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Welcome to your May update from Monenti Partners. Each month, we share some highlights of what’s been happening in and around the business.

This month, the Monenti team went to Wembley and returned with a prestigious professional award. Plus, meet Chartered Financial Planner Ollie Dennis, and find out all the reasons he’s looking forward to running a marathon in Bordeaux.

7 of us went to Wembley and returned victorious

Seven of our first-class team – Alistair, Aaron, Harry, Lelan, Ollie, Jack, and Anthony – packed their kit and headed to Wembley Stadium for the Solidus annual conference.

When it comes to estate planning, we work side by side with Solidus – one of the UK’s largest independent suppliers of estate planning solutions for financial planners. As we have worked with Solidus over multiple decades, it was a privilege to attend the annual conference.

An immersive day of learning topped off with an award ceremony

During the day, we learnt more about best practices, networked with peers across the profession, and spent quality time together as a team thinking deeply about our clients and their needs.

Each year, Solidus takes the opportunity to recognise outstanding achievement across the profession, and we were delighted that Monenti Partners were recognised for Excellence in Estate Planning.

Considering many of the other firms in attendance were larger in scale, with longer overall tenure, bigger teams, and more clients, the award shows we continue to set the benchmark for the work we do for our clients.

Unbeaten by the tube strike, we all made it to Wembley Stadium

Held at Wembley Stadium, the event was transformed from a regular professional conference into a genuinely special occasion.

There was a tube strike on the day, so getting there on time was a challenge, but it didn’t defeat us.

Changing legislation and frozen thresholds mean more people need more support when it comes to estate planning and Inheritance Tax

With family dynamics shifting, marriage rates falling, life expectancy rising, and IHT set to become an increasing levy from HMRC in the years ahead, we will continue to be on the front foot in advising our clients in this area.

If you’d like to learn more about how we can support you, ensuring more of your wealth passes to your family and loved ones, please get in touch.

Meet Ollie Dennis – Chartered Financial Planner

A Chartered Financial Planner with a decade of experience, Ollie works with clients to define what financial freedom means for them, and offers advice and guidance on the financial decisions that can help them achieve their goals.

Here’s Ollie to tell you more about his role and the thoughtful and proactive support he provides.

Can you tell us more about you, your role, and what you do?

I work with clients to help them define what financial freedom means to them and advise them on financial decisions to help them attain their dream.

I enjoy guiding people through periods of uncertainty and providing clear and practical direction. I seek to make complex decisions feel simple and manageable.

What are your specialities? 

I specialise in working with high‑earning professionals, self‑employed solicitors, business owners, and trustees. I also support individuals going through major life changes, including divorce, helping them navigate the financial planning decisions required at what can be a challenging time.

What is your favourite part of your role?

Spending time with clients – getting to know them, hearing about their lives, and seeing how things evolve over time.

Being able to support them through key financial milestones and seeing the positive impact of the planning structures we’ve put in place is hugely rewarding.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to work in the financial services profession?

Stay curious and genuinely interested – both in learning and in people.

Financial services is ultimately a people business, and the most rewarding work comes from understanding clients’ lives, listening well, and acting with empathy. A desire to keep learning and a genuine motivation to help others are just as important as technical knowledge.

3 quickfire questions

3 qualities that draw you to new people? Curiosity, humour, and empathy.

3 small things that make your day better? Sunshine, a good coffee, and learning something new.

Top 3 guests at your dream dinner party? One of my favourite things to do is to go for dinner with my partner, Imogen, so she would be first on this list! Closely followed by Barack Obama and Massimo Bottura (if he’s cooking!)

Limbering up for the Marathon Du Medoc

You know by now that the Monenti team aren’t afraid of a tough sporting challenge.

Earlier this year, Alistair travelled to Oman to take part in the Ironman 70.3 Muscat Middle East Championship. Then, Jack caught the travel-to-compete bug and jetted off to Barcelona to run the marathon and raise funds for the Rob Burrow Appeal.

Now, it’s Ollie’s turn and he’s played a blinder – travelling to Bordeaux to run the Marathon Du Medoc.

Talking about the event, Ollie was quick to point out that it not only sounded like a lot of fun, but was also an ideal excuse to sample some of the best wine in the world in a unique way.

The Marathon Du Medoc is known as the “wine marathon”. The 26.2-mile route sets out from Pauillac and tours the Bordeaux countryside, stopping at châteaux and vineyards along the way. There are usually around 20 wine or food stops on the route.

Sounds good to us!

“As expected,” Ollie says, “there’s lots of red wine to try and, anecdotally, I have heard food stops can include French classics such as cheese, oysters, and foie gras.”

Aside from the gastronomy, the marathon must also be run in fancy dress – this year’s theme is the 80s, to mark the marathon’s 40th anniversary. While Ollie’s yet to decide on his chosen outfit, suggestions would be warmly welcomed. And we’ll be sure to share photos in his post-race report.

Ollie will be joined by eight of his friends, with running mates travelling from London, Manchester, Kent, Paris, and Spain to convene in Bordeaux. “We’re planning to stay a couple of extra days in Bordeaux. In the spirit of the weekend, we’ll combine our recovery with some more wine and Bordeaux’s gastronomic delights.”

Fun and feasting aside, Ollie ran the Manchester Marathon in April this year, so he should be race-ready, but training for this marathon is a little different.

“I usually run regularly, so I’ll keep to my usual schedule of running before or after work twice a week and a long run on the weekend. I’m considering trips to the pub, wine bars, and local bistros to boost my training programme – this is a little easier to fit in.

“The key progression is combining the two; we’ve got a couple of ‘training runs’ planned over the summer.”

Watch this space for Ollie’s post-race report – we can’t wait to see him in his 80s getup!