In a few weeks, I’ll step into a 7-metre boat and begin rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic.
Eight weeks of solitude, storms, and salty socks.
And before you ask — yes, I’m excited, and yes, I have a very healthy respect for the ocean and the challenge ahead.
Before I go, I wanted to address a question that you may have wondered:
What happens to Barnaby Cecil when Tom disappears into the ocean?
It’s a fair question, and one I thought long and hard about with the team.
So we sat down recently to map out what Barnaby Cecil might “miss” without me.
The verdict was… humbling.
Day-to-day financial planning? Covered.
Investment monitoring? Covered.
Client meetings? Covered.
Running the business? Covered.
It turns out that when you build a proper team, the business no longer depends on one individual, even if that individual would quite like to imagine he’s irreplaceable.
Looking back, this was by design.
Two years ago, Emma became a Director, and we made a strategic decision: every client relationship would be jointly advised — one family, access to two professionals.
This is not a standard industry approach, but for us, the benefits to our clients were too compelling:
Behavioural finance research consistently shows that teams make better, more consistent decisions than individuals — especially in a fast-moving world such as financial planning and ever-evolving client circumstances.
So we structured our firm around partnership, not personality.
That meant growing the team supporting us. Since founding Barnaby Cecil, we’ve had the privilege of adding:
These three exceptional professionals ensure planning is meticulous, documents are accurate, and service levels remain high.
And of course, we are supported by our investment consultants, Timeline, who help us construct and manage the award-winning Navigate portfolios — globally diversified, evidence-based, and built to endure uncertainty.
I’ll admit — there was one aspect where the team said my absence would be felt: helping clients stay calm when markets turn emotional.
After more than two decades advising through dot-com, the financial crisis, austerity, Brexit, Covid, and everything in between, I’ve seen how fear and euphoria can distort good decision-making.
If something dramatic occurs over those eight weeks, what matters is: who is advising you, what data informs their decisions, and how confident you feel knowing your portfolios are managed with collective intelligence.
If markets do happen to wobble while I’m away, you’ll be in very safe hands:
For you, what that means in practice:
You won’t be waiting for me to find a phone signal in the mid-Atlantic.
This adventure isn’t a test of our business, it’s proof that good planning creates resilience.
Because when a company is genuinely well-structured — with shared responsibility, robust systems and talented people — its resilience shines when a key person steps away.
Your financial plan doesn’t pause on 12 December.
Your service doesn’t pause.
Your goals don’t pause.
And neither does Barnaby Cecil.
I certainly hope so — even if only a little.
But whether I'm in London or somewhere between La Gomera and Antigua, the essence remains unchanged:
Your future is our focus, and the team you trust is right here, looking after it — together.
I look forward to seeing you on the other side.
— Tom
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