Thoroughly independent financial advice, focused on you and your ambitions
We make sure that your money is always in the right place at the right time, working as hard as it can to support your future goals. We offer clear, unbiased advice and full implementation of your personalised financial plan, helping you and your loved ones to enjoy the best possible quality of life, both now and into the future
About Richard
Richard began his financial services career in 2008 with the UK arm of a major US wealth manager where he trained and qualified as both a Stockbroker and an Independent Financial Adviser, dividing his time between his home in Devon and a head office in London.
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Richard then chose to focus on financial advice, continued his studies and went on to attain Chartered Financial Planner status with the Personal Finance Society in 2015.
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For six years he was an Independent Financial Adviser and a senior member of the personal financial planning team at PKF-Francis Clark, the largest Chartered Accountants in the South West, where he headed the department in their Plymouth office. He also worked as the Financial Planning Director in the Exeter office of Investec, a major global wealth manager & private bank, providing advice to high net worth clients with complex needs.
Following further experience at Centurion Chartered Financial Planners, a highly respected independent firm, he founded ClearView Wealth in 2024.
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Richard lives in Sidmouth with his wife April and their two cats. Richard and April love exploring this beautiful area of the country together as well as regularly venturing abroad. Richard is a keen rugby fan and season ticket holder at the Exeter Chiefs.
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Professional Memberships and Qualifications
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​​Chartered Fellow of the Personal Finance Society
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Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments
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Affiliate Member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)
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Chartered Financial Planner
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PFS Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning
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Certificates in Long Term Care Advice, Securities, Mortgage Advice and Equity Release
​"Independence is the key to getting the best possible result for our clients.
We believe that genuine independence means taking ownership of your choices and actions, ensuring that you stay true to yourself and to your values. For us this meant creating a financial advisory business free from the influence of banks, insurers, investment providers or third party owners. This ensures that we have no product to sell other than the best possible advice that we can provide to our clients."
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Richard Wright
Chartered Financial Planner and Founding Director
Craig Richards
Independent Financial Adviser and Director
About Craig
Craig has over 30 years of experience in the financial services sector. He began his career as an office clerk at a well-known bank before moving on to work with several major life assurance companies. He later transitioned into advisory roles, starting as a Mortgage & Protection Adviser with a prominent independent financial advisory firm in the Bath/Bristol area. He subsequently qualified as an Independent Financial Adviser.
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Throughout his career, Craig has undertaken extensive professional training and holds a Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning. He is also fully accredited by the Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA) in Care Planning, Equity Release and Retirement Planning.
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Known for his friendly and patient approach, Craig is committed to putting clients first. He takes his time to understand each client's unique circumstances and objectives in order to recommend the most suitable solutions. Clear, honest communication is at the heart of his advice, ensuring clients feel confident and fully informed at every stage.
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Outside of work, Craig is a devoted family man who enjoys spending time with his wife and children.
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​Professional Memberships & Qualifications
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Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning
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Certificate in Equity Release
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Award in Long Term Care Insurance
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Certificate in Life & Pensions
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Member of the Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA)
Our Services
Retirement and Pensions
Comprehensive retirement and pension planning to help you achieve your financial goals post-retirement. Secure your future with tax-efficient strategies tailored to your needs. Review where you are and what your retirement will look like. Have you saved enough and how will you generate income? We can help you to answer these questions and more.
Financial Planning for Business Owners
Joined up financial planning to benefit you and your business. Working with your legal and accountancy professionals if you have them, or recommending them for you if you don't, we can:
​1. Help you to tax efficiently extract capital.
2. Put your business's cash to work.
3. Protect you and your business's future.
4. Plan for your financial future when you exit.
Tax efficient investment
Maximise your investment returns while minimising tax implications. We will help you to navigate through tax-efficient investment options to grow your wealth effectively. Using all of the available tax allowances and the most appropriate investment wrappers we will help you to minimise the tax-drag on your savings.
Inheritance tax planning
Expert guidance on minimising inheritance tax liabilities and ensuring smooth wealth transfer to future generations. Secure your family's financial legacy with our specialised planning services. Contact us for a free introductory meeting covering how Inheritance Tax works, the available allowances and possible mitigation strategies.
Care planning
Clear, practical advice to help you use your assets and savings to cover care fees, with a focus on meeting long-term needs. At the same time, we help protect your estate to give your chosen beneficiaries the greatest possible chance of receiving their intended inheritance. Together, we will build a plan that supports your care throughout your life whilst aiming to preserve your legacy.
Equity release
Equity release can be a valuable way to access funds later in life, but it’s important to understand the full picture. We offer independent advice tailored to your financial circumstances, preferences, and objectives. If a lifetime mortgage is suitable *, we research the market to recommend a lender and product that meets your needs. Our aim is to help you make well-informed decisions with confidence and clarity.
* Equity release isn’t right for everyone, there are positives and negatives, and careful consideration is vital to ensure it is a suitable option for your individual circumstances.
Our 5 Step Advice Process
Hover over each step to learn more
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1: Getting to know you
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We begin the financial planning process with an introductory meeting at our cost. During the meeting we will explore your values, ambitions, and what matters the most to you. We’ll discuss how we can help you to achieve your goals and agree the scope of the work that you'd like us to do for you.
Following the meeting we'll write to you summarising our chat and confirming our charges and terms. We'll then leave you to come back to us with any queries, amendments or to give your instructions to proceed - as and when you are ready.
3: Your plan explained
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Having devised a plan, we then meet with you to run through the recommendation report. We will explain each aspect in simple terms, as well as the reasoning behind every decision. This is your chance to ask questions and to make sure we’re on the same page. Having had as much time as you need to consider the plan and only when you are 100% happy we can then
implement the recommendations for you.
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2: Research and Analysis
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Having been instructed to begin work and after establishing all of the details, we conduct thorough research and analysis to produce a planning report that outlines the optimal strategy for achieving your financial goals. We’re independent financial advisers, which means our recommendations can be drawn from across the entire spectrum of potential solutions from any provider, without bias.
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4: Implementation
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We will pre-prepare any necessary paperwork, talk through each form and submit any applications on
your behalf.
Once submitted we will communicate regularly with you and any third party provider until the accounts are up and running and any investments are live.
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5: Ongoing Review
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"No plan survives first contact with the enemy"
It's important to keep your plan on track, making sure that changes in the tax environment, regulation, the markets or your circumstances are taken into account, with revisions to your plan being made as needed. We'd suggest at least an annual meeting and review as well as retaining our services for queries throughout the year, but we will agree a plan that suits you.