Benjamin Grimsey - Independent Financial Planner

17/08/2026

When did you last review your pensions?

Business owners are often very good at reviewing company performance, cash flow, costs and future forecasts—but their pensions can be left untouched for years.

A pension review isn’t automatically about moving anything.

It should help you understand:

• What pensions you currently have
• Where the money is invested
• How much you are paying in charges
• Whether the investment risk remains appropriate
• What income the pensions may provide
• Whether your current contributions are enough

You should understand what you own and whether it is still working towards the future you want.

Sometimes the right outcome is to make changes. Sometimes it is to leave everything exactly where it is but with a much clearer plan.

17/08/2026

08/08/2026

Looking to find a way to support a small Cornish charity? Penhaligon's Friends has just launched a new fundraising page for new and existing corporate supporters. 👇

There are lots of ways companies and individuals can support us, which you can read more about on our website.

For £1,000 in one year, your business could support us by sponsoring and funding 40 postal packs. Postal packs are sent out to families following a bereavement and can make a huge difference to children and young people when someone close to them has died. 🫶

If you're interested in finding out more about ways to support us, whether through funding some of our postal packs or supporting us on other ways, you can contact us on [email protected] or look at our website:

🔗 https://penhaligonsfriends.org.uk/support-us/corporatesupport/ 🔗

15/07/2026

Here are a few more great photos we couldn't resist sharing from last Friday night's Cornwall Law Society - CLS Annual Gala Awards which we proudly sponsored on behalf of Octo Financial Planning Ltd

It was a fantastic evening celebrating the achievements of Cornwall's legal profession, catching up with so many familiar faces, and supporting the incredible work of Cornwall Air Ambulance.

Congratulations once again to all of the winners, finalists and everyone involved in making it such a memorable event.

David Medland APFS Jodie Marie Grimsey

13/07/2026

What a fantastic evening on Friday at the annual Cornwall Law Society Awards 2026 Cornwall Law Society - CLS, held in the stunning Truro Cathedral.

It was a pleasure to spend the evening with so many of Cornwall's leading legal professionals, celebrating their hard work, dedication and commitment to outstanding client care. 👏

The evening began with a VIP champagne reception, and it was great to see Toni Eyriey from Business Cornwall magazine. Thank you again for featuring me in this month's Big Question! 😁

It was also lovely to share the evening with Katie Nightingale, Jason Mitchell and Darren Buckley. A huge congratulations to Katie for winning not one, but TWO awards on the night – thoroughly deserved! 🎉

David Medland APFS and I were honoured to sponsor and present the Support Member of the Year award on behalf of Octo Financial Planning Ltd. Congratulations to the worthy winner, Kim Rose from Paddle & C***s LLP Solicitors, and well done to all of the finalists: Wendy Marchant, Tracey Haddock, Jess Cowling, Leonie Batten and Liberty Scott.

The chosen charity for the evening was Cornwall Air Ambulance, and it was inspiring to hear more about the incredible work they do every single day across the county. Having been fortunate enough to visit their headquarters earlier this year, I know first-hand what an exceptional organisation they are. Tim Bunting was a fabulous presenter of the awards, and great to see fundraisers Karen Hurn MCIOF (Dip) and Julia Jeffery looking glam! 💯

Congratulations to this year's President, Rachel Pearce from Coodes Solicitors, on a hugely successful event. A massive shout out also goes to David Usher, Imogen Simmonds, Verona C***s and all of the CLS committee members whose hard work made the evening such a success.

My biggest personal congratulations, however, go to my beautiful wife, Jodie Marie Grimsey. As Administrator for the Cornwall Law Society - CLS, she worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help organise the evening, coordinate the communications and ensure everything ran seamlessly. The boys and I are incredibly proud of everything you do, you are our superhero ❤️

It was also great to see Keiran Pearce from K.P. Accountants Ltd, who provided all of the audiovisual equipment and did a fantastic job ensuring everything ran so professionally.

To round off a brilliant evening, Richard Woods 📻 and Ryan Woods 🎶📻 from Cornwall’s Rewind Radio and RW Entertainments kept the dancefloor full all night with a superb disco.

Congratulations once again to all of the winners and finalists, Murrells Anthony Vingoe Family Law Earl and Crocker Solicitors and thank you to everyone involved in making it such a memorable evening. We're already looking forward to next year's event!

10/07/2026

We are super excited for this evening's Cornwall Law Society Annual Gala Awards at Truro Cathedral! ✨

We're incredibly proud that Octo Financial Planning is sponsoring this fantastic event, which celebrates the outstanding work of the legal profession across Cornwall while raising vital funds for the Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust.

It promises to be a brilliant evening, and I'm looking forward to catching up with familiar faces and referral partners, and of course celebrating everyone's fantastic achievements.

Best of luck to all of tonight's finalists—I hope you all have a fantastic evening!

IndependentFinancialPlanning TruroCathedral

10/07/2026

We are super excited for this evening's Cornwall Law Society Annual Gala Awards at Truro Cathedral! ✨

We're incredibly proud that Octo Financial Planning is sponsoring this fantastic event, which celebrates the outstanding work of the legal profession across Cornwall while raising vital funds for the Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust.

It promises to be a brilliant evening, and I'm looking forward to catching up with familiar faces and referral partners, and of course celebrating everyone's fantastic achievements.

Best of luck to all of tonight's finalists—I hope you all have a fantastic evening!

05/07/2026

Are you coming to the Stithians Show?

The countdown is on, and we're delighted to be exhibiting this year!

If you're attending, please come and say hello 😁

We'll also have a few giveaways and a fun competition on the stand, so make sure you stop by and enter!

We are really looking forward to what promises to be a fantastic day and can't wait to meet so many new faces.

David Medland APFS Jodie Marie Grimsey

01/07/2026

I met with a local business owner recently who has spent the best part of thirty years building a very successful company. She has a good income, employs a team of local people and of course the business has become a huge part of her identity. Like many owners, she has worked countless hours, weekends and years of her life into making it what it is today.

The reason for the meeting was initially to discuss retirement planning, but it quickly became apparent that the pension wasn't the most valuable asset to her. The business was.

I asked roughly when she would like to retire. She knew she wanted to slow down over the next two years, she knew it would be hard to let go, but she definitely wasn’t keen on working full-time into her seventies. What she didn't know was how the transition from owner to retiree would actually happen.

Would the business be sold? If so, to whom? Would a family member take over? She didn’t think so. Would a management buyout be possible? What was the business realistically worth? Most importantly, would the proceeds be enough to support the retirement lifestyle she had in mind?

Business owners focus on growing a business, and naturally we don’t give the same level of attention to eventually leaving it. For many entrepreneurs, the business is not only their primary source of income but also their largest asset and, in some cases, their main retirement plan.

The challenge is that a business only becomes a retirement asset when someone is willing and able to buy it. Until then, much of its value remains tied up in the future, and so the owners keep working and then their retirement is delayed or postponed. Maybe next year?

We spent some time discussing what she wanted the next stage of life to look like. How much income would she need? Did she want to travel more? Spend time with grandchildren? Continue working in some capacity? What did financial independence actually mean to her?

By the end of the meeting, it became clear that business succession planning is really about creating a bridge between the life someone has spent decades building and the life they want to enjoy afterwards.

The most successful business exits rarely happen by accident. More often, they are the result of years of careful planning, preparation and honest conversations about the future. The earlier those conversations begin, the more options tend to be available when the time eventually comes.

24/06/2026

delighted to be featured in today's The Telegraph in the UK's top rated financial advisers guide with David Medland APFS Octo Financial Planning Ltd VouchedFor