Spotlight on Sam Colby Butcher, Financial Planner
It’s that time again – the first Team Spotlight of 2021. In the hot seat is Sam Colby Butcher, one of our financial planners here at Fortitude.
Sam is a busy bee. At any given point you can find him studying for an upcoming exam, running around after a house full of girls, encouraging the team to take on challenges, or picking up a community side project.
But amongst it all, we managed to get him to sit still long enough to answer our questions in the spotlight – just!
Hi Sam! Thank you for taking the time to sit down with us today. Let’s start a little differently from normal: what's been your proudest moment at Fortitude Financial Planning to date?
Getting through 2020! [He laughs]. But seriously, it was a hard year and we made it through in one piece, so that’s something to be proud of. I’m also proud of myself for passing three more exams in the process to get a step closer to becoming Chartered.
Incredible! And congratulations on passing your latest exams. Sam, please would you describe the work you do in just three words?
Understanding, simplifying, communicating.
That is a very good distillation of what a financial planner does. So, what keeps you busy when you’re not working?
But I’m always working!
We thought you’d say that!
It feels that way, especially with exam preparation!
The real answer is that I am currently renovating an old house which is taking a lot of thinking and planning. We’ve done a lot of work clearing the garden and we are about to start work on the house in spring. If everything goes to plan we should be done by Christmas! I know…you’ve heard that before.
Hmm, it does sound familiar… Let’s change the subject. Where is the most interesting place you've been?
Bhutan on my honeymoon. It’s a completely different world with stunning scenery and fascinating people and culture. You have to have a guide and a driver all the time and they all wear national dress and love eating chillies. One of the most common dishes is Chilli Cheese which is hot chillies cooked in a cheese sauce; spicy, but we got used to it after a while.
You also can’t miss the giant phallus paintings on many of the houses in Bhutan which they believe wards off evil spirits (Google ‘Bhutan phallus paintings’ if you don’t believe me!).
The scenery is breath-taking and we spent hours in the car taking it in.
That sounds amazing. We’ll take your word for it about the phallus paintings – I think we’ll skip Googling it. Okay, quickfire round: tell us the quote or phrase that goes through life with you.
“It’s only a problem if you think it is.” Solution-based thinking all the way.
Who is your hero and why?
Another financial planner who mentored me a few years ago. We worked together for around 18 months and she taught me how to do the job properly. I wouldn’t be half the financial planner I am today without her guidance and support.
And, finally, if you could give your younger self one piece of advice what would it be?
Nothing, because you have to work it out yourself.
Very true indeed – learning is all part of the process. Sam, thank you for answering our Spotlight questions today.
Join us next time to hear from Liz Reed, our client support and the final team member in our Spotlight series.