Top Recommended HNW Wealth Managers

Former army captain James Campbell-Johnston is essentially paid to do all the worrying for clients. It’s no wonder that many of the HNWs he looks after have stuck with him since the dotcom bubble. ‘Those who have had investment portfolios with us for years tend to be less anxious than those who are newer to the investment world,’ he says.

He is one of Brewin Dolphin’s most experienced hands. Times may have changed since he first joined the firm back in 2000, but he says investment principles remain the same. ‘You have high-quality, well-diversified assets, you hold them for the long term, and you have a very good understanding of everything you hold.’

Campbell-Johnston, who has experience managing investment portfolios for private clients at Williams de Broe (he was part of the team that moved to Brewin Dolphin) and selling UK equities to institutions at Panmure Gordon, says there is no ‘secret formula’ to success in his field: ‘Just sensible, well thought-out, well-tested principles that have been used for a long time through many different market cycles, and I see no reason why they shouldn’t continue to work,’ he explains.

He believes that a good wealth manager should ‘spend as much time with clients’ as possible.

‘That’s the best way to run a business, and the best way of reducing risk,’ he concludes.