May I introduce myself? I am Ruby, the Nicholls family cat. I am, in fact, a very handsome male (please do not be confused by my name) Maine Coon, rescued by the family at birth. In return for their generosity in feeding and loving me, I spend a great deal of time listening in on Carole Nicholls’ thoughts about her business and the political and economic state of the world; from time to time, she says I am free to share them with readers.
Thoughts this week: I have found her in good spirits. It appears that each year the business runs a winter seminar in London and Bristol; these happened last week and were a great success. Carole so loves meeting up and talking to her clients.
Her good humour seems to have continued. I got some of my extra-nice food last night when she returned from a conference in Cardiff held by the Financial Services Regulator. I found this good humour strange—are people not supposed to find a regulator someone who depresses rather than cheers you up? Apparently not in the case of finance. I heard her telling a colleague that she was impressed by how much they were now willing to listen to the needs of the adviser community.
She was also “over the moon” because she had met two of her students she had not seen for many years: one now ran his own business, and the other had a management role in one of the large insurance providers. Carole has always been a leader in the need for financial education and, for many years, ran a training company and taught advisers on their journey to qualification. In fact, the business currently has such a trainee adviser.
Let’s hope the good humour continues. I’m not sure it will, with the news coming out of Davos.