The word finance can scare people and the thought of arranging your finances can seem like a daunting task, however, one Wicklow businesswoman is determined to change that.
Simone McCann is a financial adviser with Acorn Life DAC, which provides Protection, Savings, Pensions and Investment products specifically designed for the Irish market to its customers.
In Simone’s role she can offer advice on their protection products including income protection in the event of death or illness, advice on pension options suitable to you, and offer advice on saving plans or investments.
“I started this business at the beginning of Covid and the start of the shut down so I had to put the agency on hold for that summer,” Simone told WicklowNews.Net.
She wants to help people become more comfortable when it comes to all things finance.
“It’s always just that ick and uncomfortable feeling that people have when it comes to finance and when I use that world ‘ick’ to speak about it people can relate to it and understand what that feeling is,” Mrs McCann explained.
She continued: “It is something I want to take away. I think people should be more comfortable in talking about their finances and that people have an understanding of it all and that they are set up.
“Really I just want people to do the best with what they have and I think most people are but I hope I can bring a bit of clarity and make the process a bit more simple.”
“I was like a lot of people and thought I never needed a financial advisor but after starting this journey I now believe everyone needs a good financial advisor and an understanding of what they already have in place or what’s available to them”
Simone’s passion for her job stems from experiencing loss at a very young age and she is acutely aware of how important financial security is.
“My father passed away very young and left my mother a widow at 31 and she had three young kids, but they had mortgage protection back then and my dad worked in the bank so my mum gets that pension to this day,” she said.
“As a mum myself now I don’t know how she managed, but I do actually, and I think about what our lives would have looked like if she didn’t have those two products in place; the mortgage protection and the pension.”
She added: “I want to make people aware but without scaring people but your financial future is something you need to think about, especially young people because it is very affordable and doesn’t have to be expensive.”
Simone is apart of the Wicklow branch of Network Ireland and was a finalist in their recent Businesswoman of the Year Awards 2022 in the Power Within Champion & Employee Rising Star categories.
Speaking about reaching the final, Mrs McCann said: “It’s surprising but I’m absolutely delighted. I suppose I never really knew about the world of networking, I worked in the corporate world and then I guess I found this other world which is just amazing.
“I started working with Acorn Life DAC as a Financial Agent and of course I needed to make my business sustainable and quickly realised I would need to start networking and started talking to more people.
“I got introduced to Network Ireland by somebody and then I went on a one-to-one with the former President and she just sold it to me immediately.
“It’s a group of amazing women and what is so great about Network Ireland is that you actually have access to all the members who are always there to help you.”
When asked what advice she’d give to WicklowNews.Net readers, Simone said: “Reach out to a financial advisor and ask yourself what do you want, what do you want from life or to do, and then we look at how to do that.
“I suppose I’m the Google Maps of this all, where as I help you get from where you are to where you want to be and to give you advice in relation to things I think you should know about.”
If you have a company pension, Simone stresses to join it straight away.
“If I had have had someone like me now to talk to when I was starting out I would be in a much better place,” she concludes.
::To contact Simone McCann of Acorn Life DAC, you can call on 0872032446
Simone McCann is a Tied Agent of Acorn Life DAC
Simone McCann is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland
Acorn Life DAC is regulated by Central Bank of Ireland
