Cherry Hudson Independent Financial Adviser

01/06/2026

📚 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲…

This is my Statement of Professional Standing (SPS) for another year.
It’s an important part of being a regulated financial adviser.

The certificate confirms that I’ve met the qualification, ethics, training and competency requirements needed to continue providing regulated financial advice.

This is demonstrated through -

📚 Ongoing study and learning
📄 Compliance oversight and record keeping
✅ Completing ongoing annual training and Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
🤝 A commitment to professional standards and ethics
✔️ Meeting ongoing regulatory competency requirements
📈 Keeping up with ever-changing legislation, tax rules and financial planning developments

It’s not something you achieve once and forget about - it has to be maintained throughout the year, every year.

Behind the scenes, there are countless hours of study, learning, reviewing technical changes, and keeping knowledge up to date so clients can feel confident the advice they receive remains appropriate and current.

Professional standards matter when people are trusting you with their long-term financial planning, retirement, family, and future.☺️

29/05/2026

𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.

Business owners often spend years investing in their business, but very little time investing in themselves.

Most are busy focusing on clients, staff, cashflow, growth, family life, and long-term planning often gets pushed down the list 📋

For some business owners, pensions can be a tax-efficient way of moving money from the business - into their future 🔮

It’s simply understanding what options are available in the first place.

Whether that’s a conversation with your accountant or a qualified IFA (Independent Financial Adviser), understanding the options available is often the first step. 🗣️

General information only, not personal financial advice. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may change in future.

21/05/2026

Today I attended the Consumer Duty Alliance ‘Raising Standards Together’ conference at Sandy Park in Exeter, and came away feeling really proud to be in the Financial Planning profession 😊

There was plenty of discussions with people who genuinely care about improving outcomes for clients.

Conversations were centred around people, including -

• vulnerability and life circumstances
• bereavement support
• fair value and pricing
• client understanding and communication
• building trust in financial services
• improving financial education
• supporting women into finance
• and strengthening the UK’s investment culture

I also found it encouraging to hear that financial education is expected to become part of the national curriculum by 2028 📚

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) were there, and spoke openly about wanting to build greater trust in financial advice and improve consumer outcomes

I also finally got to meet some people I genuinely look up to in the profession! 🤩

A really thought-provoking and inspiring day overall. 💭

20/05/2026

𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀. 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲!

When I meet a client, I like to see a bank statement. This is to look at money coming in and out, and understand their current lifestyle and spending habits.

It helps me build a clearer picture of what day-to-day life looks like, so we can think properly about future plans and goals.

Recently, I met a one person paying £135 a month for a TV and phone setup, alongside mobile data and extras they weren’t using.

We discussed reviewing it with the provider to explore some of the newer packages now available.

They realised they could still keep the channels and services which were important, but cut down on the cost.

As a result, it went down to £65 a month!

That’s over £800 a year saved! 💷 Even better, it can be invested to help it grow even further! 📈

Over 10 years, that’s more than £8,000 staying in their pocket instead of someone else’s, and that’s not to be sneezed at. 🤧

Sometimes a simple “spring clean” of the bank account to spot forgotten subscriptions, unused services and bills can make a real difference. 🌱

Financial planning is personal, everyone’s situation is different.

15/05/2026

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲!

… but the Bank of England inflation calculator can tell quite a different story.

It’s a really interesting tool for seeing how inflation changes the value of money over time.

Sometimes people naturally focus on:

🏡 ‘My house value has gone up’
💷 ‘I’ve got some interest on my savings’
📈 ‘My investments have grown’

…but the real test is to know whether it’s kept pace with inflation. If not, the real purchasing power may have reduced over time.

According to the calculator:

💷 £100,000 just 5 years ago (2021) would need to be around £126,000 today to buy the same goods and services 😯

Inflation doesn’t always get noticed day to day, but over longer periods it can have a significant effect on what money actually buys.

Worth having a play with the Bank of England inflation calculator if you’ve never tried it before, it’s quite eye-opening!

Link in comments 👇

(General information only, not personal financial advice)

12/05/2026

Interesting to see Martin Lewis talking about long term investing on TV tonight!

In the past, he’s usually focused on exploring the best savings rates, so it’s a welcome change to see the conversation opening up more around investing too.

In the UK, around 46% of people have a cash ISA, and only 20% have a stocks and shares ISA.

I liked the chart which explained the difference between -

💷 keeping money in cash savings

📉 the impact inflation can have over time

📈 and the difference investing can make over the long term

A lot of people keep cash in the bank, but over long periods, inflation slowly reduces what money actually buys.

Investing will always involve ups and downs, but understanding the differences between saving and investing can help fill the gap in people’s financial education.

Good to see investing getting more air time, and helping people understand finances better! 📺

(General information only, not personal financial advice)

05/05/2026

💷 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆… 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁!

In fact, over 750,000 Child Trust Funds are currently unclaimed in the UK, worth around £1.5 billion! 💷

If your child was born between 2002 and 2011, they may have one.

👉 These accounts are now maturing
👉 At 18, the money becomes theirs

They often get missed because:

➡️ Letters were sent to old addresses
➡️ The account has simply been forgotten about
➡️ The young adult doesn’t even know it exists

How to find it:

You’ll need the child’s National Insurance number.

🔎 Go to GOV.UK and search “Find a Child Trust Fund” https://www.gov.uk/child-trust-funds/find-a-child-trust-fund
🔐 Log in (or set up) a Government Gateway account
📍 HMRC will tell you which provider holds it
📩 Then contact the provider to access the money

(HMRC won’t tell you the balance, you’ll get that from the provider)

It could be used for things like:

Driving lessons 🚗
Education 📚
Or just a really solid starting point financially 👌🏼

It takes a few minutes to check… but it could make a real difference.

*𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑑𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑒*

24/04/2026

💡 ‘𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗸’…. 𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘁?

I often review investments that haven’t been looked at for years.

On the surface, they can look like they’re ticking along.

But when you compare it to inflation… the real value may have actually gone backwards 🔙

If your money isn’t keeping pace with rising costs, it’s quietly losing spending power over time.

That’s why regular reviews matter.

They help check:

✅ whether your strategy still fits your goals

✅ whether your risk level still feels right

✅ whether fees remain clear and justified

✅ whether your money is still working in line with your wider plan

Financial planning is about making sure you’re on track, and steering you in a better direction if you’re not.

If left unchecked, things can drift.

When was the last time you properly reviewed yours?

General information only - not personal financial advice.

20/04/2026

𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹… 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. 🔮

I speak to business owners who are working hard, paying the bills, and juggling family life.

On paper, everything looks fine -

✔️ Steady profits.
✔️ Dividends being taken.
✔️ Accounts up to date.

Their accountant is doing exactly what they should, keeping things compliant and on track.

But often, there’s no clear plan for the future - retirement, family security, or what all of this is leading towards.

That’s where financial planning adds value… looking at what happens next. 👀

💬 Are you and your family protected if something unexpected happens?

💬 Are you building personal wealth, or just business income?

💬 Is your money set up to support your future?

Because real wealth isn’t just about today’s income, it’s about shaping tomorrow.

If this resonates, it may be worth having a conversation. 🗣️

📌 General information only, not personal advice. Always seek regulated financial advice before making financial decisions.

11/04/2026

A new tax year is a fresh start… but it’s what you do early on that really makes the difference.

Using your allowances sooner gives your money longer to grow tax-efficiently.

👉 Read more in our latest blog below…

How to maximise ISA, pension and tax allowances from the start of the year