Intro

In this episode of Financial Planner Life, host Sam Oakes sits down with Andrew Spence, Co-Founder of Aspen, to challenge the industry’s most controversial questions - what we call the Marmite topics of financial planning.

Aspen was born out of something deeper than disruption. After a personal health crisis led Andrew to reflect on the impact of his work, he decided to build a model portfolio service that put purpose, clarity & client outcomes first.

Now, he’s leading the charge on topics that divide financial services professionals daily.

🚨 Here’s what we cover:

• Is evidence-based investing just clever branding - or genuinely better for clients?
• Why most risk profiling tools are broken & unhelpful
• Should financial planners choose sides in the active vs passive debate?
• The rise of Bitcoin, the return of gold, & the role of private equity in portfolios
• How Aspen uses tech that actually works for financial planners & their clients
• Why first-principles thinking beats copy-paste product design

Andrew shares why financial planners need to stop overcomplicating things & start designing investment experiences that genuinely serve the people behind the portfolios.

This is a must-watch for:
✔️ Financial planners seeking clarity in the chaos
✔️ Firms looking to improve their MPS offering
✔️ Advisers questioning the one-size-fits-all model
✔️ Anyone ready to rethink what investment management should look like

📩 Learn more about Aspen or book a discovery session. 
🔗 Follow Sam Oakes & Financial Planner Life on LinkedIn

00:00 - Intro: From engineering to investment management  

00:34 - Andrew's early career & first role in wealth management  

02:45 - A personal health crisis & the search for purpose  

04:44 - Is finance a noble profession?  

05:39 - Why start an MPS business in a saturated market?  

08:06 - How engineering logic shaped Aspen's investment approach  

09:33 - Building intuitive tech for financial planners  

11:05 - Starting from scratch: Aspen’s early days & growth  

13:28 - Early supporters & the power of trust in MPS  

14:41 - Social proof & buying decisions in financial planning  

16:17 - Could AI avatars replace financial advisers?  

18:21 - Active vs Passive - is the debate pointless?  

22:34 - Is evidence-based investing just marketing?  

25:16 - Why risk profiling is broken  

29:01 - Should Bitcoin or gold be in portfolios?  

32:44 - Is private equity too complex for clients?  

34:43 - Andrew’s approach to LinkedIn & thought leadership  

37:04 - Sam’s take: Building trust & visibility on LinkedIn  

41:04 - Why YouT

Financial Planner Life is sponsored by Redmill Advance

Whether you're starting out, already qualified, or building a training academy, Redmill Advance delivers expert-led learning, exam support and CPD from Level 4 to Chartered.

✅ Trusted by top UK firms

👉 www.redmilladvance.com/fpl

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Reach out to sam@financialplannerlife.com in regards to sponsorship, partnerships, videography or podcast production. 

Want to appear on the Financial Planner Life podcast? Drop Sam a message.