“Our door is always open for clients needing bespoke financial advice”

Over the past 15 years Forbes Financial has steadily grown to become one of the area’s most successful businesses specialising in – as its name suggests – financial planning. Here its founder Matthew Forbes tells Eileen Leahy more about the bespoke services the firm offers for individuals, families, entrepreneurs and companies…

Located in the charmingly named Leap House on Frog Lane in Tunbridge Wells is the smart HQ of Forbes Financial. The name of the company, founded by Matthew Forbes, might not immediately sound familiar to you but there’s a reason for that…

“We’ve been in Tunbridge Wells for around 15 years but during that time we have been pretty much off the radar, keeping our heads down and growing our client base,” he explains when we begin our interview.

“And now with our new branding in place we feel it’s time to tell everyone about what we do and what makes us different as financial advisors.”

The new branding Matthew is referring to replaces the original double FF logo which Forbes Financial had when it first launched.

“At the time it felt completely right as the fonts we used were a blend of the traditional and more contemporary and it also reflected our approach of bringing the two together. But as we headed into 2025 my team and I felt we needed a bit of a refresh.

“I wanted the brand to be a little bit more modern and in line with the way we’re now building the business but to also reflect the kind of top-end technology we’re using. And to also say we are very approachable.

“The mountain landscape we have is an analogy for our clients. We are saying  you can take the journey the easy way or the hard way. Climbing Mount Everest for example is dauting but there are other routes. And if you have to take a different approach then that’s fine.

“We want people to know that our door is always open. And another key thing to point out is that we are different because we are unique at what we do. A lot of companies out there just say ‘this is what you need’ and take your money. At Forbes Financial we assess each set of circumstances – whether that’s for a business, a family or an individual – and we build relationships from there. We will ask people what are their values? What does wealth mean to them? Where would they like to be in ten years’ time? There is no blueprint. From the start Forbes Financial works to create a bespoke offering for every client.” 

Matthew, who has been in the industry for 30 years, reveals that the firm receives many referrals from people who have come from other financial organisations but have not been happy with how they have been served.

“In the world of finance there are a lot of companies who will take your money if you tell them you have some to invest but they won’t hold their hand like we do. We want to know what’s important to every one of our clients. We want to see what the baseline looks like and take things from there – and we look at everything as a whole picture, and never look in isolation.”

Matthew adds that the company has recently invested in some very sophisticated software which has made what they do even more special.

“It allows us to properly map things out in front of a client and visually speaking this gives a really clear picture of things they can easily understand. They literally get a picture of what life is like now and how it might look in years to come.”

Matthew says he has coined the phrase ‘real financial planner’ for what Forbes Financial does because put simply that’s what real planning is about.

“In brief it’s discovering somebody’s values, their objectives and then aligning the planning to what they tell you is important to them. We deal with a lot of different people. From wealthy individuals who are time poor, to individuals who need advice on their pension, to support for entrepreneurs and professionals, plus guidance for many generations of families.

But Forbes Financial’s clients aren’t just from Tunbridge Wells, Matthew says they have plenty of regional and national ones too.

“We have clients who live in London, Dorset, Manchester, Cornwall and elsewhere. With each one we do the three Ds: We have three meetings where we design, we demonstrate and we deliver. The aim is for them to leave the third meeting feeling confident that we can meet their financial planning needs.

“I always say that we take clients on a financial evolution. Our work is multi-generational as we work with those just starting out, those planning for their families and those looking at retirement options. Essentially, whatever stage in life you are at we want to add value and give our clients peace of mind.”

Get in touch with Forbes Financial:

Forbes Financial Ltd, Leap House, Frog Lane, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1YT

Website: forbesfinancial.co.uk

Call:  01892 527 494