David Fort

David has worked in financial services for 28 years.

His career began as a trainee adviser with the Co-operative Insurance Society (CIS). After doing this role for 18 months and passing the relevant exams, David was promoted to the role of sales manager, looking after a team of financial advisers.

David’s role at the CIS developed over his 14 years with the business until he became an area manager. In this position, David looked after a bigger number of advisers from the Scottish Borders to North Yorkshire.

During his time with the CIS, David also covered the role of regional manager whenever his boss was on holiday or sick. He also won various awards and prizes and, in a professional capacity, attended football matches, winners’ dinners, and the Ryder Cup at the K Club in Ireland.

When he left the CIS, David joined AXA Wealth as an area business manager covering Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the north-east of England. In this role, David was responsible for a team of financial advisers working in bancassurance.

In 2013, with the industry going through massive change, David decided to move on and become an independent financial adviser.

Two years later, David made an application to the Financial Conduct Authority to set up Aspire Wealth Limited. After a six-month approval process, the business was authorised and started trading on 1 March 2016, with the aim of providing holistic face-to-face financial advice.

Aspire has developed and grown over time to where it is today, with a five-strong team of advisers. David says: “I get immense pride from doing the job every day. Setting up and managing Aspire has allowed me to help people achieve their dreams and aspirations. And it means I can be there when things don’t go to plan, and produce a solution to the problem.”

Today, David specialises in the pre- and post-retirement areas of financial planning, along with investment advice.

David also provides advice on mortgages and protection, mainly to family members of existing clients.

David says: “I’m extremely fortunate to have such a lovely set of people as clients, who I have a strong bond with and, in many cases, have dealt with for my entire financial services career. Sometimes I can’t quite believe how lucky I am to have been able to do a job I love for 28 years and counting.”

David considers each client unique, since everyone has different experiences and knowledge, and what they want to achieve is individual to their circumstances.

David has two teenage children and a dog.

He has a wide range of interests, including football, golf, and music.

David is currently in the process of renovating his new house, which he discovered hadn’t been touched since it was built in the 1960s. The avocado-coloured bathroom suite was a bit of a shock!