At its heart, financial planning should be about more than numbers on a spreadsheet. It should be about enabling people to live the life they truly want: to pursue their passions, spend time with loved ones, and create meaningful experiences. This philosophy lies at the core of the rockwealth approach, and nowhere is it better exemplified than in the story of James Curry, who leads the firm’s new Lake District operation.
James’s journey to the Lake District perfectly illustrates the transformative power of aligning your life with your values. It’s a principle he now helps clients achieve through expert financial planning.
If you’re ready to discover how specialist financial planning could help you live life to the full, secure in the knowledge that you won’t run out of money, contact James Curry at rockwealth Lake District to arrange an initial consultation.
The courage to follow your dreams
Living in Cheltenham, James and his wife were classic weekend warriors, escaping to the Lake District every bank holiday weekend and taking a couple of weeks each year to immerse themselves in the mountains they loved. “We’d always said we’d love to move up here one day if we could find work,” James recalls, “thinking this will probably be when we get near retirement, not something we could do anytime soon.”
Then COVID changed everything. With both working from home, they made a decision that many only dream about: “We both just decided to go, actually, let’s just move and we’ll figure the rest out later. I can always find another job, but it would mean a massive change to our lifestyle and an improvement in quality of life.”
The move in 2021 proved transformational. “Our quality of life has just improved so much since then,” James reflects. “I can go out in the morning before work and go swim in the lakes, or I can go run in the fells. It’s just a completely different way of life.”
This personal experience of taking control and designing a life around what truly matters shapes everything James does as a financial adviser. “I spend my time talking to clients about what they can do to live their best life,” says James. “So it would’ve been a bit hypocritical of me if I didn’t do the same.”
The pursuit of extraordinary challenges
Since moving to the Lake District, James has embraced the outdoor lifestyle wholeheartedly. He and his wife have completed the Wainwrights — all 214 fells described by legendary fell-walker Alfred Wainwright — and regularly explore the mountains with their dog Morris. But James has set his sights on an even more ambitious goal: the Bob Graham Round.
The Bob Graham Round represents one of the ultimate challenges in British fell running. This iconic 24-hour mountain challenge covers approximately 66 miles and involves a staggering 26,900 feet of ascent, only about 2,000 feet shy of the height of Mount Everest. The route takes in 42 of the Lake District’s most famous peaks, including Skiddaw, Helvellyn, Scafell Pike, and Great Gable.
Named after Bob Graham, a Keswick guest-house owner who first completed the challenge on his 42nd birthday in 1932, wearing plimsolls and fuelled by bread and butter, the round has become legendary. With approximately two out of every three attempts ending in failure, it’s widely considered an extreme endurance challenge that demands not just physical fitness but exceptional navigation skills and meticulous planning.
“I found a running coach a couple of years ago because I want to have a go at the Bob Graham Round,” James explains. “I kept getting injured and couldn’t figure out why, so I thought I’ll hire a coach with one remit: I want to be able to run long distances, ideally the Bob Graham in the future, but I want to stop being injured.”
The parallels between coaching and financial planning
James’s experience with his running coach has revealed striking parallels with the value of professional financial planning. “I think there are a lot of parallels between a running coach and a financial planner,” he observes. “Both help people work towards their set goals.”
The structure and accountability his coach provides mirrors what James offers his clients. “He gives me the structure and accountability I need. He’ll send me the plan a couple of weeks ahead of time – these are the runs you’re doing on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. When I do them, he tracks them and gives feedback.”
This system provides two crucial benefits that James recognises in his own work with clients. First, accountability: “It helps me get out the door in the morning when you look out and it’s lashing rain and there’s a storm blowing through. I’d have to tell him I didn’t go out because it was raining – well, I best go out there.”
Second, behavioural management: “He stops me getting too excited. A lot of the reason I kept getting injured was because I’d do a few good runs and think I should ramp up the distance a bit more, then get injured because I’ve gone too far, too fast. That’s very similar to the behavioural stuff we do with our clients, trying to keep them from getting too excited in one way or the other, keeping them on the plan.”
Perhaps most importantly, professional guidance frees up mental energy for what matters most. “Could I learn enough to train myself? Maybe I could read all the academic material on training methodology. Yes, I could probably do it, but is that how I want to spend my time? I’d absolutely rather go running in the fells.”
The same principle applies to financial planning: “He sends me a plan every couple of weeks and I can just look at it on a Monday morning and go, ‘right, that’s the one I’m doing today.’ I never have to think about it. Someone else is dealing with all of that for me, I just have to actually do it. That’s very similar to what we do with clients, it takes all that mental strain away.”
Building a business with purpose
James’s approach to building rockwealth Lake District reflects the same values-driven thinking that brought him to the region. Starting with a virtual office to keep costs low while establishing the business, his long-term vision includes opening a presence on Cockermouth High Street. “I do think there’s real value in being visible and being part of the local business community,” he explains.
His specialist expertise in care funding advice particularly suits the Lake District’s demographics and geography. “Generally for this kind of work, I’m typically dealing with children of clients, and these are normally spread all over the country, so a lot of my meetings tend to be over video calls rather than in-person in offices.”
James sees significant opportunity in offering true fixed-fee financial planning to the region. “There’s nothing similar in the local area, with most of the local advice firms being tied to accountancy practices or firms with their own investment managers.”
The joy of transformational work
What drives James’s passion for financial planning goes far beyond technical expertise or business success: it’s the profound impact on people’s lives. “I’m one of those people who’s very fortunate to love what I do,” he reflects. “I get to spend my time helping people live the life they want to live. That’s a fantastic job.”
His approach starts with fundamental questions about purpose and dreams: “I get to spend time talking to them about what do you want to do? What do you dream about doing? What would make your life better? What’s on that bucket list that you haven’t done yet? Then helping them work out how to pay for it and saying, ‘right, you can afford it. When are you booking those plane tickets? When are you making that move to the house in the place you really want to move to?’ Then you get to watch that happen and see the quality of their life improve.”
This philosophy extends to his annual practice with his wife: “We ask each other about once a year if there’s anything we regret having not done, and I find this is a good way to keep us on track. Our aim is to live a life where we have no regrets. We are doing everything that we want to do as fast as we reasonably can and living the best life we can.”
Creating your own transformation
James’s story – from weekend escapes to full-time Lake District living, from injury-prone running to structured training for one of Britain’s toughest challenges – illustrates the power of proper planning combined with the courage to pursue what truly matters.
Through specialist financial planning, he helps others achieve similar transformations. Whether it’s the farming family wanting to preserve their legacy for future generations, the couple discovering they can retire immediately, or the family navigating care funding decisions during difficult times, James brings both technical expertise and a deep understanding of what it means to design a life around your values.
IFA and Financial Adviser in the Lake District, Cumbria
rockwealth Lake District is an evidence-based and fixed-fee Independent Financial Adviser situated in the Lake District.Interested to work with us?: Begin your financial journey with us through an Initial Discovery Consultation, completely free of charge and without any obligation.
Discover us at: rockwealth Lake District, Victoria Hall, High Sand Lane, Cockermouth, CA13 9NA.