Team Trip

We started off the month with a much-anticipated team bonding trip, after we’d finished work, to play darts at Flight Club in Shoreditch. Competition was fierce, motivating team talks were had, and a big congratulations to Ray, our customer relationship manager, who came out victorious in the end!

 

Sport

On May the 12th, one of our Financial Advisers, Theo, took part in the Wheathampstead 10K run. He had set himself a target of 50 minutes and we were all extremely pleased when he announced his finishing time of 49:34. We are all wishing him luck for the St Albans half marathon in a few weeks’ time.

 

Protection Seminar

It’s very important for us to keep up with the latest products and so, a group of us attended the Simply Biz protection seminar on the 14th of May. It was very interesting to see how protection providers are embracing the changing protection environment. Whereby areas such as suicide, diabetes and long-term care may have been overlooked in the past, providers are now developing the products to meet new needs and requirements.

 

Supporting the Community in Hertfordshire

We also had our first work experience student of the year do a week’s placement this month. We have offered three other spaces to schools across St Albans and the rest of Hertfordshire this summer and autumn, as we believe that it is beneficial in helping students who wish to learn more about the world of work and finance. The pupil was able to sit in on meetings, help with reports, answer the phone, and was a great asset to the Aqua team. We wish them every success in the future.

 

Awards Ceremony

On Friday the 17th of May, the Aqua team attended the Hertfordshire biz4Biz awards, a ceremony that recognises business excellence in Hertfordshire. We were finalists in the Best Legal and Financial Services Provider category, and as the only Financial Advisers on the shortlist, we were very proud of ourselves, and even managed to meet Fiona Bruce! The evening was wonderful, and it was fantastic to be able to support the Essex and Herts air ambulance which is a brilliant charity which relies solely on donations. A big congratulations too, to all of the other finalists.

 

Estate Planning Seminar

Last week we were back out again at an intergenerational seminar hosted by Octopus Investments. One of the key issues that many advisers face is getting younger clients involved in the financial planning process and round-table discussions were held to share opinions and tips. As it was a local event, it was great to be able to meet other firms and learn about their advice processes.

 

Hertfordshire Events

The Hertfordshire County Show was held in St Albans last weekend and we were lucky enough to get a preview the day before it opened. We attended a business breakfast at the showground held by the St Albans Chamber of Commerce and the Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire. It was enlightening to hear about the Hertfordshire Entrepreneurs challenge which was set up to support and promote local entrepreneurs.

 

Magazine Article

Lastly, we were all very excited when the latest issue of Money Marketing magazine appeared on our desks this week. Featured in the prestigious profile interview was one of our Directors, Chris Pearce. He spoke about keeping up staff morale, building trust, how Aqua is training up young advisers and why Liverpool FC keeps him up at night! You can read the article in full here: http://https://www.moneymarketing.co.uk/profile-awards-show-our-staff-they-are-part-of-our-success-story/

Thanks for reading, and wishing you all a wonderful June!