Spotlight Series - Liam Kerr

Tell us about your role and Carbon and why you wanted to work for the business?

I’m a Financial Planner with Carbon based in the Aberdeen office. Every day is different and I’m responsible for helping our clients in the Northeast write their life stories by supporting them with financial planning and advice. I was drawn to Carbon for its focus on doing the right thing and its drive to be the best.

Talk us through your career to date

I studied International Business and Spanish at Strathclyde University which wasn’t really geared towards a career in financial services, but I decided I wanted to explore that route after graduating. After getting some initial advice from some key players in the industry, I approached Carbon and joined their graduate programme.

What is it about your role that excites and inspires you?

The best part of my role is really getting to know clients’ lives inside out so I can help them. It’s very rewarding building a relationship over time where clients feel looked after and value your advice. It’s satisfying to know clients use me as a sounding board for guidance or a second opinion when there are important decisions to make.

From your perspective, what are the key financial issues to be aware of over the next few years?

From a retirement planning perspective, more responsibility is placed on the individual to ensure they’re set up for the future. Employer-sponsored “final salary” pensions are no more, so investing as much as you can afford each month as early as possible, is the best way to build a retirement fund.

What is the most important piece of advice you give to your clients?

Think about what the money is for. Once you assign a purpose for the money, for example retirement, education costs, milestone purchases, it then becomes easier to know what do with it now – e.g. keep it in cash, invest it for the long term, or, of course, spend it!

What do you love most about working for Carbon?

I like that we are big enough to have expertise in all the major areas of financial planning, but still treat every client as an individual and give them as much time as they need, getting to know them all personally.

What would you like to achieve next in your career with Carbon?

I’m looking forward to helping Carbon continue to be a market leading firm and to grow the Aberdeen office. We’ve got the most talented team we’ve ever had with great potential to move the business forward, and I’m excited to be a part of that.