Julie Cook

Hello, my name is Julie Cook, and I’ve been with Citygate since 2017. Most of the time I’ve been with Guy Skinner, and now I’m with his colleague, Arthur.

My first aspiration was to plan for my retirement years. I was expecting to make some money from the sale of my business. I wanted to know how to make the most of that long term, so that I could be prepared for a) having some fun in my early retirement years and b) knowing that if I needed some care and support in my later years, there would be enough money to do so in as much comfort as possible.

I heard about Citygate through Jim, who was our finance director and recommended Guy and Citygate to me.

In terms of Guy, I found him approachable. Obviously, for something like that, you need to share personal information, and I didn’t find him too nosy or inappropriate. I felt comfortable knowing that I could trust him with information. He had a nice, professional approach, but he was quite warm as well.

I feel completely confident about my financial future working with Citygate. I’ve got confidence in the investment portfolio they’ve set up for me. They wanted to know how much risk I was willing to take. We had some genuine discussions about what kind of income I wanted to have and what kind of cash I might need for one-off expenses. I think the level of time and energy they put in is perfect for me.

The three words I would use to describe Citygate are honest, approachable, and thorough.

The best thing about working with Arthur, Guy and Citygate is that it’s not too intrusive, no more than it needs to be. It’s not overly demanding in terms of volumes of paperwork and time. But they’re quick and responsive. So they leave me alone when I want to be left alone, but if I need something, they’re there!

I would recommend Citygate and have done so to two friends because of all the things I’ve already said: they’re honest, trustworthy, approachable, not too in your face, and quite flexible.