Simon Gibson has been an Independent Financial Adviser since 1990 and has experience of the Financial Services Industry since 1984. He is a Director of a local, independently owned and managed firm of Independent Financial Advisers, and writes material to teach children about the value of money. He speaks nationally and internationally, and has personally raised over £80,000 for various charities and good causes over the years.
Simon is a Director of Newmarket based Atkinson Bolton Consulting Limited, having merged Thoroughbred Financial Services, in 2004. Simon, with his fellow Directors, has built a strong team around him to provide services and advice to wealthy, successful individuals and small to PLC businesses based in East Anglia and beyond. The business specialises in providing Wealth Management, Corporate Benefits and Flexible Benefits advice. Simon particularly specialises in managing and advising on investments for individuals and trust funds, but also provides expert advice and planning on Self Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs) and Inheritance Tax mitigation. Simon also oversees the advice to Companies and Directors/Partners in Shareholder/ Partner protection. The business manages over £200 million of client assets, as at 31st July 2008.
In terms of personal highlights as regards investment decisions, both personally and for clients, Simon sites picking India many years before it was fashionable, a long held belief in the value to portfolios of commercial property (since sold!) and, being brutally honest, tending to reduce personal and client holdings in great stories a little early (though this is of course better than being too late!) Simon’s current best bets include Brazil and Emerging Europe.
Simon writes a Monthly Market Commentary for clients and professional connections, and sets the asset allocation for the 10 Model Portfolios around which much of the money managed by Atkinson Bolton Consulting is run.
Simon is a Member of the Personal Finance Society (PFS) and is also a 9 year qualifying member of the premier financial advice organisation worldwide, Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), with two Top of the Table qualifications. Simon regularly attends the annual MDRT meeting in North America, previously having travelled to San Francisco, Toronto, Nashville and Las Vegas, and in 2005 to New Orleans. In June 2006 Simon was in San Diego despite having his right leg in plaster as a result of a snapped Achilles tendon. After the main meeting in Denver, Simon acted as Emcee for the Top of the Table meeting in Phoenix Arizona in October 2007, and was in Toronto for the main meeting in June 2008, this time on two legs!!
Simon was Chairman of the Cambridge Region of the Life Insurance Association (LIA) for 2 years, then their Regional Officer and Zone Officer for East Anglia. Now known as the Personal Finance Society (PFS), Simon has been Area Liaison Officer for East Anglia, and ran the 2005 and 2006 Annual Conferences in Birmingham.
He was a Knight of the Charitable Foundation of the LIA, as well as being a long time supporter of Teenage Cancer Trust (Simon travelled to Tanzania, paying all expenses, and raised over £6,000 for TCT by cycling over 300 kms in September 2003) and other more local causes. In 2004 and 2005 Simon was busy helping his old school with various fund raising events, and compered their Talent Show for NUSA. He also regularly acts as Master of Ceremonies and Auctioneer for fund raising events, especially for voluntary organisations and local schools – so far in 2008 he has helped local churches and schools raise over £7,000.
Simon is an active member of Newmarket Business Association (NBA), and in 2003 and 2004 won their award for Business Personality of the Year, hosting the awards in 2005, winning further awards for his business in 2006 and 2007.
In 2005, Simon and his fellow Directors at Atkinson Bolton Consulting established the ABC Charitable Trust (East Anglia), for the benefit of children and young people in East Anglia. Their first fund raising event, a Valentines Dinner Dance in February 2006, raised over £6,000. A similar event in 2008 brought in over £8,000. Many grants have been agreed, with more to follow. If you’ve read this far, please take the time to visit the web site for the ABC Charitable Trust (East Anglia), www.abctrustea.org.uk .
Simon is an accomplished speaker. Renowned for his sense of humour, Simon has spoken regularly to meetings from 30 people up to 1,300 (including the Entertainment Showcase as a comedian in San Francisco in 2000 and Toronto in 2001). In April 2004, Simon had the honour of working with Sir Clive Woodward (England World Cup winning Rugby coach) and The Rt Hon William Hague, amongst others. In November 2005, Simon worked with Lord Coe, who secured the 2012 Olympics for London, when taking the Chair for the inaugural PFS Conference at the ICC in Birmingham, this time in front of 800 delegates. In 2006, this number went up to 1300, and speakers Simon worked with included Sir Geoff Hurst (1966 World Cup Winner) and Greg Dyke.
Always quick to produce photographs of his family (2 daughters, Grace and Alice, and born in March 2007, a son Guy, plus wife Jenny), Simon takes the financial education of children very seriously, and writes on this subject for clients and the wider public.
Simon was Chairman of the Newmarket Twinning Association from 1999 until earlier this year, and organised the events in 2004 that celebrated the 50th year of consecutive Twinning between Newmarket and the twin towns of Maisons-Laffitte and Le Mesnil-Le-Roi, located just outside Paris. Simon has also been a life-long supporter (until recently player for over 20 years) of Newmarket Hockey Club, and is a founding member of Chippenham mid-week cricketers “Sporting Sgrillareans”, another sport he has played all his life.
Also a keen gardener, avid reader and Ipswich Town supporter, Simon occasionally finds time to take photographs, listen to music, and run a syndicate, “Park Lodge Racing”, that owns a racehorse, Colton, in training with James Eustace in Newmarket. He won twice in 2006 and was second in 2007, he still has his fingers crossed for a win in 2008 …
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