One product now seems more important than ever…
As mortgage broker Lea Bragagnini prepares to grow her business, Your Family Asset, she’s returning to the public arena of financial services, having kept a relatively low profile over the past decade following the death of her husband Gregg Taylor, who was himself a well-known figure within the industry.
Essex-based Bragagnini (pictured) was - in her own words - “in the most unimaginable place in her life, unexpectedly”, following the sudden passing of Taylor, who was managing director of Thinc Group, and only in his early 50s when he died.
Left with a family to care for, Bragagnini essentially worked quietly as a sole trader in the intervening years for some private clients and sold her previous successful concern, Bragagnini Associates. Now, having moved back to the UK from Spain, she’s very much front and centre of her current enterprise. Your Family Asset offers whole of market mortgage advice, as well as life insurance, critical illness cover, business protection, will writing and estate planning services. Bragagnini is hoping to boost her team from three to 10 by the end of the year, and is preparing to open her new office in Leigh-on-Sea.
“When Gregg died, my son was six-years-old,” she told Mortgage Introducer. “So, I had to really focus on him, and that's what prompted me to sell the business because I was going back and forth for board meetings and everything else. It was just too much for me at that time. I feel like I'm ready to grow a practice now, rather than it just being just me.”
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Bragagnini plans to set up a venture called Widow’s Wealth, because there was very little financial advice for someone in her position. Certainly, her experience over the past decade has given her a new perspective on the protection she arranges for clients. “I'm a firm believer in life insurance,” she said. “I received a payout from Gregg's plan. We practiced what we preached, though I never, ever thought I would in that position. When I speak to clients about protection needs now, I tell them straight, that gave me choices. Your experiences do change you, I do believe that. Our ethos is build, protect, pass on, and that has come from my personal experience.”
Bragagnini’s award-winning career spans over 25 years in financial services. She worked in retail at Harrods until her mother’s friend, who had a position at Allied Dunbar, suggested she send in her CV – which then became her entry into the profession. She would later establish her own mortgage practice Bragagnini Associates, which she managed and grew to 23 staff, before eventually selling it. Now, she’s hoping to repeat her success. “I've done it before, so I think, yes, let's go for it,” she said. “I think I'll always be involved in in looking after people, because that's how I see it. You're looking after people - that's my ethos and I'm really happy doing that.”
As she looks to expand her staff, Bragagnini is clear about what she’s looking for in a good broker. “Your personality,” she said. “People buy people. I think a bad broker is all about the sale, and it's not about the sale at all. These are people's lives. We're looking after people's whole lives here, and we can make such a big difference. We can create family wealth, we can show people different ways of building wealth, whether it's property or investment plans or whatever it looks like, and it's about getting to know your client. I'm a great believer in that - most of my clients are friends. We find out so much about them and we're just ourselves. You can only be yourself – if people like you, they'll stay with you. Obviously your knowledge has to be up to date, and that's a big part of the business - being confident enough to advise people.”
Has Bragagnini noticed many changes in the industry, since coming back into the main fray, as it were? “Without a shadow of a doubt, compliance is a big part of everyday life now,” she observed, “whereas once upon a time it wasn't such a big thing. The changes we've seen over the years have been incredible and there's definitely many more to come. So, adaptability would be my keyword.”
