We spoke to SWP Office Manager Iveta Golding about her love of paperwork, the importance of teamwork and why setting realistic objectives is critical to meeting your financial goals.
How did you get into Financial Services?
It’s been quite a colourful journey! I’m originally from the Czech Republic, having decided not to go to University or straight into work, I came to the UK to work as an au pair in 2001. Then, I went on to work in retail. Eighteen years ago, I met my husband and having moved to London, I started working in junior admin roles in Financial Services, working my way up to financial administrator for a couple of Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs).
For a change of lifestyle and to be closer to family, we moved up to Worcester in 2018 and I took up a job in Bromsgrove, but I didn’t find the work challenging and was commuting as much as in my London days. Knowing that I was looking for a job in Worcester, my bosses, who were friends with Phil and Gary, put us in touch and I joined SWP in November.
What can you tell us about your role?
My job is very busy and varied. My main responsibilities involve supporting the Advisers, processing new business cases, completing client service reviews, dealing with providers and speaking to clients. I’ve also started training a new administrator, so it’s interesting to experience things from a training perspective.
In my new Office Manager role, I’m a crucial point of contact within the office, working closely with MPA to ensure that we continue to provide our clients with the highest level of service. It’s an administration role, but I enjoy paperwork, which I guess is a bit sad!
What do you enjoy about working at SWP?
I love the way we work as a team at SWP. We all have good relationships and everyone gets on. We communicate constantly and help each other out, so no one feels they are on their own. This creates a good working environment.
I like to be busy, as it keeps me on my toes, and I don’t like being bored so I enjoy a challenge, and there are challenges every day here – in a good way.
How do you support IFAs and Paraplanners?
I support IFAs Paul Green, Gary Cowley and Lindsey Jones, along with supporting the Administration Team.
I liaise directly with MPA, organising meetings, making sure processes are aligned and making sure everyone follows the same procedures so we can service our clients to the standard they expect.
What tips would you give to clients for making administration of their financial affairs easier to manage?Keep track of your financial documents and review them annually. It’s a good idea to collate them all on a spreadsheet or store them all in one place, so you know where everything is.
Be realistic with your objectives and the timescales needed to achieve them. Everything takes a little longer than expected to make sure that things are done properly, but if you follow the correct procedure, you’ll always get the best outcome.
People are often more familiar with accountants than IFAs, but there’s so much advice we can offer to make your money go further.
For more information about how SWP can support you with investments, wealth management and financial planning, visit www.sucklingwaddington.co.uk/services/
