At work
Accreditations
Qualifications
At home
What one aim or life goal do you one day hope to achieve?
What three things are guaranteed to make your day better?
Is there something interesting or unusual that people might be surprised to learn about you?
Following in his father’s footsteps, James joined the practice in 2002. As a Chartered Financial Planner, he is among the most highly qualified advisers in the UK by examination (source: Personal Finance Society and The Institute of Financial Planning).
“As a business owner and independent financial adviser, I love spending my time with clients. Growing up with a father who was passionate about financial advice was the best training I could have had. After university and a year travelling the globe, my dad strongly encouraged me to join him—and the rest is history. This was my first ‘proper’ job, and it will also be my last.”
James has a particular passion for multi-generational financial planning, helping families build lasting financial security. But by far, his favourite part of the job is simply spending time with his clients—something he has greatly enjoyed over the past 23 years.
Chartered
Chartered status is awarded by the Chartered Insurance Institute and is considered the gold standard financial planning accreditation. Chartered status is a symbol of technical competence and signifies a public commitment to upholding professional standards. I’m pleased to say that it places me amongst the top professionals in my field.
Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning (APFS)
AF1 (Taxes and Trusts)
AF3 (Pension Planning)
AF4 (Investment Planning)
AF5 (Financial Planning Process)
J10 (Discretionary Asset Management)
James has a passion for sport, particularly football and golf. At home, life is anything but quiet—with three children, four cats, three axolotls, two dogs, and a hamster named Nibbles keeping things lively.
Football is a big part of James’s life—he is the manager of the local football team and also sponsors his eldest son's team. His two sons share his love for the game, making football a true family affair.
Beyond family and sport, James is committed to supporting charitable causes, including Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice. As a business, Hitchell Financial Planning has been a long-term supporter of the Openwork Foundation.
An average golfer on a mission to be less average, James continues to chase improvement—with mixed results.
I would love to spend more time abroad on holiday one day and ensure we have a business which serves more clients in the way we believe they should be served. I have also long admired those who attend Openwork’s Overseas Cycle Challenges which are physical challenges (for me for sure) in far flung places – I would like to one day attend and complete a cycle challenge rather than support the cyclists from home.
My children being happy, contributing to a positive work environment and good client outcomes.
After leaving university I went travelling, and ended up in Australia. I ran out of money, so found a telesales job (which I hated and wasn't very good at!). Taking a chance I bought a ticket on the Australian lottery and won enough to allow me to immediately quit telesales and continue my adventures for the next 5 months!
I’m featured on VouchedFor, the UK’s leading customer review site for financial advisers, mortgage advisers, solicitors and accountants. From 2025 I have also consistently qualified as a 'Top Rated' adviser and will feature in The Times newspaper and as part of their digital guide.
Click here to read my VouchedFor page with client reviews and my current rating.