Investment Banker to Self Employed IFA - Caroline Laudren

In this episode of the Financial Planner Life Podcast , Sam Oakes speaks with Caroline Laudren-Quillet, who transitioned from investment banking at Deutsche Bank to becoming a self-employed IFA and financial planner . Just two years into her financial planning career, Caroline has built £14 million assets under management , while balancing family life and designing a career with genuine flexibility. Caroline shares her full journey from investment banking to financial planning , including how she qualified, why she chose the self-employed IFA route , and how she evaluated different firms before joining a directly authorised financial planning firm . We also dive into the practical realities of becoming a financial adviser in the UK. This includes how much money you need saved before going self-employed, how adviser revenue splits work, and what support new financial planners should look for when joining a firm. Caroline also explains how she generated clients in her first two years as an IFA through Unbiased leads, networking groups, accountant referrals, and financial wellbeing workshops . If you are exploring a career change into financial planning , thinking about becoming a financial planner or financial adviser , or weighing up the self-employed IFA route , this episode is packed with practical insights. What we cover: Moving from investment banking to IFA Completing financial planning qualifications (Level 4) Choosing between IFA academies vs smaller financial planning firms The realities of becoming a self-employed financial adviser How much savings you need before going self-employed How financial advisers are paid and how fee splits work Building your client bank from scratch Lead generation for financial planners Networking, referrals and LinkedIn for advisers Why financial planning offers purpose and flexibility This episode of Financial Planner Life is essential listening for anyone considering a career as a financial adviser, financial planner, or self-employed IFA . 00:00 - Ex-Deutsche Bank Investment Banking to IFA: self-employed start + £14m AUM 01:23 - Mindset check: “It’s Friday” + starting your Financial Adviser journey 02:34 - Why she left Investment Banking: COVID, redundancy, pregnancy, Plan B 03:56 - Finding the UK Financial Planning route: Sam’s videos + where to begin 05:27 - Lifestyle + family: why becoming a Self-Employed IFA fit her life 06:58 - Choosing a small firm: Directly Authorised IFA vs bigger routes 11:01 - Big bank to small Financial Planning firm: freedom, purpose, building a team 15:27 - Comparing firms: Quilter/SJP academy vs smaller IFA setup 17:20 - Going self-employed as a financial adviser: the 9–12 month savings rule 21:34 - What support should look like: paraplanners, mentoring, case checking Financial Planner Life is sponsored by Redmill Advance Whether you're starting out, already qualified, or building a training academy, Redmill Advance delivers expert-led learning, exam support and CPD from Level 4 to Chartered. ✅ Trusted by top UK firms 👉 Be sure to follow Financial Planner Life on YouTube for extra content about career development within Financial Planning. Reach out to sam@financialplannerlife.com in regards to sponsorship, partnerships, videography or podcast production. Want to appear on the Financial Planner Life podcast? Drop Sam a message.

You can listen to Investment Banker to Self Employed IFA - Caroline Laudren online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Investment Banker to Self Employed IFA - Caroline Laudren is an episode from The Financial Planner Life Podcast by Sam Oakes.

This episode is 59:54 long.

This episode was published on Mar 5, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from The Financial Planner Life Podcast when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.