A Few Words

Meet the Team

Exceptional Service

Independent Financial Advisers

Our aim is to provide honest, balanced financial advice.

Our independent financial experts are a trained team of financial planners who are dedicated to helping you answer all your questions and take smart decisions that will help you achieve your financial goals.

Our focus is on helping you to achieve your savings and investment goals. As an independent financial planning and investment company, we are able to provide a wide range of bespoke services that can help you make the most of your money over the long term.

We will assist you with all your financial questions and concerns. We will offer a full range of service, such as information about the latest tax laws, loans, mortgages and retirement planning.

One of our lead consultants, Ian MacKendrick

Ian MacKendrick

Consultant & Chartered Financial Planner

Having trained as a Counsellor and a SOLLA accredited Chartered Financial Planner with 30 years financial expertise, I am uniquely positioned to specialise and advise the most vulnerable people in the UK, their families and legal advisers.

I am a Chartered Financial Planner, Dementia Friend, hold the Statement of Professional Standing and specialise in advising on the finances for the Elderly, Vulnerable and those in receipt of Damages awards. I take care to provide an honest and straightforward approach.

Outside of work, I love spending time with my daughter Fabienne and dog Lola. I keep fit’ish, play ‘veteran’ football, a bit of golf and cricket and generally love to be outside in the fresh air and going for a walk.

Stephen Farnfield

Consultant & Chartered Financial Planner

Having worked in the financial services industry for over 20 years
and been qualified as a Chartered Financial Planner for the last 12, Stephen is well positioned to specialise and advise the most
vulnerable people in the UK, their families and legal advisers.

Stephen has specific first-hand experience of the impact of serious injury on families as his younger brother has cerebral palsy as a result of mismanaged birth.

He provides a detailed financial plan and advises upon the management and investment of damages awards and finances of
the most vulnerable people in the UK. He is often called upon to support applications to court assessing the suitability of COP decisions and their financial viability.

In his previous role, he helped care for over £1 bn of client’s valuable assets and, within Paladin Group, has designed a suitable
proposition around the unique needs of the vulnerable.

Post settlement, Stephen is often recommended by litigators about to settle claims, or by COP and professional trust teams. He
offers a free “Life After Settlement Meeting” to all claimants where he can help them to look to the future and plan their finances going forwards.

His expertise means that he is used to carefully handling
situations with a wide range of claimants, including minors, elderly and brain-injured clients and takes pride in providing advice tailored to the individual needs of each person, depending on their financial sophistication as well as the nature and severity of their injuries.

Kerry Nash

Independent Financial Adviser and Mortgage Adviser

Kerry has worked as an adviser in the financial services industry for over 25 yearsinitially with Lloyds Banking Group for 14 years before working self employed in the financial services industry and building a very successful business of her own. Kerry is diploma qualified in financial advice, holds all qualifications for mortgage advice and also specialises in equity release.

Whilst working with Lloyds, Kerry delivered the role of Regional Risk Manager for over 100 financial advisers. Her job was to ensure that each and every client was being treated fairly and with the utmost integrity and care. She reported to the National Risk Manager with regards to adviser recommendations and advice to maintain the highest level of care, particularly for vulnerable people. She also delivered successful, large scale projects for the role out of the Diploma qualification for all of the advisers.

Kerry has attained an enormous amount of knowledge within the financial services sector while coupling that with a ‘doing what is right for the client’ attitude. Outside of work, she enjoys spending quality time with her husband and their two children Phoebe and William and walking her dog Ruby. She attends weekly dance classes and is partial to a spin class for a work out.

Works for our Partner Marble Financial Planning Ltd.

Liam Nash

Independent Financial Adviser

Liam joined the industry in 2000, working as an adviser since 2002 having begun his career as an IFA with Barclays.

Having left the world of employment in 2009, he moved to a large Wealth Manager which soon made him realise that he needed to do things his on his own terms with ethics at the heart of his approach.

Liam is qualified in all areas of Financial Planning, including Pension and retirement planning (R04), Personal taxation (R03), Investment principles and risk (R02), Regulation & Ethics (R01), Equity release (ER1), Long term care planning (CF8) and Mortgages (CF6).  He is also a Dementia Friend.

On a personal level, his priority is his two children but when time does allow, architecture, travel, sport and the gym rank amongst his hobbies.

Works for our Partner Marble Financial Planning Ltd.

Ryan Davies

Independent Financial Advisor & Equity Release Specialist

Ryan is a Diploma-Qualified Independent Financial Advisor and Equity Release Specialist with over 10 years’ experience in the financial services sector. Having previously worked as a Technical Paraplanner for both independent and tied advisors, he has extensive experience in all areas of financial planning.

His expertise means that he is working with people with complex financial planning needs. He is experienced in working with elderly and vulnerable clients along with power of attorney, and professional deputies as well as being a Dementia Friend.

Ryan’s specialisms lie in helping his clients to plan for their futures, whether this be pension and investment planning, protection and assurance advice, or providing specialist Equity Release advice to people in need of Long-Term Care planning.

He is currently studying towards becoming a Chartered Financial Planning and in time, a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society.

