Chris Symonds

DipPFS, BA Hons

With over 18 years in the industry, Chris has built his business from scratch, attracting clients from across the South West and beyond.

About

Chris spent his early years in Portishead before his family moved to Thornbury, where he was educated at Castle School. He then went on to graduate from the University of the West of England with a Business Degree. 

Chris had the drive to be financially independent and very hard-working from a young age, encouraged by the experiences of his mother, who was a single parent and worked long, hard shifts as a nurse and his father, who set up and ran a successful logistics business. These childhood experiences instilled in Chris a humility, but also a drive and determination which has never left him.

During his years at university Chris worked shifts, in addition to his studies, so that he could save enough money for a deposit to purchase his first house at the age of 21. This led to a passion for property development, which he still enjoys today when time allows. 

After he left University, Chris began working for a major high street bank, quickly working his way up to become a Private Banking Manager. This role gave him excellent experience of dealing with all aspects of finance from mortgages and lending to savings, investment and pension planning. He also discovered that being responsible for a portfolio of high-net-worth clients suited him very well, as he was easily able to form relationships based on trust, and the mutual desire to see the client’s goals realised. Chris still looks after the financial needs of a large number of these clients today, with many having been loyal to him for over 20 years. Most of the new clients that Chris takes on these days are from recommendations and referrals from existing clients, reinforcing that they are extremely satisfied with the service provided.  

In 2014 Chris completed his diploma in Regulated Financial Advice, allowing him to practice as a Financial Adviser, and he was then headhunted by a St. James's Place practice in Bath, where he worked as an Adviser until the end of 2018. However, the entrepreneurial drive was still present, and so he decided to branch out into setting up his own practice, Coronation Wealth Management, in January 2019. 

Since then, the business has thrived and continues to grow rapidly. Coronation Wealth Management now employs 5 Wealth Managers, with more coming on board all the time, and a whole team of back-office support staff. Chris is extremely proud of the business he has created, the excellent team working alongside him and the superb client feedback that he receives. 

Chris is passionate about helping people to achieve their goals, working with them to formulate a financial plan that will help to secure their future, and the future of their loved ones. Above all, he believes that whilst money cannot, and often does not secure happiness, careful, expert financial planning takes away the strains associated with money problems (including not having enough, having more than you need, or not knowing how to preserve the wealth that you have built up), leaving the client free to enjoy the moments in life that really matter. 

Outside of work, Chris is married to Marie and they have two young children, Georgia and Charlie, with whom he is besotted! Chris enjoys travelling as much as possible, his favourite places being Italy, Barbados and Australia. He is also a keen runner, plays squash regularly, enjoys eating out and walking their French Bulldog, Rudy. 

Who he works with

Chris works with clients from all walks of life, including professionals, corporates, the self-employed, Directors, sportsmen and women, celebrities and families. He is highly experienced in dealing with the kind of issues facing these clients, such as inter-generational wealth planning, protecting the business, aspects of business exit strategy and wealth preservation. 

Geographically, Chris covers the whole of the South West, but also has clients further afield and can advise clients from any part of the UK (or overseas, subject to legislation). 

Our working relationship

The advice provided by Chris is not isolated to just one particular area of financial planning. Though clients will no doubt have their priorities about what is important to them, Chris offers holistic advice, based upon a full and thorough understanding of each client’s individual circumstances. This is extremely important, since giving financial advice in just one area, or on one particular product without the full picture, can have negative unintended consequences, such as tax liabilities. 

Chris will work with clients to establish areas of need, make recommendations based on those needs and then reach an agreement with the client on how to prioritise the recommendations, based on the client’s goals and taking into consideration any competing pull on budget. 

Beyond this, Chris will provide ongoing advice to the client on a pre-agreed regular basis, as well as ad-hoc advice where a client has a change in circumstances or a specific need arises. Working together into the future, Chris will build a strong relationship with the client whereby he is supporting them to realise their goals for family, home, business, retirement, and old age. 

Testimonials

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Chris and his team made me feel instantly welcome. Chris is very knowledgeable and was very patient with me. I would have no hesitation in recommending him as a financial adviser. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulder. Thank you so much!

Sarah Thomas| YSL Consultant, Bristol

The Partner Practice is an Appointed Representative of and represents only St. James's Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the Group’s website www.sjp.co.uk/products. The ‘St. James's Place Partnership’ and the titles ‘Partner’ and ‘Partner Practice’ are marketing terms used to describe St. James's Place representatives.

Coronation Wealth Management LLP is a Limited Liability Partnership registered in England and Wales, Number OC424720 Registered Office: Unit 3, Stableblock Courtyard, Leigh Court Business Centre, Pill Road, Abbots Leigh, BS8 3RA.