Meet the Wealth Planner: Jemima Jenvey on Making Financial Planning Easier to Understand
Hoxton Blog • Meet the Wealth Planner: Jemima Jenvey on Making Financial Planning Easier to Understand
Everyone’s feelings about money are shaped by their upbringing and personal experiences.
For Jemima Jenvey, a year spent in Brazil at the age of 13 proved pivotal in developing her understanding of what really matters in life.
“My mum's Brazilian. We went over there as a family. My dad took a sabbatical from work, and we went to the rural place where my mum’s from, in the northeast of Brazil, away from the coast, very inland.”
As she was living in Brazil for an extended period, Jemima was required to attend school, introducing her to a different way of life.
She says this was an “eye-opening experience” for her.
“I met so many young people and children who had very little in terms of material possessions, yet they seemed to have so much joy, warmth and happiness,” she says.
“It made me reflect on what matters and how what people value is very different.
“Happiness isn’t necessarily about what you have, but how you live and the connections you make with people.”
She remembers meeting a young girl in the village who didn’t own any trainers, just flip-flops.
“When I left, I gave her some trainers that I hardly wore because I was wearing flip-flops all the time,” she says.
“She was so happy, and I just couldn't believe it. I was like, ‘Wow, that’s amazing!’ It made me happy.”
Jemima’s experience of living in Brazil influenced her outlook, something she has carried into her career in financial planning.
“It reinforced my belief that there’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to money,” she explains.
She believes everyone has different priorities and ideas of what financial security and happiness look like.
“Ultimately, money is very personal, and what I really enjoy is understanding what it means to each individual and how that impacts their life,” she says.
“It makes our job as wealth planners even more important because we really need to understand everybody’s circumstances and priorities.”
From Somerset to the City
Jemima grew up in Somerset, the eldest of five children, in what she describes as a busy but happy household.
“I was very fortunate where I grew up, and I’ve got incredibly great parents,” she says.
“We often spent time going on trips to the coast in Devon, surfing, and we used to go canoeing. We had a very countryside, outdoorsy upbringing.”
She was home-educated throughout her primary and secondary years, something she says still surprises people.
Her parents followed a curriculum while making sure she had opportunities to socialise and take part in activities outside the home.
At 16, she went to college to study for her A-levels, before taking some time out to work and eventually deciding to go to university at 21.
But while she enjoyed growing up in Somerset, Jemima had long been determined to move to London.
“We had some close family friends who lived in London, and probably once a month we used to go and visit them. So I’d always wanted to live in the city,” she says.
“While I loved growing up where I did, there was always something in me that wanted to be somewhere that consumed my energy.
“Living in London has always been the goal, and I wanted to work hard. I just didn't know what I wanted to do and how to get there.”
That ambition was evident when it came to applying for university. Of Jemima's five choices, four were in London. The fifth, Exeter, was suggested by her father.
“My dad and I sat down when we were doing my university applications, and he said, ‘You've got four London options. Do you not want to pick somewhere else?’
“I was like, ‘No, I want to live in London.’
“He said, ‘How about Exeter?’ And I was like, ‘No, that's too close. I don't want to live in Exeter.’”
Her father persuaded her to consider it anyway, and Exeter ended up being the first university to offer her a place.
“I ended up at Exeter and loved it. I had the best time,” she says.
Jemima studied business management, choosing modules in subjects including statistics, economics and leadership.
Although she had an interest in finance, she still wasn't entirely sure what she wanted to do after graduating.
“I went to university not knowing what I would get out of it. I knew I'd get a degree, but I didn't have a plan after that,” she says.
As it turned out, her eventual career would come about almost by chance.
A Chance Encounter
Jemima graduated during the Covid pandemic, meaning she missed out on a traditional graduation ceremony.
Instead, when restrictions allowed, her parents organised a small barbecue with family friends to celebrate.
Among the guests was Dan, a family friend who had recently become a director at an independent financial advice firm.
“We were standing next to each other, beer in hand, sun shining. We hadn't seen each other for years,” she recalls.
