Client Profile: Pete and Sally Harrison

By Marina Gask

When you go from spending your days desk-bound as Technical Director of an engineering consultancy to sweeping the road – and loving it – you know a serious shift in thinking has taken place. But for Pete Harrison, 55, who retired earlier this year, embracing change has been full of surprises – not to mention the chance to do all the things he and his wife Sally have always longed to do.

‘Apart from becoming one of the trustees for the hall in a village just outside Skipton where we live, I volunteered as a village lengthsman, which means I’m a glorified road sweeper. Unlike my old office-based role, I’m out in the community doing a manual job, chatting with people as they pass by. It’s quite lovely,’ says Pete.
His wife Sally, 57, who took early retirement from her job as a GP last year but has only recently retired from running a local gynaecology clinic, is happy at the prospect of having more time for her elderly mum and learning to play bridge properly.

It might sound like Sally and Peter’s lives have become somewhat sedate since leaving their day jobs, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. ‘We’re in our local triathlon club, so we have swimming, running and cycling engagements in the week, and we go open-water swimming whenever we can,’ says Sally. ‘Pete’s competed in triathlons and completed Ironman Wales, while I recently did my first triathlon and competed in a cross country race last winter.’

Ever active, the Harrisons are always planning their next adventure, and the purchase of a campervan a few years ago has been life-changing. ‘We love being able to get away when we want to,’ says Sally. ‘Last week we went surfing and cycling in Bamburgh, visited our eldest daughter, Charlotte, 25, where she lives in Edinburgh, and then went swimming in tidal pools on the Fife coast. Having the van means we can explore – and being retired means we have the freedom to do it.’
They’ve been further afield, too. The couple bike-packed from Granada to Córdoba in Spain last year, staying in Airbnbs. This year, they’ve been to Slovenia and Italy and are planning to bike-pack from Malaga to Seville. ‘Life was bursting at the seams before we retired, trying to fit in all our activities alongside work, but now we’ve
got time for it all,’ says Sally.

Of course, retiring in your 50s, or even 60s, is not an option open to everyone. But Pete and Sally have benefitted from excellent ‘game-changing’ advice from their Attivo adviser throughout their whole professional careers.

‘I met our Financial Planner when I was a newly qualified medic, and he helped us plan our financial future. What he’s really encouraged is slow, steady saving, always making sure our savings are in the right investment platforms or ISAs, endowments and mortgages. Thanks to his advice, we took out a flexible mortgage and bought an apartment in Austria, where we go skiing. His advice has enabled us to pay off the mortgage on our house. We planned for early retirement years ago, and by following his advice throughout, our plan has become a reality.’

Of course, we all hear of people running out of funds in retirement and scrabbling around in a panic to make some cash to live off. But Pete and Sally have never had to worry, because they’ve always had solid advice to rely on. In fact, Pete is surprised at the number of friends who don’t seek the help of a financial adviser. ‘They ask how we know we can afford to retire, when they’re unsure if they can. But thanks to financial advice we trust, we’ve always known what savings we had and what we could achieve with our investments.’

In the eyes of this couple, Attivo’s cash flow modelling is the key to good financial planning. ‘What’s really been useful is knowing that what we envisaged for the future was achievable,’ says Pete. ‘Whatever we wanted to plan for, our adviser, would just say, “You can do that if you want, let’s look at the model.” Without that, we would have missed out on doing so much that’s brought us pleasure and freedom – like the campervan and the apartment in Austria, where we’ve had so many fantastic family holidays. None of that would have happened without the confidence we got through that process with Attivo.’

While their long-term adviser has just retired, the Harrisons are equally comfortable with Luke Bennett. ‘He’s helped my mum consolidate her savings,’ says Sally. ‘She’s now got the confidence to live off a steady income into her 80s and beyond.’

The couple’s confidence in financial advice has rubbed off on their daughters too. ‘Both Charlotte and Isobel have adopted a very sensible approach to their finances, investing in Lifetime ISAs or Help to Buy ISAs,’ says Pete. ‘Charlotte has bought a flat in Edinburgh and we were able to help her financially, which was also factored into our planning. That’s the benefit of modelling – it gives us the confidence to help them both when they need it.’

Even more inspired, youngest daughter Isobel, 23, wants to go into financial planning herself. ‘She sees the benefit of what we’ve done and how it’s enabled us to retire young,’ says Pete.

The relationship with your financial adviser is crucial, says Pete, because they know what’s important to you. ‘Your FA almost becomes part of the big events that happen in your life. It’s all about relationship-building – after all, how can you trust their advice without a strong relationship?’

For now, while there’s no sense of slowing down, the couple is loving getting used to this new sense of freedom. Pete says: ‘I never quite realised how different not going to work would feel. For me, it’s about making the time count. It’s accepting that your life challenges may change, but you can get enjoyment out of them. And Attivo has played a huge part in that – it really has been useful to have that relationship all through our working lives. Really, it’s not about “wealth” but about life planning, letting you to do the things you want to do at the time you can do them.’

Currently planning a trip to the Outer Hebrides next year, as well as the Shetland Islands, Pete says: ‘In our minds, we are always 20 years younger, but there’s a finite time to do things now. We try to think in terms of the memory dividends and doing things at an age when they will give us the experiences we might not be able to have later in life. So… don’t think you can put them off. Do the bucket list now!’