About Me

roywalkerNow based in Dubai, I provide expert, personalised, wealth management services to private clients of all nationalities throughout the region.

I have an extensive background in international, multi-currency asset management, and work with expatriates and high net worth clients.  I am Senior Wealth Manager at Guardian Wealth Management.   

Originally an engineer, my first master’s degree was in telecommunications engineering. However I soon realised I enjoyed the financial and commercial side of business more, and I took my MBA with Finance specialism at Imperial College London in 1992. I’ve been involved in several corporate acquisitions plus two company listings (IPO’s) on European stock exchanges. For a while I was group commercial director for then the UK’s largest independent ISP. I have also been involved in software development and internet businesses including a leading-edge internet security developer.

Several years ago I made the decision to leave the corporate world and focus on working one-to-one with private clients. I’ve never looked back and find it tremendously rewarding - building financial security for my clients, and lifetime friendships.

I am British, 52 years old, married, and have six children. I’ve lived abroad for almost twenty-five years, mostly in SE Asia, but have recently relocated to Dubai, UAE.

New To Financial Planning?

People sometimes say to me, “Oh, I don’t have enough money to need a financial advisor”, and my reply is usually “What an excellent time to start!”.

Financial advisors are a bit like dentists - very often we’ll delay, and delay, a visit to the dentist, because we think nothing is wrong and we don’t need a check-up. But when we finally do go, perhaps with toothache, the dentist takes a look and says: “Why on earth didn’t you come see me earlier?”

If you are an expatriate, there can be enormous advantages to using offshore structures to handle your financial planning. Usually these benefits are maximised by starting early - certainly within your first year of working abroad.

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A good financial advisor will look beyond the obvious areas. For example, it’s important to review the level and validity of your life insurance cover when you are an expatriate. Many times I meet new clients who are still paying for life cover they started back home, unaware that they are no longer covered due to the change of country of residence. Specialist expat life insurance provides cost-effective cover that stays with you as you move from country to country.

Note that depending on your current country of residence, not all options will be available to you, depending on the regulatory and investment licencing regimes. 

Already Affluent Or High Net Worth?

Having financial resources creates options.  The difficulty is identify and then implement the best of those options.  If you are a busy executive, business owner, or independently wealthy, you may not have the time to commit to this analysis.  Working with me and my team will be a refreshing experience – building a long term working relationship with an expert who understands your situation, and brings you best ideas for management and growth of your wealth over the years ahead. 

My Personal Philosophy

In my early days as an engineer I learned the value of ‘taking things back to first principles’. The laws of gravity don’t change. Electrons will always behave the same way. Whatever neat stuff the technologists come up with in the future, if you know the fundamentals then you can always understand. In finance, it’s just the same.

By taking things back to first principles, and staying focused on the fundamentals, we can usually achieve our financial goals without losing sleep and without having to worry about today’s financial headlines. It’s my job to help make that happen for my clients.

Popular Posts

How to Read a Fund Fact-Sheet

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Has your adviser given you a factsheet on a recommended fund, and you need to understand what the terms mean? If so, read on … The fund factsheet is an essential document for the private investor. Unfortunately, the information contained in a factsheet - and the way it is presented - is not controlled in the same way as it is in a fund prospectus (a prospectus is a legal document). In essence a factsheet is marketing literature. Only a tiny fraction of investors ever read the formal prospectus for a fund, that’s why it’s especially important to be able to read a fund factsheet correctly, and if necessary to read between the lines. Key Contents Of A Factsheet Most fund factsheets will contain some or all of the following: Fund Name Many funds are commonly referred to by a short or abbreviated version of the full fund name. Hence it’s important to make use of the identifying codes (see below). Fund Management Company & Domicile The fund management company is structured and reg...
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Understanding Compound and Annualised Growth

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Across fund manager houses, there is little standardisation of how performance figures are presented on fact sheets. Percentage returns are usually presented as either (i) discrete (or calendar) annual, (ii) cumulative (for example a total return figure for 3 years or 5 years) or (iii) annualised (the equivalent annualised return for a period such as 3 or 5 years, sometimes called compound annual return). This tutorial shows you how to convert from discrete annual performance figures, to cumulative or annualised figures, over a period of your choice. As an example, we’ll look at some USD fund performance data presented in an October 2010 factsheet. The performance data are presented to us in a very clear way, but may not be the complete picture we are looking for. The table directly above shows the discrete annual returns - ie. net of fees the fund delivered 7.46% in 2009, -4.90% in 2008, 9.82% in 2007, etc. But let’s suppose you ask yourself (or your advisor) “What was the total growt...
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Tax Free Savings Plans for Australians?

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Question: How can returning Australians (and expats moving to Australia) make MASSIVE tax savings by using offshore investment bonds and investment-linked life policy wrappers? Answer: Set it up while you’re an expat working abroad, and keep it running at least ten years (even if you go back home) for maximum tax benefits. (Note: this article is relevant to expatriate Australians working in Singapore and other overseas locations, as well as other nationalities who may be moving to Australia in the future.) Click to download a copy of this information in PDF format. Background - Repeal of Foreign Investment Fund legislation For several years the Australian Tax Office (ATO) had very defined, and perhaps harsh, rules for how foreign insurance bonds were treated in respect of capital gains for tax residents in Australia. In effect, these tax wrappers were treated in a ‘look through’ manner and holders were liable for tax on actual gains made or at a deemed rate set by the authorities...
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British Expat? Here are the Huge UK Tax Benefits of an Offshore Investment Plan...

