£4bn AUM, £4m to charity and £40m turnover

Cheshire-based Equilibrium has experienced a record year of successes, as the firm announced that it had reached a £10.25m turnover and £1bn in assets under management for the first time.

Now, building on that success, managing partner Gaynor Rigby has outlined what the company’s growth plans are – a set of targets which she terms BHAGs, or ‘big, hairy, audacious goals’.

The firm aims to be making 4,000 clients’ lives better, have £4bn in assets under management, a turnover of £40m and is pledging to raise £4m for charity through The Equilibrium Foundation.

Gaynor said: “We want to achieve these goals purely through organic growth and by concentrating primarily on our local area.

“Our 2019/20 fiscal year has been phenomenally successful and lays some brilliant groundwork for achieving our goals come 2028.

“We saw a 99% client retention rate this year, as well as a 4.5% growth in headcount. We also launched a new fund, our Global Equity Fund, and made a radical move towards ‘total ESG’ investing through Equilibrium Investment Management.

“It’s been a year of transformational change at Equilibrium and our intention is now to use this momentum to help catapult us towards achieving our BHAGs.”

In 2019, Equilibrium revealed its ‘Vivid Vision 2021’, in which it outlined its aim to become a business with a headcount of 110 and £1.4bn AUM.

“As a team and as a brand, we are determined to never stand still or to rest on our laurels,” added Gaynor. “It was clear that we were firmly on track to achieve the goals set out in our Vivid Vision, which meant we had to refocus and look towards our next phase of growth.

“Our founder, Colin Lawson, and I have striven to build a business that puts its people first. This has, in turn, created a culture at Equilibrium which fosters a dedicated, engaged and enthusiastic workforce. We have a team in place which is constantly aiming to better itself and the lives of our clients.

“We plan to be the largest and most trusted independently-owned financial planning firm in Cheshire and we believe that our commitment to doing business better will help us achieve that.

“We see our role as wealth managers as more than just helping our clients plan for retirement. Our objective is to help our clients understand the purpose of their money and help them gain financial freedom so they can confidently make decisions about their future and leave a legacy. Our growth will always be underpinned by this notion and our commitment to practicing business responsibly.”