35 Finance Monthly. Bank i ng & F i nanc i a l Se r v i ce s additional support and advice when needed. Remember, you don’t know what you don’t know. I often compare our industry to owning a car. You know a car needs four wheels and an engine, but do you know why you need the pistons and what causes them to go up and down and so forth? Most people don’t need to, but at least they should understand the inner workings of estate planning. That is why you need a mechanic, or, in our case an Estate Planner. Why should more people consider working with you? Because we’ve turned the cart completely upside down. Squiggle is the company that’s decided to do things differently. We don’t charge by the hour, like most legal practitioners. We’re completely open and transparent. And we seek to educate. We’ve set the bar high for ourselves. We ruthlessly audit all documents to make sure they are legally binding. We’ve come across so many wills from competitors where the company hasn’t even bothered pursuing the signing of a will. In our case, it’s so important for us that have a dedicated meeting to ensure this happens. And it’s written into our process. Another point is security. So many legal practitioners tell their clients they must keep their documents securely, but then they seek to charge their clients for secure storage. That’s unfair and unethical in my view. We guarantee free lifetime secure storage - period. We also help our clients register all their documents as part of the service. What’s the point of investing in these costly documents if they’re never registered? Again, it’s all part of our service and part of the relationships we are building. We just don’t believe in flooding the market with poorly drafted wills that are never finalised. What do you do to help the local community as a business owner? Our communities are what help us keep doing what we love. And to be honest, Squiggle wouldn’t be here without the support of our communities. That is why there are two parts to our Strategic Partner Programme. Firstly, we have our charities. We know that it is so difficult for small local charities to raise the critical money they need to support their important causes. That is why we provide ‘free wills’ to our partner charities’ donors to help them give to charity in their will. “Legacy Giving” can be such a big income earner for charities and it allows them to make such a huge difference. Secondly, we partner with local businesses. Employee retention and satisfaction are so important to most businesses, so providing a ‘free wills’ service to our partner companies is a unique way for them to differentiate themselves from their employees. What have been some of your main achievements since starting Squiggle? When I founded Squiggle five years ago, it was just me. I am now incredibly honoured to say I have a team that helps me look after a base of over 4,000 clients. It feels great to have had such an impact on thousands of lives and securing tens of millions in inheritance for generations to come. Also, being invited to be a Fellow of the Institute of Paralegals was a very humbling moment. In addition, many solicitors, financial advisers and other industry professionals have decided not to open their own private client departments. Instead, have partnered with Squiggle, safe in the knowledge that we have the right technology, processes, standards and protocols in place. And I’m proud to say that we have a really great team. What has the COVID-19 pandemic taught you? The difficult days of COVID have shone a light on both our humanity and our mortality. We not only cheered loudly for the heroes who have helped keep us safe in the dark days of this global pandemic but we have all been forced to assess what is really important: our lives, our loved ones and our peace of mind. That’s why we have developed systems, processes and a team around these very values – to help people take care of this very important aspect of their lives – before it’s too late. After working with us, our clients tell us they feel like a weight has been lifted and that they can sleep peacefully at night thanks to Squiggle – and we love knowing we have helped take care of such an important part of their life.
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