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Home > The Financial Planner Life Podcast > From JP Morgan to £150M AUM: - Building a Referral-Only Financial Advice Practice
Podcast: The Financial Planner Life Podcast
Episode:

From JP Morgan to £150M AUM: - Building a Referral-Only Financial Advice Practice

Category: Business
Duration: 00:38:27
Publish Date: 2025-10-08 15:00:00
Description:

Karen Berisford, Chartered Financial Planner and Fellow of the PFS, left a prestigious investment role at JP Morgan to build a client-first advice practice with St. James’s Place. She prioritised trust, time control, and service over scale-at-all-costs.

In this episode of the Financial Planner Life podcast, Karen shares how she grew to £150M AUM without relying on social media or paid marketing. Instead, she focused on referrals and long-term, values-led growth.

You’ll learn:

  • How to transition from investments to advice
  • The fear and reward of becoming client-facing
  • Turning one ex-colleague’s “yes” into a thriving network
  • Why trust, consistency, and integrity beat any sales pitch
  • The realities of flexible working when you run your own practice
  • How the Women Returners Network helped her hire two standout advisers
  • The compounding effect of delegation, leadership, and support
  • The key benefits of the SJP partnership model
  • Why building optionality starts long before a sale

If you’re serious about building a meaningful career in financial planning, this is your blueprint.

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