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?
Having grown up in Tunbridge Wells, Richard moved to Wales to study at Cardiff University, which became his home for the next fifteen years. Richard worked as an IT manager, but his father (John Hitchell) becoming ill prompted a change of thought about family and what was important and he relocated back to Tunbridge Wells and joined his brother James in running the family practice in 2007.
Richard has since achieved Chartered Financial Planner status. As such he is one of the most highly qualified UK advisers by examination (source: Personal Finance Society and The Institute of Financial Planning), specialising in pensions and investments advice and helping clients to build their financial plans.
“My IT background means I love to embrace new technologies, such as Voyant financial forecasting and ‘Timeline’ and bring solutions to life that provide a better, more interactive client experience.”
Richard is also featured in the VouchedFor's UK top rated financial adviser list for 2020 and is an accredited Member of SOLLA, after attaining the Later Life Adviser Accreditation in April 2021.
Fellowship (FPFS)
Fellowship is awarded by the PFS to members who have attained and maintained the most prestigious level of professional achievement. This demonstrates my knowledge and technical capability and my ongoing commitment to professional development.
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.
Later Life Adviser Accreditation (LLAA)
The Later Life Adviser Accreditation (LLAA) is considered a gold standard for independent recognition of an advisers knowledge and advice skills.
Full accreditation of SOLLA demonstrates a high level of technical knowledge and evidence of good working knowledge and understanding of the needs, capacity and financial issues of those seeking later life advice. As part of receipt of the accreditation, advisers need to demonstrate excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to explain complex issues in a way clients can easily understand.
SOLLA accreditation is widely accepted as the industry standard of excellence for those advising on later life care and equity release.
Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning (APFS)
AF1 (Taxes and Trusts)
AF3 (Pension Planning)
AF4 (Investment Planning)
AF5 (Financial Planning Process)
Diploma in Financial Planning (DipPFS)
J04 (Pension Funding Options)
J05 (Pension Income Options)
R03 (Personal Taxation)
R06 (Financial Planning practice)
Certificate in Certificate Planning
CF1 (UK Financial Services, Regulation & Ethics)
CF2 (Investment & Risk)
CF3 (Financial Protection)
CF4 (Retirement Planning)
CF5 (Integrated Financial Planning)
CF6 (Certificate of Mortgage Advice)
CF8 (Long Term Care Insurance)
ER1 (Equity Release)
Other
SOLLA - Later Life Adviser Accreditation (LLAA)
Richard is married to Gayle and together they have two children – Emily & Eddie.
His IT background means he loves to embrace new technologies, such as Voyant financial forecasting or ‘Timeline’, to bring solutions to life and provide a better, more interactive client experience.
Outside of work, when not enjoying spending time with his family, Richard’s interests include cycling, kitesurfing, hockey and creating things..
I would love to cycle from Lands End to John John o' Groats!
A sunny day, learning new things, being with friends and family
I love music and used to work as a club DJ. On millennium eve, I DJ’d alongside Fat Boy Slim in Cardiff
I’m featured on VouchedFor, the UK’s leading customer review site for financial advisers, mortgage advisers, solicitors and accountants. For 2022 I have also 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.