“The service I’ve received is 100%”

Hi, I'm Romano Valente, I'm 57 years of age. I've lived in Fife all my life and up till two years ago I worked in the family business in Kirkcaldy and now I'm a golf caddy at Kingsbarns.

Our family business was a fish and chip shop with my sister and my father, who is now 92.

Two years ago my sister says to me, "Romano, look I want to retire, "do you fancy keeping the business on?". To that point, when my sister asked me, I says, "No, I would rather come out also."

About 30 years ago my father advised me and my sister to pay into a pension.

Over the 30 years paying into the pension before becoming semi-retired, I didn't how much money I would need. So I spoke to pension advice and they said I need a financial adviser.

So I phoned up Friends Life, who is now Aviva, and then that's how I got to meet Mark. It's like I've known him all my life and he talked me through everything and it's amazing.

Took that lump sum out, paid off my mortgage and I've even repaired my car. I chose an annual review with Mark each year because my financial situation is changing.

So I enjoy Mark coming each year and he'll go through everything to see what is best for me again.

And I hope to be caddying for maybe the next 15 years.

If I didn't have a financial adviser, I don't how I'd have went about to do what I'm doing today.

Just having that annual review with Mark, I don't think I could have done it without Mark coming to the house each year, it's just amazing. And it's just given me confidence, the service I've received is just 100%, 10 out of 10, can't fault it.

If I could roll back the years, being back to being 20, now knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have realised that just taking out a pension and working hard and paying into it, that there is a reward at the end of the day 'cause I have that reward now.