David Gow, a Chartered and Certified Financial Planner, joined Acumen Financial Planning in August 2008 as a financial planner in Edinburgh and has developed the team over the years through growth and acquisition.

Appointed as Director in 2014, David provides advice to individuals, including medical professionals and company directors, on how to improve upon achieving their objectives and promoting efficient investment and pension management.

He is passionate about the need to evolve the financial services industry into a profession. In particular, for clients to receive impartial fee-based advice as they become older, wealthier and their affairs become more complex.

A keen runner for many years, David goes by the motto from his running club, “Nihil Sine Labore”. The translation – “nothing without work” – has been a mantra that has never let him down.

What do you like most about working at Acumen Financial Planning?

“I am in an amazing and fortunate position. My passion is financial planning. I love the entire process of assessing a client’s position A, helping them define position B and then creating a plan to go on that journey from A to B. This is followed closely by identifying when clients can, for example, cease work or reassure them that they will not run out of money. I get great satisfaction from seeing our teams develop every time a client says “thank you”, as the team have all contributed towards this.”

What has been your proudest career achievement to date?

“Although I have significant qualifications/expertise and have delivered on many complex client situations, it is quite simple really – it’s every single time a client says “thank you”.”

Tell us one thing that people would be surprised to find out about you.

“Whilst a student, I assisted in fabricating silicon wafers in mobile phones. So if you had a Motorola mobile phone in the 90s, chances are I was involved in making it.”