Building wealth should make your life better, not stop you living it

Planning to Spend Well: knowing what you can afford today without risking tomorrow

Most people experience financial planning as a sacrifice: save more, spend less, feel guilty about the holiday. David challenges that mindset entirely. The goal isn't accumulating the biggest possible number — it's knowing, with confidence, what you can spend today without compromising tomorrow. He explains how proper planning often gives clients permission to spend more, not less, because they can finally see the full picture, and shares real examples of clients who discovered they could take the sabbatical, buy the house, or reduce their hours years earlier than they'd assumed. It's a refreshing conversation about making money serve your life, rather than building a life that revolves around money.

About David Shepherd

David Shepherd, podcast guest

Managing Partner – Business owner, Kingsford Wealth Management | Host, The 6 Minute Partner Podcast for Lawyers

17+ Years in financial services4 Major financial institutions in his career backgroundDipPFS Diploma-qualified Personal Finance Society member£50M+ Client business exits advised

David Shepherd helps high-earning professionals make sense of financial planning when their work, family life, and lack of time make long-term decisions easy to defer. His perspective comes from both sides of the financial world: the technical, markets-driven environment of investment banking, and the more personal, long-range work of financial advice.

David began his career in investment banking, working with organisations including Santander, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and Barclays. He was drawn to the numbers, but over time realised that the work he valued most was not just analysing markets or managing financial detail. It was helping people make clearer decisions about their future. David transitioned into financial advice after reassessing his career direction and retraining through the Chartered Insurance Institute exams. He went on to build his expertise in financial planning and now works with successful individuals, professionals and business owners on building and managing their wealth.

Today, David works with professionals who are intelligent, ambitious, and often time-poor. He has a particular focus on lawyers and city professionals, along with successful business owners and people who have exited multi-million-pound businesses. A recurring theme in his work is that capable people can still neglect their own planning because they are busy solving complex problems for everyone else.

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