Michael O'Neill

A bit about Mike...

I got into financial planning deliberately, one step at a time. I started in a call centre for a high street bank, then moved to a financial education company where I sat the exams that allowed me to actually give advice instead of being limited to offering guidance over the phone. From there I worked for a large national financial advice firm, before spending nearly six years at a local, Liverpool based independent financial advice firm. Each step has taught me something, and I've gained a wealth of experience on what a 'good' financial advice journey looks like.

Most of my work now is retirement planning and helping business owners make sharper use of the cash sitting inside their business, but the measures I actually use are simpler: are you sleeping better than you were before we met and do you have more confidence that you're meeting your goals.

Outside of work...

Away from work, home is my wife Tasha, and we're thrilled to be expecting a daughter due in September, who will be our first. We're back living in Ormskirk, where I grew up. Having spent some years overseas in my early twenties, I seem to have slowly been making my way back to Ormskirk over the years. When first returning to the UK I moved into the centre of Liverpool, then Formby and finally back to Ormskirk, so it turns out you can leave, but apparently not for good. I get to the gym to (try and) keep in shape, and a good Saturday usually means having the family round for a BBQ, and a proper chance to switch off and unwind.

I've also got a genuine interest in cars, old and new alike. I'm president of the local Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) committee, which mostly means organising events for other financial planners across Liverpool, Chester and North Wales to raise awareness on current financial matters and share best practices on how we can better help clients.  If you want proof I've been community-minded longer than I've been qualified: ask me about my involvement on the redesign of Coronation Park when I was still in high school.