Most of us think we understand investing.

I’ve been involved in investing, on and off, throughout my career both personally and with the firms I’ve worked for and alongside. Over that time, I’ve learned something that isn’t talked about enough:

We never chase the next big thing…Or do we?

Step back for a moment and ask yourself an honest question:

If we’re honest, most of us make financial mistakes at some point. Yet when it comes to money particularly investing people are often far more willing to talk about their successes than their failures.

At the end of October 2023, I was told the firm I worked for had been sold and that I was no longer part of its future.

As we start a new year, it’s worth pausing to reflect not just on what we invest in, but how we behave as investors.

Over the last few years, consolidation in the UK financial advice and wealth management sector has accelerated at pace. Private equity-backed buyers, national consolidators, and regional acquirers have become a familiar feature of the landscape.

In my first blog of the year, I described the start of 2026 as a time to reflect on what 2025 revealed about our relationship with money. Before rushing into targets or resolutions, it’s often far more helpful to pause and ask how things have actually been going.

As we enter 2026, or any new year, there’s a familiar temptation to wipe the slate clean and set bold new financial targets. Yet year after year, the statistics tell a sobering story. Approximately one in five individuals (21%) give up in less than a month. According to Columbia University, only about 25% of people remain committed after 30 days. Looking longer term only 8% of people manage to stick to their financial resolution for a full year. The reasons are consistent: motivation fades, life intervenes, and good intentions quietly slip away.

Christmas has a way of creeping up on us, and with it, a surprising amount of pressure.

It still feels strange to say the words “I wrote a book.”Not because the book is overly academic or a deep philosophical text on the meaning of money, but because it is something far more personal. It’s a real-life exploration of our relationship with money, part biography, part behavioural finance, and part practical guide for anyone who wants to take control of their financial future.