Our People

Gareth Rees

  • Partner

Our People

Gareth Rees

  • Partner
LinkedIn

What do you do?

If a friend asked, I’d tell them I help busy people, senior executives, professionals and business owners work out when they can reach their own ‘Financial Independence Day’.

It’s the point where work becomes a choice rather than a necessity, giving you the freedom to step away, slow down or simply spend more time doing what matters most to you.

My job isn’t to overwhelm people with financial jargon or complicated products. It’s to take that complexity off their shoulders, bring everything together into a clear plan and help them understand what’s possible. There’s something incredibly empowering about knowing you work because you want to, not because you have to.

Why do you do IT?

I started my career at Lloyds Bank and have now worked in financial services for almost 40 years. Over that time, I’ve seen plenty of the traditional side of the profession: stuffy suits, complicated jargon and a tendency to make financial planning feel far more intimidating than it needs to be.

I knew there was a better way. So, in 2001, I founded Gem & Co with a simple idea: put genuine care, transparency and great relationships at the heart of financial advice.

Joining Cooper Parry Wealth has given us the opportunity to take that philosophy even further. I still get a huge amount of satisfaction from stripping away complexity, helping people make good decisions and seeing the sense of relief when someone realises they have enough, enough to retire, make a change or simply enjoy life with greater confidence.

That’s what ‘Making Life Count’ means to me.

WHAT KINDS OF PROJECTS HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED IN?

Over the years, I’ve helped clients navigate some of the biggest financial and personal transitions of their lives.

That might mean helping a business owner understand what they need from a sale to achieve financial independence, giving a senior executive the confidence to step away from corporate life, or bringing together pensions, investments and other assets into one clear strategy for the future.

The technical side can be complex, but the outcome we’re aiming for is usually refreshingly simple: clarity, confidence and peace of mind.

There’s nothing better than seeing someone move from worrying about whether they have enough to realising they can start enjoying everything they’ve worked so hard to build.

WHAT’S ON TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST? 

Learning to speak fluent Italian is right at the top of my list, mainly so my wife can finally retire from being my translator whenever we visit her family in Molise!

I’d love to be able to properly join in with conversations and make those family visits even more special. Although, knowing me, the studying will probably need to take place over a perfectly poured Italian espresso.

Beyond that, most of the things that matter to me are pretty simple. Family is at the centre of everything, whether that’s long walks with our cockapoos, Teddy and Rex, or getting everyone around the table for a proper Sunday roast, ideally with the mobile phones nowhere in sight.

For me, Making Life Count isn’t just something we talk about with clients. It’s a pretty good philosophy for life outside work too.