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Would you like to maximise the tax planning benefits of being a British expat abroad? Read on for a summary of some key reliefs and allowances available from the HMRC tax man… (Note: this article is relevant to British expatriates working in Singapore and other overseas locations, as well as other nationalities who may be moving to UK in the future.) Click to download this information in PDF format. Summary of Tax Benefits of an Offshore Investment Plan Under HMRC tax rules for ‘ foreign ’ investment bonds and investment-linked life policies have additional tax planning benefits compared with their domestic equivalents. The purpose of this article is to briefly highlight the most important. The content is not intended to be specific tax advice of any kind, and rules can change at any time. Everyone’s tax situation is unique and you should consult a qualified tax accountant regarding your own circumstances. 5% withdrawal allowance Time apportionment reduction Top slicing relief ...
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Key Interest Rate Definitions

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Definitions of the various types of interest rate Central bank rate - is the one most generally referred to in the financial press when they talk about the ‘bank rate’ or ‘interest rate’ without further specification (except for the USA, see below). Set by policymakers and usually the key rate upon which others are based. Also called the ‘base rate’ in the UK, ‘cash rate’ in Australia and New Zealand, and ‘discount rate’ in the USA. It’s the rate at which the central bank lends money overnight to commercial banks. Federal funds rate - specifically in the USA, policymakers at the Federal Reserve use a slightly different mechanism for influencing the nation’s interest rates. The federal funds rate is the overnight rate at which banks lend reserve balances to each other. The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) sets a target for this rate and implements monetary policy through ‘open market operations’ - buying or selling government securities (Treasury bills and bonds) in the op...
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Should UK Expats Pay National Insurance Contributions?

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I live outside the UK - should I make voluntary National Insurance contributions? The decision on whether to make voluntary NI contributions depends on your own specific circumstances. National Insurance contributions for British expats? First a quick reminder. National Insurance (NI) contributions go principally to fund the National Health Service (NHS), the state pension, unemployment benefits, and sickness and disability allowances. Anyone employed in the UK will have an NI number, and make NI contributions via PAYE (pay-as-you-earn) deduction from salary. These are known Class 1 NI contributions (NICs). If you’re self-employed in the UK, you pay Class 2 NICs at a flat weekly rate, and annually Class 4 NICs based on taxable profits. If you are working abroad for up to two years and for a UK-based employer, you will likely be required to continue paying Class 1 NICs.  Alternatively, you can choose to pay voluntary contributions, Class 2 or Class 3. Depending on your circumstances...
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Mobile Phone Screens Are Getting SMALLER!

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If you bought a “6-inch” screen phone this year, it will have a SMALLER screen than the “6-inch” screen phone you bought two years ago.  Here’s why. Call me old-fashioned (or just old), but I spend a lot of time reading stuff – articles, charts, and data – on my phone.  And I mean actually reading it – not ‘skimming’ through an article while my thumb is continually scrolling the page upwards. A ‘Full HD’ screen is 1920 x 1080 pixels – which is nice for movies, and gives an eye-friendly ‘book page’ ratio of 16:9.   This has been the standard screen ratio of mobile phones for several years, up to the last year or so, when suddenly manufacturers have switched to a 18:9 ratio  (which is 2:1 by the way… no idea why they call it 18:9, duh).   For me, 16:9 is perfect for reading text.  2:1 isn’t – it’s too thin and narrow.   Supposedly, manufacturers have switched to this format because phones with skinnier screens fit into our pockets better,...
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I Don’t Need A Financial Adviser!

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“I don’t need a financial adviser - I can do everything myself.” If you hear yourself thinking this - great! Because it’s almost certainly true. Every single one of my clients has the intelligence and common sense to do what I do.  Though in general, they don’t have the time to commit to this important subject. Often I hear this phrase from people who’ve never worked with a professional adviser before, and never sat down with one to find out what’s on offer. I think maybe it could be down to a misunderstanding of the role. As A Manager, Do You Have Problems Delegating? Pretty much every senior manager I know has earned his or her position by being good, often excellent, in previous roles. That means that the Sales Director was probably a great salesman before. The CFO was probably a great management accountant. The Technical Director was a great systems analyst. The Marketing Director could probably still turn out great advertising copy. In fact, each could excel doing the job of e...
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Health Insurance – Key Points To Consider

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Professionals working abroad, and their families, have particular needs for health insurance. When you are away from your home country, access to quality healthcare is essential - both for emergencies and also general medical treatments that may be required from time to time. It is important to plan for the uncertainty of illness or injury, to make sure you can afford private medical care at the times you need it. If you took out health insurance back home, and haven’t checked if you’re covered when living abroad - check now ! National health insurance schemes have restrictions on cover when travelling abroad - they are not designed for those planning to permanently move abroad and cover often lapses after 90 days. That’s why you’ll need to look at options available from the specialist firms that provide international cover for expatriates. There are a wide range of policies available and numerous international medical insurance institutions. Using a broker will save you time and also ...
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