Rebranding
After a lengthy but enjoyable process, we launched our new brand in August, including this shiny new website.
Calling it a rebrand is really selling it short. We like to think that the process helped us to find our soul. That might seem like an odd thing for a financial services company to say. After all, we’re not a sector known for its touchy-feeliness!
Every member of the team was involved in the process and we were all very much aligned. What came out of it was an emphasis on people. What we do isn’t really about money at all; money is just a tool to enable good people to live well.
We love the new look and all that it says about us and what we do. (Kudos and thanks to our friends at Nixon Design for their guidance in the process)
Unit Three
In October we completed on the purchase of our new home, which we’ll probably end up calling the Jacksons Hub to reflects its purpose as a central focal point for a hybrid team.
It’s a prime spot right on the harbourfront and we’re planning an epic space with a mezzanine, Zoom booths and probably some neon!
We’re at the tendering stage with builders right now, but the hope is to be in before the summer. We celebrate our 50th anniversary since incorporation on 2nd July 2024 – hopefully we’ll celebrate with a grand opening!
Timeline
If anyone asks me (Pete – CEO) what I do, I’ll always say that I am a financial planner. One thing I am definitely not is an investment manager. At Jacksons we believe in a passive approach to investing, tracking markets rather than trying to beat them. This way, we save our clients costs and avoid the risk of choosing the wrong managers.
We have worked this way for 15 years or so now, but as independent advisers, we are always looking at the whole market for the best version of whatever we recommend for our clients.
This year we have signed with Timeline Investments who excel at creating low-cost portfolios using the funds of established and well-known fund houses. Their technology plays well with our other tools, and we’re excited to have this core part of our proposition established for the foreseeable future.
Using Timeline’s expertise in the area of portfolio-building means that we can focus on what we do best, building deep relationships and planning for our clients’ best lives.
Four-Day Work Week
We eased into this from May to August and then from 1st September began a six-month trial of a four-day work week. The office is now closed every Friday, though one member of the team is always on hand to check our portal for client messages and voicemails.
The trial is to make sure that productivity stays at the right levels and also that we don’t stress-out the team by asking them to do five day’s work in four!
Four months in, and we’re all loving the three-day weekend, with the rest and wellbeing that brings. The numbers are holding up and nearly everyone who asks about it is jealous!
We’ll review things in March after six full months, but the way things are going, the four-day work week is here to stay!
Team
We are a team of 20 individuals working together to build a company that we’re proud of. Having so many different personalities can be challenging at times, but we honestly believe that it is our differences that make us stronger.
This year we’ve had a summer beach barbecue and also a barn dance to let our collective hair down, and these have done wonders to gel the team together.
Last week, Pete, Chas and Sharon presented a review of 2023 and our one-, three- and ten-year goals to the whole team. The feedback was instant and united – the Jacksons crew is inspired and excited for what’s to come.
If we’re true to our value of being about people, then that extends to each other as much as our clients. We’re growing as individuals and as a team – a strong foundation indeed.
What a year it has been! Thanks for all your support in 2023 - there’s plenty more to come in 2024 and beyond.
As we approach Christmas, we’d like to wish all our clients and friends a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy and Healthy New Year.