Outside of work, Ryan enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter and two cocker-spaniels, as well as riding his motorcycle and fishing. He also enjoys walking and in 2021, completed the 630-mile walk from Minehead to Poole via the South West Coast Path in 43 days.

Sarah Ward

Financial Administrator

Sarah has over 19 years’ experience within the financial services industry, predominantly in banking, insurance and mortgage services.

Her expertise and manner were a particular benefit when offering assistance and guidance to attorneys, deputies and the recently bereaved. 

Since leaving high street banking over 4 years ago, she has offered administrative and client servicing support to financial advisers within wealth management services, and we’re pleased that Sarah continues to offer her experience and expertise here at Paladin Advice as one of our Financial Administrators.

She lives in Herne Bay with her husband and two daughters. As well as enjoying spending time with her family, she is a keen cyclist and a practitioner in the martial arts of Karate and Kobudo. 

Jane Nelson

Welfare Benefits Adviser

Jane has been working in the field of welfare rights for over 30 years as both a caseworker and also as a welfare rights trainer.

As well as working with Paladin, she works for Central England Law Centre and is currently based at Birmingham City University Law Department for 2 days a week. She is training law students to
undertake casework and appeals. Jane has also worked for Citizen’s Advice, Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Settlement as a project worker in the field of welfare rights.

At Paladin, Jane heads up the welfare benefits team, supporting Paladin’s clients to ensure they are getting all the benefits they are entitled to. She provides benefits reviews and supports clients through the application process and through appeals where needed.

Carolyn Hunnisett​

Care Expert

Carolyn is a vastly experienced and qualified Independent Mental Capacity Assessor and NHS CHC expert, who takes particular pleasure empowering client’s, giving them a voice and looking at the person and their case holistically and compassionately. 

Uniquely, Carolyn is dual qualified in health and law: Law degree, Called to the bar, (2002), MSc. in Health perspectives on the Mental Capacity Act, Pg. dip in Advocacy and Pg. dip in Occupational therapy. 

She has over 20 years of experience in NHS CHC cases and started Age Concern Oxfordshire’s inventive independent advice service where in addition to successfully representing many clients; was a member of the Ombudsman Management Group; wrote a report for the Health Select Committee and would meet with the Ombudsman to detail her experiences of hundred’s of cases. 

As Advocacy Service Manager, Carolyn went to the Consultation process of the Mental Capacity Act highlighting the needs of carers and the elderly. 

As an Occupational therapist, she has trained and worked with people who suffer with Strokes, neurological conditions, dementia and psychiatric conditions. 

As a Community Care lawyer, Carolyn specialised in NHS CHC advice, advocacy and representation at NHS England stage. She wrote a Lexis Nexus article on the Care Act and has developed and designed a legal charter for an Art Disability organisation.

Her dual qualification in health and law means that she is not only able to have insight required to understand a person’s health, but also how best to ensure the law is followed to achieve what’s needed. 

With professional clients they know Carolyn is tenacious with her health analysis, puts forward confident measured recommendations and can quickly respond to complex cases. 

Outside of work, she is a mummy to a beautiful bubbly girl who experiences Autism and ADHD and knows the challenges carers face with home life, diagnosis and chronic illnesses. She loves indie rock music and particularly the White Stripes and Led Zeppelin.

What our clients say

  • “Jane was Amazing! I am due to get my first benefits payment shortly. Completing the forms with Jane’s help was much better than trying to do alone as she is so on the ball and just made the whole process much easier and less stressful”

    LM

    Paladin Client

  • “Steve Farnfield is a great financial adviser in the world of Court of Protection investments. Not only is he a safe pair of hands technically speaking, he take the time to understand their needs, and demonstrates a genuine empathy towards those he is helping. He comes highly recommended.”

    Testimonial about Stephen Farnfield

    COP Partner at Large law firm

  • “I have worked with Steve for a number of years. I have found him approachable and quick to respond, with a wide range of knowledge which is always made readily available. He is able to connect with Deputyship and Trust clients and tailor his approach to their level of understanding, which means that they can be confident in his abilities and their security. I have found Steve easy to work with and he is always responsive and able to discuss and resolve any queries that arise, often ensuring he goes above and beyond to make sure the interests of vulnerable people are protected.”

    Testimonial about Stephen Farnfield

    COP Partner at Large law firm

  • “I have worked with Steve for over 10 years. He is approachable, knowledgeable and inspires confidence, especially in family members of those lacking capacity concerned about ensuring funds can last for their loved one’s needs for life. Whilst good advice should be a ‘given’ from any professional, the personable way he engages with people and puts them at ease, and his willingness to discuss matters of interest and importance to the client makes them feel at ease and provides great support and insight as a professional deputy.”

    Testimonial about Stephen Farnfield

    Partner of law firm

  • When we were awarded a substantial compensation payment, our first action was to find a financial advisor to help make some big decisions. It wasn’t difficult to find well qualified and eager advisors. Stephen Farnfield had an extra quality however. He seemed to understand what this money meant to us as a family.

    Stephen is an excellent communicator. He knows his business and we trust his judgement. I have no hesitation in recommending Stephen Farnfield and Paladin.

    RM, September 2023

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