“He said, ‘What's your plan then?’
“I said, ‘I don't know. I'm unemployed. It's Covid. I have no idea what I'm going to do. I want to get into finance, but I don't know how to do that.’”
Jemima had always enjoyed working with people. During her studies, she had worked in a call centre for Clarks Shoes, as well as working as a waitress in a bar.
“I was always around people and really liked the people side,” she says.
Dan explained that his firm was looking for someone to take on an office management and administrative role.
There was just one problem. The job was based in Sherborne, Dorset, rather than London.
But with the cost of moving to the capital still a consideration, Jemima decided to pursue the opportunity.
“I thought, ‘I'm here now. I'm not in London. It's quite expensive to move up there, so why not?’”
She got the job, and what began as an administrative role soon developed into a career in financial advice.
“All of my knowledge came from supporting advisers and them giving me the opportunity to sit in their meetings and really learn the process,” she says.
As she gained experience, Jemima moved into paraplanning, developing her technical knowledge and working towards her professional qualifications.
She eventually achieved her ambition of moving to London when the firm opened an office in Richmond and asked her to manage it.
She joined Hoxton Wealth in March 2025 and qualified as a financial planner in May that year, before moving into an adviser role in September.
Looking back, she credits that chance encounter at the barbecue with setting her on a career path she hadn't previously considered.
“I really do owe it to Dan, one of our family friends,” she says.
“I was always ambitious and wanted to do something and take it as far as I could, but I wanted to help people as well. It's the perfect balance, really.”
Making Financial Advice Accessible
Having entered the profession with little knowledge of financial planning herself, Jemima is particularly passionate about helping others understand their finances.
“I really want to make financial advice feel accessible and supportive rather than intimidating and making people feel like they don't know things,” she says.
“When I was speaking with Dan, I was like, ‘I don't know how the pension system works. I don't know what an ISA is.’
“That was no fault of my own. There's very much an education piece that I feel should be more accessible.”
For Jemima, one of the most rewarding parts of the job is seeing clients understand something they may previously have found confusing.
“What I really enjoy is seeing clients have moments where I can see they've understood something complex that I've made simple,” she explains.
She also recognises that financial decisions are often tied to significant changes in people's lives, whether that's moving jobs, buying a home or receiving an inheritance.
“Financial decisions are very much driven by big things that happen in life,” she says.
“They often come with quite overwhelming feelings. So I think clarity is hugely rewarding.”
For Jemima, building trust is just as important as having the technical knowledge to give good advice.
“What I like to do is just do what I say I'm going to do when I say I'm going to do it,” she says.
She believes in being transparent with clients and adapting her approach to their individual needs.
“My approach is very honest and transparent, and it's about asking the client what they want and what they expect from me, then working that way,” she explains.
Even seemingly small commitments matter.
“I think small promises, if you don't keep them, can lead to inconsistencies and that lack of trust.”
Another important lesson Jemima has learned since moving from paraplanning into a client-facing role is that she doesn't need to have all the answers immediately.
“I certainly put a lot of pressure on myself to be very perfect technically,” she admits.
“Going from that to being very client-facing, you tend to think, ‘I should know everything in the textbooks.’
“But actually, it's okay to not know everything.”
She believes clients appreciate honesty, even when that means admitting she needs to find out more before answering a question.
“It's okay to tell a client that you don't know the answer to their question, but you'll find out. I think people value that more than winging it.”
And working at Hoxton means she has colleagues with different areas of expertise to draw on when needed.
“My way of looking at things isn't always the right way. Having other people to guide me and provide me with some inspiration on how they would approach things, I find invaluable.”
It's an approach that brings her back to the lessons she learned in Brazil, and the importance of recognising that what matters to one person may be very different from what matters to another.
Jemima Jenvey is a Wealth Planner with Hoxton Wealth (UK) Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 586130).
This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, tax or legal advice. The availability of financial advice and services depends on your location and the permissions of the relevant Hoxton Wealth regulated entity.
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