Our story - Suzanne Richardson

I came out of the solicitors’ office, and I can remember quite clearly sitting in the car park, crying, and thinking, “What on earth do I do now?” And then suddenly, I thought, “Well, if my husband has got an independent financial adviser, then perhaps I should go looking for one too.”

Why did you need a financial planner?

I was in the middle of a divorce, and my husband had taken the financial situation to someone he classed as an independent financial adviser. When I went to one of the meetings with the solicitors, I was presented with a set of very complex figures, but it was clear that they didn’t feel fair or transparent.

How did Berry & Oak help you? 

Even my solicitor, I didn’t feel was always on my side from a financial point of view, and then I happened to ring and speak to Sarah Elson, who was very sympathetic, very understanding, and really went to great lengths to assure me that there would be something that they could do to help, even if it was only going over the figures and doing a second check. I can remember Andrew’s first words were “It’s good news, Suzanne,” and I thought, “Thank you, thank you. At last, somebody says there’s good news!” He explained the assumptions that were being made and why he thought they were incorrect. He reworked a whole lot of the figures, explained to me why he had done the figures on the basis that he had, and also highlighted lots of flaws in the calculations that we had been provided with.

What is it like working with Berry & Oak?

I really feel like it’s being part of an extended family, and that is how they want to treat people – with respect. Everybody’s important, and when you come into the meetings, it really feels like it’s your time. You can have that time in a meeting to talk about anything and everything.

Without coming across Andrew and Sarah, I’m not sure how I would have ended up or what I would have done at that point in time.