James “JB” Beck

Associate Planner

Contact
646 970-4003 james.beck@planfirstwealth.com
Qualifications

James’s introduction to financial planning came in the form of work experience with a friend’s dad, an independent financial adviser (IFA). This mentor later introduced James to Riverfall Financial, where he became a graduate adviser, qualifying within a year.

While at Riverfall, James undertook training including Paul Armson’s “bucket” approach, Bill Bachrach’s values-based model, and Andy Hart’s cashflow modelling – all key to the planning-led approach to advice he follows today.

After a chance meeting at a conference, James then joined Fiscal Engineers as a paraplanner, progressing to adviser and then head of financial planning. He continued learning, undertaking the CEG Elite Wealth Manager program and training with industry leading lights Steve Martin and Damien Rylatt.

At Fiscal Engineers, James specialised in working with business owners about to or in the process of selling their business, helping them manage this transition and working closely with corporate finance advisers and other professionals in this process. James also looked after a lot of current and former KPMG partners. James helped to create and grow the firm’s graduate programme, and was part of the management team involved in transitioning the firm to be private equity-owned, having helped to grow from 20 heads and £300m in assets under management (AUM) to 50 heads and £1 billion AUM.

In this same period, financial planning changed Jame’s own life when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in late 2021 while the couple were in the process of completing on their dream home. Thanks to a critical illness policy and income protection, which the pair knew were important thanks to James’s work as an adviser, they were able to continue with that purchase and focus on treatment without worrying about finances. James’s wife got the all-clear in 2023.

This period shaped James’s outlook on life and passion for what he does, and is why he decided to move to the US. After an 18-month approval process, James moved across the pond in December 2025.

Over summer 2026 before joining Plan First Wealth, James worked with a growing, owner-led financial planning firm to run a diagnostic of the firm and facilitate the implementation of new systems to help build the infrastructure for scaling their business.

Professionally...

The proudest moment of my career was…

Being in the Citywire’s Top 35 Next Generation UK Advisers list.

The three things I love most about my job are…

Helping clients fulfil their life ambitions, making the complex simple and understandable for clients, and building meaningful long-term relationships with both clients and colleagues.

The types of people I most enjoy working with are…

Ambitious, open-minded people who have complex financial affairs and want to delegate their planning to a professional, so they can focus on enjoying what they’ve worked so hard to build.

James spends most of his time outside of work with his wife Laura, their Old English Bulldog Ruby, and his family. They’ll often be hiking, travelling, or eating out together, and their latest adventure is exploring the US in an RV to see where they want to put down roots.

James is into fitness and running, and will usually have either a Hyrox race or running event booked in the diary.

James also enjoys reading and listening to autobiographies of elite athletes and entrepreneurs.

Not many people know that James can juggle, and has two middle names, Thomas and Milton. He also unintentionally helped break the world record for the most pancakes eaten in a day when visiting Santa Monica Pier in LA.

Personally...

On an ideal weekend, you can find me…

Exploring a new place with my wife and our dog Ruby.

My favourite holiday destination is…

Japan, where we had our honeymoon – a beautiful, serene country with a rich history and culture, and amazing food!

My favourite song to play in the car is…

‘Under The Bridge’ by Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The first album I bought was…

Arctic Monkeys, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.

If I could be any fictional character, I would be…

Batman.

If I could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, I would win a medal in…

Naming flags.

When the dessert menu arrives, I’m looking for…

Anything with chocolate.

The three qualities that draw me to new people are…

Curiosity, quick-wittedness, and energy.

My pet peeve is…

That everything in the supermarket is labelled as high protein!

The best gift I’ve ever received is…

A flag puzzle when I was five – flags stuck with me ever since!

The three people at my dream dinner party would be…

Charles Darwin, Winston Churchill, and my grandad.

The three small things that make my day better are…

My wife, my dog, and coffee.

Three things I haven’t done so far include…

Walking the Inca trail, completing an Ironman race, and visiting the Galapagos Islands.

