Colin Bates — Chapter3 Financial Planning

I'm Colin.

Accountant, former management consultant and founder of Chapter3.

I trained as an accountant and spent much of my career as a management consultant. That background means I naturally look at the whole picture: the business, the household, the tax, the investments and what the money ultimately needs to do.

Chapter3 came from my own experience of reaching financial independence. The question stopped being how much more I could accumulate and became what was enough, and what choices the money could create.

I set up Chapter3 to help other people answer the same question. Most of my clients have already built something substantial, but the business, pensions, investments, tax planning and future income are often sitting in separate boxes.

My job is to connect them and help make the important decisions in the right order.

Why this background matters

Accountant brain

Tax, structure and numbers get the same rigour a good accountant brings — not the light touch many advisers give them.

Consultant brain

Complex situations get broken into decisions and sequences. The advice arrives as a plan, not a product.

Own FI experience

I've been through the "how much is enough, and now what?" question myself. That shapes how I frame it for clients.

Why Chapter3?

The name reflects the stage many of my clients are approaching.

Chapter 1 is going to school.
Chapter 2 is building the career, a business and financial security.
Chapter 3 is the point where work no longer has to dictate everything else.

That does not necessarily mean retiring. It might mean selling a business, reducing your hours, choosing different work or simply knowing that you could stop if you wanted to.

The point is choice.

A deliberately small practice

I keep the client list small so I can stay involved.

Clients work directly with me.

I write the plan, give the advice and speak to the accountant or solicitor where needed. When circumstances change, the person responding already knows the background and why the earlier decisions were made.

That continuity is an important part of the service.

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What clients say about working with me.

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The basics

Regulated, independent and fixed-fee.

Independent financial adviser: Manchester-based, working with clients across the UK.
Fixed-fee financial planning: Fees are agreed in pounds and based on the work and complexity involved, rather than a percentage of the portfolio.
Specialist focus: Business owners and families approaching or already in retirement.
Regulatory status: Chapter3 Financial Planning Ltd is an Appointed Representative of ValidPath Limited.
ValidPath Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under FRN 197107.
Chapter3 Financial Planning Ltd appears on the FCA Register under reference number 931195.

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Start with a conversation.

A 30-minute call is usually enough to understand what you are trying to solve and whether Chapter3 is likely to be the right fit.

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