The cakes were all laid out……. parking spaces cleared…… nervous presenters pacing and……..Darren was jumping around in the car park beckoning clients in!
How did our 2018 Investors Masterclass go?
Yesterday we welcomed 20 clients and professional connections to our Avallenau House offices for our 2018 client event. Our goal with these events is to share ideas and views about markets, investment techniques, tax planning and considerations that typically affect our clients. We want to offer our clients something extra at points in their lives where this is relevant to them.
Our clients started arriving at 9.45 to be welcomed by Emma and Katy who were handing out our ‘goody bags’. A lot of thought went into these ‘thomas and thomas’ branded bags which were made of hessian and stated ‘I am not a plastic bag’. The bags were filled with recycled pens, a ‘thomas and thomas’ branded dynamo torch, brochures, recycled paper, jelly beans and more!
Darren welcomed everyone officially at 10.00 and started the day off with a short presentation on ethical investing. With the use of a grumpy cat, a friendly puppy and a cute kitten – he managed to explain the differences between ethical, ESG and Impact investing which was well received by the attendees.
Next up was David McMaster from Aberdeen Standard who traveled all the way from Edinburgh to be our guest speaker. He explained how a fund house screens stocks from both a negative and positive perspective. He also showed the change in trends towards more impact investing – as well as offering a house view on the global economy.
Our hostess Lisa than plied our clients with what can only be described as a plethora of cakes! There was a lovely atmosphere as friendships were made and questions were answered over coffee.
Emma took the next session entitled ‘Tax Updates’. It is fair to say that there were some glazed expressions from well-fed clients as they heard the dreaded ‘T’ word! However, Emma gave an informative, professional and enjoyable presentation which several accountants in the room said they couldn’t have improved on.
Darren followed Emma with a presentation all about Gifting, Trusts, Inheritance Tax and Long Term Care. He admitted that this was probably the hardest session but he kept it light-hearted and drew out quite a few questions from clients.
Katy was next up with a short session on Client Care. With the use of som
e great charts, she shared the results of our latest client surveys – before outlining some of our latest service offerings. She also showed clients how they can sign up to receive paperless statements.
The last session of the day was covered by Darren. He described our clients’ portfolios as the ‘engine of their financial plans’ and showed how three challenges are affecting markets right now. He shared some current portfolio success stories and outlined various strategies for tackling the current market challenges.
Then it was time for considerably more cakes, sandwiches, sausage rolls, scones and catching up. None of this would have been possible without Lisa and the team fervently washing up, boiling kettles and laying out everything all over again.
The clean-up operation ensued (a huge thanks to our accountant Pete who was still hoovering for us at 4.00!)
We all ended the day extremely tired but satisfied. Our clients and professional connections left – complimenting us on an efficiently run and enjoyable day. I think many of them probably skipped their evening dinner!
Thank you so much to everyone who made the day so special – in particular David from Aberdeen Standard who was excellent and made our clients feel so valued.
All is peaceful at Avallenau today as we take stock of what was a really great day.
