Who we are | HK Wealth

Why make do with just any financial adviser when you can talk to the president himself?

Of the two founders of HK Wealth, only Garry Hale remains involved with the firm on a day-to-day basis, since Frank Kelly retired in December 2013.

Frank, who started his career in the financial sector in 1963, was already a respected figure in professional circles, and financial adviser to many leading names in Stirling, when the firm was set up.

After his successful career, Frank is now enjoying a more relaxed post-work life and the reins of the firm have now been completely handed over to Garry, who is the ‘president’ light-heartedly mentioned above .

This refers to the fact that in 2012 he was proud to be appointed president of the Personal Finance Society (PFS) which is the largest professional body for the financial services community in the UK, with over 35,000 members.

The PFS is part of the Chartered Insurance Institute with over 112,000 members worldwide, with a royal charter granted in 1912 ‘to secure and justify the confidence of the public’ a laudable aim which is as relevant today as it was then.

Involved in financial services since 1990, Garry worked for one of the UK’s largest insurance companies in both Stirling and Edinburgh, latterly dealing exclusively with IFAs.

Garry’s qualifications are many and various. He holds a Diploma in Financial Planning from the Personal Finance Society (PFS), part of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII).

He is also a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) a qualification issued by the Institute of Financial Planning. It’s worth noting that the CFP is a globally recognised mark of excellence which is held by only about 1,000 individuals in the UK.

Additional technical qualifications include the CII’s Advanced Investment Planning and specialist subjects of Lifetime Mortgage Activities and Long term Care Insurance.

As if all that wasn’t enough, he’s currently studying for his final exams to achieve Chartered Financial Planner status.

The aforementioned PFS presidency was a year-long responsibility and, although he remains a non-executive director of the PFS, Garry’s time is now entirely devoted to giving friendly and professional financial advice to HK Wealth clients, old and new.

Garry lives locally with his wife Chelanne and their two young sons Josh and Ben and tries especially hard to enjoy a good work-life balance.

His spare time is agreeably consumed by family activities, in particular sailing and canoeing at Loch Venachar,  mountain biking in the summer months, and skiing in the winter.