How Mutual Plans Became an Indispensable Extension of
Redpool’s Financial Planning Team
For more than a decade, Redpool’s Director and Senior Financial Partner, Chris Angel, has relied on Mutual Plans as a core operational partner for paraplanning. What began as a search for a reliable paraplanner became a long-standing strategic partnership built on trust, consistency, and shared professional values.
Before Mutual Plans, Chris worked with another paraplanner who let him down a couple of times by not being able to deal with complex strategies and regularly running late on turn around times. Chris said. “It was a huge problem for me, both in terms of my reputation and ability to secure and attract bigger clients.”
The fallout meant that it became clear that Chris needed:
- A paraplanner who could handle complex modelling and strategy
- A partner who was transparent about capabilities and limitations
- Reliable delivery, especially on high-stakes cases
- A long-term collaborator, not a transactional vendor
This is the gap Mutual Plans stepped into.
Chris Angel
Director & Senior Financial Planner
The Solution: A Relationship Built on Reliability, Capability & Trust
Immediate Confidence from Day One
Chris was introduced to Silvia Wade (Mutual Plans founder) through an AMP BDM. Even in her early days operating her business solo, she made a strong impression through:
- Clear communication
- A willingness to discuss and understand complex scenarios
- Honest, transparent expectations
- Fair and consistent pricing
Chris decided to “give it a test run,” and the partnership has continued ever since.
“She does what she says she will do, and that reliability with turnaround is important to me.”
Excellence in Handling Complex Cases
Chris explained that he regularly attracts more complicated financial planning work, requiring:
- Deep capability using modelling software
- Strong understanding of financial strategies
- Ability to translate complexity into workable, compliant advice
Mutual Plans’ team, including Wade’s senior staff, as Mutual Plans has grown as an organisation, has consistently delivered on this.
“Some of my cases are pretty full on,” Chris said. “We would talk about it up front to make sure we know what we’re doing, and it’s still delivered on time.”
A True Strategic Partnership
Today, Mutual Plans is more than just an outsourcing function for Redpool’s operational fabric – Wade and her team have become an important strategic partner and asset.
“I consider Silvia to be an extension of my team,” Chris said.
He trusts Silvia’s judgement, and Silvia trusts his. The relationship includes:
- Open two-way communication
- Discussing complex cases early
- The openness to call or texting on weekends when necessary
- Proactive collaboration on best-fit strategies
Chris even registers Silvia as a Redpool employee when attending professional education days to ensure she earns CPD credits.
“I certainly wouldn’t do that for any old person, and let them represent my company like that,” Angel said. “I’m very appreciative and grateful of the relationship we have.”
An Outsourcing Partner That Feels In-House
When asked whether he’d ever considered bringing paraplanning in-house, Chris’s response was immediate: “No. Then it becomes my problem.”
He has spent the last two years simplifying and “decluttering” his business to:
- Improve profitability
- Free up more of his own time
- Reduce operational risk
Mutual Plans supports this vision by providing:
- Dependability
- Consistency
- Specialised capability
- Relief from recruitment, training, and management burden
In short, Mutual Plans helps Redpool stay lean while still operating at a high level.
The Results: Stability, Client Service Quality & Decade-Long Continuity
1. 10+ Years of Continuous Partnership
In a market where professional relationships often last only a few years, this longevity is exceptional.
“Ten plus years is definitely a long business relationship, especially these days with how transactional business can be,” Chris said.
2. Consistent, On-Time Delivery—Every Time
Since their very first job, Mutual Plans has never failed a deadline. For Chris and Redpool, this is essential, as:
- His own clients expect reliability
- Any delay can affect revenue and reputation
- Predictability enables better scheduling and better service
3. Reduced Operational Stress
With a dependable paraplanner, Redpool avoids:
- Emergency last-minute scrambling
- Fixing incomplete or incorrect plans
- Vetting or onboarding new paraplanners
- Internal overhead
- Workflow instability
Essentially, Chris knows that when a case, be it simple or complex, goes to Mutual Plans, it will be handled correctly.
4. A Better Client Experience
By keeping Redpool stable, Mutual Plans indirectly ensures Redpool’s clients receive:
- Accurate modelling
- Well-structured advice
- Timely service
- Confidence in their planner’s professionalism
5. A Partnership Built on Human Qualities
Chris stresses that financial planning is ultimately a service and experience business.
Clients invest in trust and dependability. It’s the same standard he expects from his paraplanner. “Sticking with what you know is dependable and reliable lets you deliver a better service,” he said.
In other words: Mutual Plans strengthens Redpool’s ability to serve and maintain its own long-term clients.
Mutual Plans Is More Than a Supplier. It Is a Trusted Partner in Redpool’s Success
Mutual Plans has become embedded in the operational DNA of Redpool’s financial planning practice. Through:
- Over a decade of consistent delivery
- A deep understanding of complex modelling
- Shared professional values
- Open communication
- Strategic collaboration
This partnership demonstrates what paraplanning can achieve when it moves beyond transactional outsourcing and becomes a true extension of an advice business.
For Chris Angel, the value is clear: “I acknowledge the impact that her role has on my business, and I cherish that.”