Jack Fallows

Jack Fallows, a financial adviser based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, is popular for his use of unique and memorable metaphors whilst explaining complex topics, as you will witness throughout this book. He provides advice to business owners, people who want to retire before the ever-increasing state pension age and folk who have other things they would much rather focus on, so appreciate a plan being developed for their finances to keep them on track throughout life.

A little about Jack’s background – upon deciding that university sounded like an expensive way of maintaining a multi-year state of inebriation whilst racking-up high levels of debt, Jack resolved to go travelling around the world, to experience different cultures and the values they live by. Many months and a gallon of factor-50 suncream later (Jack is a redhead), Jack had explored countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Fiji, Australia and New Zealand, to name a few. At this point, Jack felt ready to commit to the world of work, but in his way.

Jack wanted a degree in business, but remained adamant there was a less costly, and more effective, way than going to university. So, he swapped the suncream for engine oil and started at the bottom of the ladder in the manufacturing and engineering industry. Before long, Jack progressed to positions of management and put
forward a proposal to his employer that he felt provided a more financially savvy way of getting that business degree he coveted – he asked his employer to sponsor him. Thus, Jack proceeded on an arduous journey of studying during his evenings and weekends. It was hard work but, by the end, Jack had his business degree, zero debt, and had simultaneously purchased and sold not only his first property, but his second too. The financial bug had bitten him.

However, upon being bitten by that bug, a side effect that Jack didn’t anticipate was the feeling of being on a conveyor belt – one that demands that you to continue working to pay the bills. Yes, this is life for the majority of people, yet there is a huge difference in happiness and sense of purpose between who that do a job they love, and those who do a job for no reason other than to pay the bills. Hence the phrase, living to work. This didn’t sit right with Jack. He wanted to do something that truly helped others; he yearned to shine a light on an area where others have little knowledge; he aspired to run his own business; he longed to create and maintain a culture that helps others achieve that ‘tidy house, tidy mind’ feeling you get when you’ve completed chores, but with a topic that is pertinent to us all.
Financial advice ticked all those boxes.

Whilst working in manufacturing and engineering, Jack didn’t understand what a pension was; he didn’t know how income tax worked; he couldn’t fathom his payslips. Like most of us, Jack had to figure out everything as he went – needless to say, his first mortgage was an eye-opener! So, Jack knows what it feels like to have left the education system with a precise knowledge of algebra, but not so much as a basic understanding of how to manage your money in a way that is safe and sustainable.

Now Jack creates financial plans for his clients, the outcome of which is much more than the sum of the numbers they contain. Jack’s plans provide his clients with a sense of security, a feeling of confidence and the freedom for his clients to focus on the things they enjoy most in life, without niggling money worries.

As you will discover in his book, Money: The Assembly Guide is the next step in Jack’s mission – to spread his knowledge far beyond his client base and to provide people of all ages and backgrounds with the tools necessary to structure their money in a way that provides them with security, confidence and freedom.