Client Testimonials

Bernice and William Nicholas

Bernice and William Nicholas are enjoying an active and enjoyable retirement, with a little help from Birchwood Investment Management Ltd.

Both have part-time jobs – William as a gardener and Bernice as a paid assistant with the charity Barnardo’s – but there are still plenty of opportunities for holidays and spending quality time at their Southampton home.

Their holidays are a little longer and a little more frequent than they might have been without an investment portfolio set up through Birchwood, dating back to around 2004 when Bernice was offered the opportunity of early retirement from Barclays Bank.

With 20 years’ service at the bank behind her, there was an attractive financial package on offer. Barclays put staff preparing to leave the bank in touch with a range of support services, which included Birchwood as a provider of financial planning advice.

Following a face-to-face meeting with Birchwood, and researching the company on the internet, for her own peace of mind, Bernice decided to use the company’s services in putting together an investment portfolio. She said: “I liked the fact that Birchwood were independent and not tied in to any particular institution. I also had confidence in Birchwood because Barclays had recommended them.”

The portfolio was planned taking into careful account Bernice and William’s preferences for a spread of low to medium-risk investments – “So all our eggs aren’t in one basket,” explains Bernice – and has provided extra income for longer and more frequent holidays as well as for some dental care.

Birchwood keeps in regular touch with quarterly updates on the couple’s investments, as well with useful newsletters, and if they have any questions, they can expect a quick response to a phone call: “They always come back by the next day at the latest,” Bernice says.

Overall, her verdict is that she is “very happy” with Birchwood’s service and both she and William have recommended the company to others.