In Focus: Modern financial planner  

'I could only retire from football because of dad's financial planning'

"That's what I love about it. The few conversations you have with people who, if you're doing your job properly, I think you know, they really start to open up and you can make a really big difference on their life, and once they see that path that future enables them to make better life decisions and improve their life."

Hoban wants to convince younger players that financial planning is important (Carmen Reichman)

He says people often find it difficult to open up so it's important to be trained on soft skills and know which questions to ask.

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"Asking the right questions and giving people that kind of safe space to really just relax, think and not be rushed into just saying stuff. It makes them aware of the real reasons for why you're there to help them and lets them have that moment to think about the questions you're asking.

"And I think, once they break down that initial barrier, they do start to open up and you can have really meaningful conversations with people."

But he also plans to reach out more widely in an educational capacity, on a pro bono basis, via platforms such as social media and by going into football clubs and their academies.

"Just to get in, to have a 15 minute chat, show them a little presentation on the importance of a financial plan and the importance of being sensible with their money from an early age.

"That's the whole financial education side which I think is so important for younger people and I guess I need to think about the right way to make it 'wow' for them so they see it as something that is really important."

But he thinks financial planning is not just for people with money.

Having peace of mind about money allowed Hoban to concentrate fully on football (Carmen Reichman)

"It frustrates me that unfortunately the way everything is, we've got fees, there's a lot of expenses involved from our side of things so to become a client, for it to be valuable to the client, they unfortunately do need an asset base.

Hoban's firm charges 1 per cent up front and 0.6 per cent ongoing, with room for discounts on higher AUM levels. Clients typically have upwards of £200,000 to invest.

But he says: "Probably the people that do really need a financial plan most, a financial coach if you like, are the people at the other end of the wealth spectrum, so it's a challenge.

"If one day you can create a model that works where you can run a business and maybe have clients en masse and maybe charge a fee structure that's cheaper but gives them the access to advice and education and stuff like that, that could be great but it's one that I probably need to [wrap] my head around."