Want to know what makes the AFWM team tick? Meet our Financial Adviser Tabitha Parham, who’s based at our Sherborne office. Tabitha shares some highlights from her career, her ambitions for the future and recommendations for places to visit in the South West and beyond
Can you talk us through your career path?
After sixth form, I completed a Level Four apprenticeship in Investment Operations with J.P. Morgan. I liked elements of the job but not all of it, so I moved to Center Parcs as a trainee manager, where I completed a Level Five Operational Manager apprenticeship. That role saw me doing everything from housekeeping, hospitality and guest services to being Head Elf in Santa’s grotto!
I love working with people, but I missed finance. So, I decided to retrain as a financial adviser. I qualified in August 2022 and have finally found my perfect job. My long-term ambitions are to become a chartered financial adviser and to help as many clients as possible achieve their financial goals.
What does a typical day of work look like?
It’s pretty varied. For example, I could be researching a client’s pension or looking at the funds they’re invested in to make sure they’re getting the best return. Or I might be creating an investment plan for a new client.
What do you like most about your job?
I enjoy giving people peace of mind, particularly when it comes to pensions and retirement planning. I can look at a client’s current situation and put a plan in place to get them where they want to be.
Do you have a favourite place to visit locally?
I currently live in Mere, which is on the edge of Wiltshire and Dorset. It’s a beautiful part of the world and I particularly love to walk up a hill called Great Bottom in the Mere Downs. The views are spectacular – you can see the whole of Mere from up there. It’s also where my now-husband, Jack, proposed to me, so it’s pretty special. (For more details of the walk and an OS map visit our Venture Magazine issue 13, page 38).
If readers do try that walk, where would you recommend that they stop for lunch?
Head to the White Lion Inn at Bourton, which is less than 10 minutes’ drive from Great Bottom. It’s a cosy country pub with a great atmosphere and the food is always delicious.
And thinking further afield, what’s been your favourite holiday?
It has to be my honeymoon last summer, when we went to Greece for two weeks. We did an island hop from Athens to Milos and then onto Sifnos. Jack and I love Greece; it’s our favourite holiday destination so far. If you head away from the main tourist spots, it’s so peaceful and calming.
What are your most precious possessions?
Jack gave me a hardback copy of my favourite book for our very first Valentine’s Day together. It’s just a young adult novel, but I treasure that copy because the gesture was so sweet. And, of course, my wedding dress is pretty important to me.
Do you have a favourite book or podcast to recommend to readers?
I recently discovered the podcast Partners in Crime, which is about strange but true crimes. I also enjoy Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster. And I recommend the book Finding Gobi – a true story about an ultra-marathon runner who finds a dog while he’s running across a desert.
Now you’ve qualified as a financial adviser, what other challenges are you setting yourself?
For the past few years, I’ve done a 100km bike ride every year, but my knees are feeling tired, so I probably won’t manage that distance this year. Instead, I’ve set myself the challenge of running a 10k and climbing the Three Peaks.
