Meet the team: Phoebe Ellis

We caught up with Phoebe Ellis who is one of the Client Relationship Managers here at First Wealth to find out more about her career so far, what she gets up to in her spare time and what advice she would give to someone who wants to work in financial planning.

So, tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m originally from Surrey and recently moved to Brighton. I attended Swansea University where I completed a degree in American studies which was an interesting degree and meant that I got to study abroad and live in America during my degree. I lived in Chicago for a year whilst I was doing my dissertation research and it was an incredible experience.

After graduating from university, I did an internship but, unfortunately, there were funding issues due to the Covid-19 pandemic and it caused me to revaluate what I wanted to do career wise. Both of my parents have been in finance as well as my Godfather, and after speaking with them my Godfather introduced me to financial planning and I immediately thought it would be an amazing career that would allow me to make a positive difference in people’s lives.

After submitting my CV to First Wealth I was interviewed and then offered this role as Client Relationship Manager, and it has been such an incredible experience so far.

How are you finding the role?

I started my exams before getting this job which has proved very beneficial and gave me a solid foundation of knowledge to build on. It has been interesting learning about the different types of ISA’s and trusts.

I am so happy with my team and feel like I am learning so much from Robert Caplan who is such a great and experienced financial planner.

What is the best thing about your role?

The best thing about my role is being able to build a rapport with clients. That is one of the main reasons that I was drawn to financial planning as I wanted to work with clients and have a positive impact on their lives and one of the great things about First Wealth is that Client Relationship Managers gain experience of the client side of things early on in their career.

Career plans

My career plan is to become a chartered financial planner within the next 3 – 4 years. I am continuing with my exams and gaining as much knowledge as possible to help me reach that goal. In the long term, I have big ambitions to be a company Director. The topic of diversity is something I am really passionate about, so to have the opportunity in the future to be a reflection of a movement towards a more diverse industry by being a mixed-race female director would be amazing.

How do you spend time outside of work?

I love eating out and trying different cuisines. I travel when I can and enjoy different types of holidays from skiing to sunbathing. My parents took me on amazing holidays from a young age as my Mum worked for British Airways and got some great company benefits so I developed a taste for travelling from a young age.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to work in financial planning?

I would say reach out to anyone you can that has experience and/or advice that can help you. Try and show initiative by doing your exams as soon as possible if you can as that will help to set you apart.

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