowledge, ambition, and dreams for the future of Financial Planning. If there is only one biography down below then welcome to the beginning.
Climb aboard and let’s see where it goes…If there are loads of people down there then you can have the confidence that they must be doing something right. But Hey! Where have you been? It’s still not too late to join the party.
Simon is a forty(something), average height, mostly bald, husband, father of three, bad taste in fashion, movie-loving, not-very-musical-but-likes-to-sing, outdoor loving, board-game playing, acting, dancing, (would love to get back into amateur dramatics), kind of guy. He also happens to be a very experienced and qualified Financial Planner. After almost 18 years in the business and having worked for one of Aberdeen and the UK’s best financial planning firms (they won awards you see) he started Stewardship Wealth on the 1st April 2018. His goal is to build a business that would delight clients, gather a team of fun to work with people, and raise money for charity, in particular the Church he is a part of. He has committed to giving away 10% of all the income of the business to charity, even before he pays himself! If you’re ever up for a strategy based board game, then he’s your man.
Little known facts about Simon...
I have a collection of over 50 Monopoly Boards from around the world
I am a Director, Trustee and Treasurer of Catalyst Vineyard Church
I represented Great Britain in the 1991 World Folk Dance Festival in Mallorca as a Morris Dancer
I own (and sometimes wear) a Bowler Hat
Timothy Marple
Chartered Financial Planner
Tim was the first employee to join Stewardship Wealth in May 2019 under Simon. He enjoys serving regularly at his local church, watching football, and reading. He has a Petroleum Geology degree, and prior to joining Stewardship Wealth worked for one of the Big Four accounting firms in Aberdeen. Since joining, Timothy has experienced challenging but rewarding work, and in particular enjoys the interaction and client relationship building aspects now that he has progressed to his role as a Chartered Financial Planner.
"Interesting" facts about Tim...
I support Derby County Football Club and have seen them lose in 2 play-off finals at Wembley
I have moved countries 6 times (including Abu Dhabi, Indonesia, France, & Canada)
In a previous job I had to travel 3 hours to count pigs... 2 days in a row!
Frank Morton
Operations Manager
They say every team needs a wise elder statesman. Unfortunately, there were none available. So here I am playing the aged sage depositing the occasional nugget of wisdom. My credentials? My working life began in 1970’s stockbroking. A gentler time before computers and mobile phones. Deals were done by talking to real people and agreed with a handshake. I lived through Black Monday in 1987, In fact I’ve survived all the various wobbles since. Interestingly so have those who kept their nerve and their money where it was and simply waited for the inevitable recovery. I think this is probably the most important piece of wisdom I’ve gained to date. Then, a shift in gear. I joined the commuter set. For the next 20 years I managed and ultimately led investment product teams in London. Now I find myself adding my tuppence-worth to a local, radical, new business committed to offering the highest quality advice to a select number of clients. It’s a homecoming in more ways than one…
Little known facts about Frank…
My wife and I “adopted” Simon as a student from church… so we know all about his appetite for food and ceilidh dancing
Years of waiting in airports resulted in a few celebrity chats. Hugh Jackman being the most memorable
I am a frustrated guitarist… but can play anything so long as I can use the same three chords
I am passionate about family and young people; giving them the opportunity to thrive and make their mark on the world
Emilia Stanczyk
Trainee Financial Planner
I first met Simon in 2018, when he was launching Stewardship Wealth, to discuss the ins and outs of starting a new business. After only a few minutes of conversation I was inspired by his vision for the company and would have loved to be a closer part of it. Fast forward to 2022 and an amazing opportunity presented itself to join the team at Stewardship Wealth; God works in mysterious ways.
Prior to joining the team, I spent 14 years working alongside entrepreneurs advising them on their “Start Up Journey”, and later on their “Expanding Phase”. This involved pricing, budgeting, helping with funding applications, creating Business Plans, and connecting them with other likeminded people and organisations from the wider economic development landscape.
I’m an ambassador for always buying local, independently if possible. I’m very passionate about empowering women, helping them to create that To Do list; showing how it can be done, and making sure that they recognise they are Good Enough #whorunstheworld.
Privately, I’m the mother of a wee boy, born slightly too early – 12 weeks precisely who I’m teaching how to embrace Polish and Scottish culture at the same time. I love to sing. All. The. Time… Out loud, everywhere, regardless if anyone is around or the fact that I’m really bad at it!
"Interesting" facts about Emilia ...
I once phoned up Sky to complain that my HD subscription was not giving me HD quality… Turns out all I needed was prescription glasses!
After graduating in Poland in 2005 I came to the UK with £200 in my wallet to see if I could make it work… And I did, so I stayed!
Just before the Covid-19 pandemic I went traveling around South America with a group of people I only met at the hotel. On my return, before catching the connecting flight back to Heathrow I spent a day exploring Bogota (capital of Columbia) on my own.
Abi Thomas
Director’s Personal Assistant
I have always been drawn to teams with a clear vision and purpose that I can really get behind and feel excited about – I knew that I was onto a winner when everything aligned for me to join the team at Stewardship Wealth as Simon’s Personal Assistant. I have had the privilege of working in administrative and PA roles for over a decade in pioneering organisations with a strong ethical and philanthropical edge ranging from sustainable travel to church ministries. I am now delighted to be bringing my experiences to Stewardship Wealth and to expand my knowledge of the financial planning world.
"Interesting" facts about Abi...
You could say I am a “third culture kid” having grown up in the Middle East, USA and the UK. Don’t try to pin down my accent as it’s a blend of many!
Since discovering the benefits of cold-water therapy, you might find me out in the wild swimming at local beauty spots. My top moment has been unexpectedly swimming with a pod of dolphins in the Firth of the Clyde as the sun set.
I have two gorgeous children, and each night after dinner we do some crazy dancing to shake off the effects of the day!
