Smart Divorce began in February 2018. Since then, I have written a huge number of blogs, but it struck me today that I may not have introduced myself. I recently wrote my #thislittlegirlisme post on social media for the campaign to inspire girls and young women, which encouraged me to write this.
I am Tamsin, the eldest of two sisters born in Newcastle Under Lyme (near Stoke) in the 1970s to two teachers. We moved when I was barely a toddler to Sandbach in Cheshire and then to Derbyshire when I was 5. Our family were Quakers and so we were already different in the eyes of others. I am incredibly proud of my Quaker heritage. Although I am not practising, the values it taught still guide me today. Walking and hiking with my dad and my uncle were a big part of my childhood. In the last few years, I have returned to find joy from escaping to the hills.
Secondary school was a less happy time for me. I was bullied for where we lived, being bright and being spotty. Then, aged 12, my parents separated. It was less common in the 1980s than it is now. Whilst I never felt stigmatised, thinking back there were few of my friends whose parents were divorced. I mainly lived with my mum but spending two evenings a week with my dad. My parents didn’t manage to remain amicable, and I felt very much in the middle. This experience has been instrumental in a number of my decisions, not least the desire to help couples to part on reasonable terms.
I studied Maths, Statistics and Operational Research at university in Manchester. Finding a whole new life in the big city, in comparison with the small town I grew up in. I left university in 1995, not wanting to return to the countryside, I began work for Bass and spent the next few years managing various pubs and then a jacket potato shop!
I also met my husband. During this time, we bought a house. The process we went through with the mortgage adviser showed me a career that I really didn’t know existed. I went to college in the evenings to gain my first financial planning qualification. A few months later, I passed the paper and secured a job working as an estate agency based mortgage adviser.
Over the last 20+ years I have worked at only 4 financial advisory firms, big and small. With Smart Financial Planning (of which Smart Divorce is a part), I found my home. During this time, I have achieved title of Chartered Financial Planner, completed and successfully passed the Certified Financial Planning qualification, am a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society, am a Resolution Accredited Financial Planner and hold a Masters in Financial Planning and Business Management.
I have two older teenage children, who are my pride and joy. I am now a single mum. We managed to achieve a reasonably amicable divorce and are able to speak to each other to discuss the important issues that impact our children’s lives. We are also able to enjoy seeing our kids play sport, take part in shows and will be able to be in the same room for all the important days in their lives.
I now work with individuals, and sometimes couples, to help them to divide their finances to be able to divorce amicably. We often work as part of your divorce team, with your solicitor or mediator, divorce coach or therapist, to ensure that the right professional is providing their expertise at the right time.
If you would like to work with us, please arrange a free 15-minute initial call to see how we can help you using the link https://calendly.com/tamsin-caine/15min. If you feel that 15 minutes isn’t long enough, we can also offer a power hour for £250, which you can book using the link https://calendly.com/tamsin-caine/power-hour.