Chris Land Personal Story
Hi, my name is Chris Land and I want to share with you my personal story and what does it take to become a reputed financial advisor in Hong Kong. I am originally from Chester, a city in the northwestern part of England. I graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1998, then moved to London, taking a job as an account manager for a FTSE listed firm. There, I found that I had a talent in engaging and connecting with people with ease, although my clients were mainly older business owners, directors and CEO’s around London and the Southeast. These clients were cash rich and time poor, but as my confidence and reputation improved, I began to gain their trust and they placed more business with me.
All was going well. But after working in London for nine years, I decided that a sabbatical was in order, so I decided to see the sights in Asia in 2006. Ever quick to sense opportunities, I realised that the Asian financial markets are where it’s at. So I decided to move to Hong Kong in 2007 to capitalise on the opportunities here.
Time to move to a new city… Hong Kong
I arrived in Hong Kong in the summer of 2007, and started my career as an independent financial adviser. The stock markets were at an all-time high and at the time and I thought my timing was perfect…
I was excited about starting in a new company and new country. But that excitement quickly dissipated as I realised what the company was all about. In that culture, the clients’ success meant nothing, and the managers’ success meant everything. It was totally antithetical to everything I believed. My second week there, however, one of those managers handed me a big stack of heavily thumbed and marked business cards. My mind flashed back to Glengarry Glen Ross. These were my leads. These were my tickets to the big time, I thought. My enthusiasm at that time was palpable.
Then in 2008, Bear Stearns collapsed, and Lehman Brothers went bankrupt. The global financial crisis struck, and worldwide stock markets were in freefall. Many of my colleagues and their clients panicked. Many clients made paper losses on imprudent investments that they had been made in the boom years on the advice of my colleagues.
However, being relatively new to the business then, I was untouched by the crisis. But I learnt a lot about managing risk for my clients. Despite the dire state of the worlds economy, I successfully persuaded a group of young investment banking clients to let me invest their money in 2008/9.
My strategy worked out. These clients of mine had been making good money prior to the global financial crisis, and they needed a way to protect themselves. My tailored investment strategies reduced their downside and provided good upside potential. Soon, I was getting introductions and referrals from them, everywhere. By the time I left that company in December 2011, I was an Area Manager, responsible for the largest number of clients there and overseeing a team that consisted of advisors and business development managers.
In 2012 I was headhunted by a financial advisory firm in Hong Kong. Within three years of working there, my clients’ assets under management had doubled, and I began to offer additional services, reducing my clients’ future taxes, offering more flexible investments, and finding new investment approaches. In January 2018 I started an exciting new chapter with Holborn Assets, a financial advisory firm made up of experienced, serious professionals who put their clients’ interests in front of their own.
Whether you are my existing client from the early days, or potential one, a serious investor or someone just looking online for investment ideas, my years of experience tell me that your key objectives will be to receive sound, timely information that is pertinent to the ever-changing economic landscapes to enable you to protect your hard-earned money. To have a better retirement. To have higher investment growth. To provide a passive income and to secure your financial freedom. But fundamentally, you want assurance. Assurance that the financial information available is relevant and the best out there. This too, is my fundamental belief.
planyourfinances.com
So in 2015 I launched planyourfinances.com, based on the fact there are very few websites available that provide accurate, detailed and free financial tips which are relevant to ex pats worldwide. The response from my peers working in the financial industry, clients, partners and suppliers has been extremely positive and I look forward to carry on developing this project.
I aim to provide financial information to busy professionals like you who need bespoke investment advice. At Plan Your Finances, I am doing what I do best, which is providing expert advice and insights designed to help you make solid financial decisions, alongside my day job of working as an advisor at Holborn Assets.
So go on. Download an investment guide. Send me a question. I would love to have them answered.