Meet the rest of us

Qualifications

  • Level 4 Diploma in Financial Planning

    This qualification assesses a knowledge and understanding of the UK Financial services, regulation and ethics, investment principles and risk, personal taxation, pensions and retirement planning, financial protection and financial planning practice.

  • Level 6 Diploma in Financial Planning

    This qualification enables professional advisers to develop specialist planning capabilities, covering topics such as personal tax and trust, business financial, pension and investment planning.

  • DipFA Diploma for Financial Advisers

    This diploma is a high-quality route for meeting the standards required to provide financial advice. The programme is designed to reflect the role of an IFA, providing individuals with a thorough understanding of the profession and practical skills to apply in practice.

  • FSRE Financial Services, Regulation and Ethics

    This qualification delivers a comprehensive introduction to the UK financial services and focuses on the environment, key components and interrelationships of the financial system, and legal concepts relevant to retail financial advice. It appears in the apprenticeship standards for the Financial Services Administrator and the Compliance / Risk Officer.

  • AFAT Advanced Financial Advice – Taxation

    This module builds your understanding of the UK taxation system and equips you to analyse the tax treatment of individuals and trusts when advising on investments.

  • AFAI Advanced Financial Advice – Investments

    Explore the economic impact of investments, investment products, and theories, preparing you to guide clients in achieving their financial goals.

  • AFAP Advanced Financial Advice – Protection

    Learn about the importance of financial protection. You’ll cover state benefits, protection policies, and how to identify and address clients' protection needs and priorities effectively.

  • AFAR Advanced Financial Advice – Retirement Planning

    Gain a thorough understanding of retirement planning, including state pensions, taxation, and the structure of defined-benefit (DB) and defined-contribution (DC) schemes, so you can effectively advise clients on their retirement options.

  • AFAC Advanced Financial Advice – Coursework

    Through this coursework module, you’ll develop your ability to provide effective financial planning by gathering and analysing client information, and applying knowledge from previous modules to create and communicate tailored solutions.

  • PETR Award in Pension Transfers

    This single module qualification attains the required knowledge and practical skills to excel when guiding clients on the pension transfer marketplace.

  • AF4 Investment Planning

    This examination assesses the candidate to develop in depth financial planning skills related to investments and the management of investment portfolios.

  • AF5 Financial Planning Process

    This examination assesses the candidate to develop an understanding of the financial planning process when giving advice to clients.

  • AF8 Retirement Income Planning

    By successfully completing this qualification an adviser can demonstrate the advanced skills needed for advising on income planning to those in and approaching retirement.

  • CF1 UK Financial Services, Regulation, and Ethics

    This examination develops understanding of the financial services industry including regulation and legislation.

  • J10 Discretionary Investment Management

    At the end of this unit candidates should be able to analyse and apply financial information and portfolio management skills.

  • J12 Securities Advice and Dealing

    This qualification develops knowledge and understanding of the features and risks of different securities, the structure and features of the securities market and relevant factors and considerations for appropriate investment recommendations.

  • R01 Financial Services, Regulation and Ethics

    This qualification assesses a knowledge and understanding of the financial services industry, including regulation, legislation and the Code of Ethics.

  • R02 Investment Principles

    This qualification assesses a knowledge and understanding of investment products and the application of the investment advice process.

  • R03 Personal Taxation

    This qualification assesses a knowledge and understanding of the UK taxation system, and the ability to analyse the taxation treatment of individuals and trusts during the investment advice process.

  • R04 Pensions and Retirement Planning

    This qualification assesses a knowledge and understanding of an ability to analyse pension and retirement planning issues.

  • R05 Financial Protection

    This qualification assesses a knowledge and understanding of an ability to analyse financial protection planning issues.

  • R06 Financial Planning Practice

    This qualification helps advisers develop and demonstrate their financial planning capabilities.

  • BSc (Hons) Mathematics (First Class), University of Nottingham

Qualifications

  • Level 4 Diploma in Financial Planning

    This qualification assesses a knowledge and understanding of the UK Financial services, regulation and ethics, investment principles and risk, personal taxation, pensions and retirement planning, financial protection and financial planning practice.

