Twenty years ago this month (February 2004) Roger Federer became the world’s top-ranked tennis player, 19 cockle pickers drowned in Morecambe Bay, the enquiry into the 2003 invasion of Iraq gathered steam, South Korean scientists cloned the first human embryo, and at the Oscars, The Return of the King won Best Picture, Best Director and nine other awards.

And Navigator Financial Planning opened for business.

My favourite Bill Gates quotation is, Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.

He’s not wrong.

In that 20 years a lot of water has flowed under many bridges: the near collapse of the world’s banking system (2007-09); the Russian invasion of Ukraine (2014 & again in 2022); the UK voted to leave the EU (2016); a global pandemic (2020); a brewing conflict in the Middle East (2023 and ongoing), and much else besides.

Lots of positive stuff too, of course: the launch of the first iPhone (2007); a hugely successful Olympic Games in London (2012); the USA elected its first African-American President (2008); SpaceX launched the first reusable rocket into space (2017); a vaccine was developed (2022) against malaria, a disease that kills 400 million people annually. This list could also be extended a long way.

Throughout all of that, our fantastic team at Navigator has helped people retire gracefully, grow their businesses, support their children and grandchildren, pass on more of their wealth to their families; we have helped people with life-changing injuries build a new life for themselves; given widows and orphans the funds to replace lost breadwinners. Again, that’s a sample of what has been achieved.

Literally hundreds of lives changed.

This might sound somewhat big-headed, but the fact is, it’s what we do. Now and again it’s worth spelling out that financial planners can, and do, make a massive positive difference.

Very much connected to this and in the ‘good news’ category, the Great Companies of the World have increased sevenfold in value^±. As a client, you have shared in this, through your investments and pension funds.

Last month, my wife and I completed the transfer of Navigator to the True Wealth Group. Six years ago, we chose to work with True because of the mutual trust and respect built up over many years of working with their people, both formally and informally. I’m not going to be around for ever, and Gail and I needed somebody we could trust to continue to deliver my promises to you. True Wealth Group are those people; they have kept their promises to us, and I have every confidence, they will continue to do so for you, the people who entrusted your future into our hands.

On that subject, I have no intention of going anywhere anytime soon, but my role is changing. I will no longer be doing day-to-day full-time financial planning – that baton is passing to the hands of the very capable next generation, whom we have been grooming for this responsibility for some time.

Most of you will already have met the planner who will be assuming the lead relationship role; if not, that will happen in the next few weeks.

But I fully intend to be around, God willing, to be a sounding board and to ensure that your new planner has all the information I have built up over many years of working with you, so that they can continue to help you on the next leg of your journey. Expect to see and hear from me by phone, email and in person for a while yet!

Finally, I want to say to you, Thank you! Whether you entrusted your financial future to us as a client, or chose to work with us as one of our professional connections, none of this would have been possible without you.

See you soon. Onwards and upwards.

David Crozier CFP
Founder, Navigator Financial Planning

^±MSCI World, 01/02/2004 to 31/01/2024, index grew 609.93%. Source: FE Analytics. An index does not include any fees and is unlikely to be replicated in an investment. The value of investments can rise and fall, and past performance may not be a guide to the future.