Taking the long view
If you’re wondering whether a career in financial services is the right one for you, you might be encouraged by the views of someone who’s seen it all: Mohammed Rasool, Senior Financial Planning Consultant at Rasool Wealth in Newtownabbey, near Belfast.
With the best part of four decades in the business, Mo’s a veteran of the financial services industry and has been with the company that grew into the Openwork Partnership all the way through. So what does he think about the prospects for someone who’s just starting out?
“Go for it,” he says. “It doesn’t matter where you start – you’ve got a really great future ahead.”
And according to Mo, that future’s much brighter than it was back in the day. The industry has changed for the better over the course of his career – not least because financial advice is now a much less crowded and much better-regulated field than it used to be.
An industry transformed
“You're talking to somebody who's now had nearly 37 years in the business,” Mo says.
“Towards the end of 1989 was the most financial advisers they had in the industry – something like 289,000 registered advisers. I mean, you were tripping over each other. It was a different industry – regulation just wasn’t the same as it is now.”
But things are very different today.
“If I fast forward to now, it's a very professional industry – a very, very different industry.”
This means that it’s a great time to be getting into financial advice as a career – a career that’s all about achieving real progress for your clients.
“It's helping them through their journey, their financial journey, making sure that they can get from where they are to where they want to be.”
Making a difference
Above all, Mo relishes making a real difference in people’s lives. And that’s something that’s much easier when you have the right backing.
“So whether that's through home ownership or whether that's them coming towards retirement and thinking, ‘Right, OK, do I have enough money to last me for the rest of my retirement?’ We help them with that.”
Giving something back
Mo points to the Openwork Foundation as another highlight that comes with being part of the partnership.
“We've always done charity work, and one of the big things that we do in the foundation is the overseas cycle challenge. You'll get to see parts of the world that you’d never see if you were just on holiday.”
But the exotic locales are only one aspect of what makes the foundation so special. It’s the good that it does that’s the real reward.
“Whoever we're raising the money for, it's always a fantastic cause. Openwork is giving back, and it’s great to be part of that.”
Embracing the opportunity
So, as a veteran of the industry, what would Mohammed say to people who’re just starting out – or are thinking about it?
“The advice that I would give a younger person coming in? Embrace it!”
That applies to the whole industry but especially to those who want to be financial advisers. After the best part of four decades in the industry, Mo’s enthusiasm is entirely undimmed. And he’s keen to encourage others to follow in his footsteps.
“It doesn't matter what part of financial services you want to come into – whether you want to come in to learn to be an administrator, whether you want to do mortgage protection advice or whether you want to move up the tree to become a full financial adviser and give wealth advice – just embrace it!”
Open to working with Openwork?
Whether you’re an industry veteran like Mo or someone who’s just starting out as an adviser, we’d be interested in hearing from you.
At Openwork, we specialise in helping our members advance their knowledge, enhance their skills and expand their businesses. Our Business School and Wealth Academy Programme are designed to keep you on top of all the knowledge that a successful adviser needs, as well as developing the softer skills that help you build flourishing client relationships.
So if you find Mo’s enthusiasm infectious and want to see how Openwork can help you to grow your business, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.