  • Level 6 Diploma in Financial Planning

    This qualification enables professional advisers to develop specialist planning capabilities, covering topics such as personal tax and trust, business financial, pension and investment planning.

  • DipFA Diploma for Financial Advisers

    This diploma is a high-quality route for meeting the standards required to provide financial advice. The programme is designed to reflect the role of an IFA, providing individuals with a thorough understanding of the profession and practical skills to apply in practice.

  • FSRE Financial Services, Regulation and Ethics

    This qualification delivers a comprehensive introduction to the UK financial services and focuses on the environment, key components and interrelationships of the financial system, and legal concepts relevant to retail financial advice. It appears in the apprenticeship standards for the Financial Services Administrator and the Compliance / Risk Officer.

  • AFAT Advanced Financial Advice – Taxation

    This module builds your understanding of the UK taxation system and equips you to analyse the tax treatment of individuals and trusts when advising on investments.

  • AFAI Advanced Financial Advice – Investments

    Explore the economic impact of investments, investment products, and theories, preparing you to guide clients in achieving their financial goals.

  • AFAP Advanced Financial Advice – Protection

    Learn about the importance of financial protection. You’ll cover state benefits, protection policies, and how to identify and address clients' protection needs and priorities effectively.

  • AFAR Advanced Financial Advice – Retirement Planning

    Gain a thorough understanding of retirement planning, including state pensions, taxation, and the structure of defined-benefit (DB) and defined-contribution (DC) schemes, so you can effectively advise clients on their retirement options.

  • AFAC Advanced Financial Advice – Coursework

    Through this coursework module, you’ll develop your ability to provide effective financial planning by gathering and analysing client information, and applying knowledge from previous modules to create and communicate tailored solutions.

  • PETR Award in Pension Transfers

    This single module qualification attains the required knowledge and practical skills to excel when guiding clients on the pension transfer marketplace.

  • AF4 Investment Planning

    This examination assesses the candidate to develop in depth financial planning skills related to investments and the management of investment portfolios.

  • AF5 Financial Planning Process

    This examination assesses the candidate to develop an understanding of the financial planning process when giving advice to clients.

  • AF8 Retirement Income Planning

    By successfully completing this qualification an adviser can demonstrate the advanced skills needed for advising on income planning to those in and approaching retirement.

  • CF1 UK Financial Services, Regulation, and Ethics

    This examination develops understanding of the financial services industry including regulation and legislation.

  • J10 Discretionary Investment Management

    At the end of this unit candidates should be able to analyse and apply financial information and portfolio management skills.

  • J12 Securities Advice and Dealing

    This qualification develops knowledge and understanding of the features and risks of different securities, the structure and features of the securities market and relevant factors and considerations for appropriate investment recommendations.

  • R01 Financial Services, Regulation and Ethics

    This qualification assesses a knowledge and understanding of the financial services industry, including regulation, legislation and the Code of Ethics.

  • R02 Investment Principles

    This qualification assesses a knowledge and understanding of investment products and the application of the investment advice process.

  • R03 Personal Taxation

    This qualification assesses a knowledge and understanding of the UK taxation system, and the ability to analyse the taxation treatment of individuals and trusts during the investment advice process.

  • R04 Pensions and Retirement Planning

    This qualification assesses a knowledge and understanding of an ability to analyse pension and retirement planning issues.

  • R05 Financial Protection

    This qualification assesses a knowledge and understanding of an ability to analyse financial protection planning issues.

  • R06 Financial Planning Practice

    This qualification helps advisers develop and demonstrate their financial planning capabilities.

  • BSc (Hons) Mathematics (First Class), University of Nottingham

CFP® CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification is the standard for financial planning. CFP® professionals meet rigorous education, training and ethical standards, and commit to CFP Board to serve their clients’ best interests.

MCSI Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment

The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) is a global professional body that sets the highest standards of professional excellence in a broad range of financial services disciplines. Full membership is for members with significant experience of the profession and currently in or looking to progress to senior positions.

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