We’re thrilled to have reached a huge milestone, as 2025 marks 30 years since Goodmans was launched as a business. To kickstart our year of celebrations, we reflect on how we’ve grown and where it all began.
Three decades in a nutshell
Founded by David Goodman in 1995, what started with one man and a few clients is now a growing community of 19 team members and around 500 client families!
From one office in Plymouth – which remains our base to this day – we now have homes in Exeter and Bristol too, providing financial advice and pensions, investments and tax planning services throughout the South West and beyond.
We gained our Chartered Financial Planning firm status in 2016, demonstrating that our team meets the highest professional standards. And by becoming an employee-owned business in 2023, we cemented our values, culture and independence for the future.
While we may have grown a lot over the years, one thing that hasn’t changed is our commitment to putting clients first.
We’re especially proud to say that some of our clients have been with us since those early days, and many others for a decade or more. As a team that really values close and lasting relationships, that means a lot to us. It's also a pleasure to support the next generations as our clients' families evolve.
We’re especially proud to say that some of our clients have been with us since those early days.
As we begin to reflect on our journey, we’d like to thank all our clients, old and new, for entrusting us to help them achieve their goals and enjoy the lifestyles they deserve.
So how did we get here?
Our origin story
You could say that the seeds of Goodmans were sown back in 1991 when David Goodman was looking for a fresh challenge after a long and successful career in the Royal Navy. Back on home ground in Plymouth, wanting to still serve the community in some way, he joined Save & Prosper to learn all about the world of investments, pensions and financial services.
In 1995 David branched out on his own and set up Goodmans... but he wanted to do things a bit differently to most. At a time when many adviser recommendations were driven by incentives from financial providers, David chose to focus, first and foremost, on the needs of the client. “I felt that clients should be treated with integrity and in a manner in which I would expect to be treated”, he explains.
So it was that Goodmans became one of the first Independent Financial Planning firms in Plymouth to become a fee-based practice, working for clients, not for commission from insurance companies.
For the next 15 years, David provided life-focused financial planning advice to individuals and families in the Plymouth area, making some good friends along the way. But, after years of helping clients enjoy early retirement and reclaim their time, it was time for him to do the same.
David happily retired in 2010 after selling his business to Andrew Moore, a fellow Plymouth adviser who shared the same client-first philosophy. “I was pleased to hand over to Andrew and a new generation”, David explains, “safe in the knowledge that the ethics and ethos of Goodmans as a firm would continue.”
"I was pleased to hand over... safe in the knowledge that the ethics and ethos of Goodmans as a firm would continue."
And continue it has!
Today’s technology and investment options may be a world away from those early days, but Goodmans' core founding values of integrity and doing what’s right for clients remain.
Over the next 10 years, David kept a hand in the business as Chair of our Investment Committee before retiring (for the final time!) in 2024. Now he’s still very much involved as a client and member of the Goodmans community – this time as a ‘civilian'!
Thank you, David, for launching the good ship Goodmans and being a key part of our journey. Long may she sail!
Over the year, we’ll be marking our 30th birthday in a series of articles, videos and events that celebrate the Goodmans community and what good financial planning can help you achieve. Watch this space!
