November 2023 marks the 125th birthday (and the 60th anniversary of the death) of CS Lewis.

Clive Staples Lewis was a writer and lay theologian most famous for his seven stories for children – beginning with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950) – that comprised his biblical allegory The Chronicles of Narnia.

As the cold nights draw in and you rummage in the back of your bedroom closet for a thick fur coat, stay alert for the eerie glow of a lamppost. 

You might not find yourself in the land where it’s always winter but never Christmas, but there could be some important lessons the Pevensie children’s adventures can teach you about your finances.

Keep reading for just three of them. 

1. It’s important to seek guidance and help if you need it

The world of finance, like the world of Narnia, can be complex and – without the proper guidance – perilous. 

When Lucy Pevensie first steps through the professor’s wardrobe she encounters the charming Faun, Mr Tumnus, who soon betrays her. The first Narnian encountered by Edmund, meanwhile, is the scheming White Witch.

Aslan, the Christ-like lion, becomes the children’s guide and is summoned (in times of great need) by Susan’s horn, gifted to her by Father Christmas. Later, eldest brother and High King, Peter takes on the leadership role.

Throughout the seven novels, Aslan returns to offer guidance to those who need it and yet each sibling (and later their cousin and other protagonists) all have their own strengths.

It’s important to know what your strengths are. Not only does this give you confidence in those matters, but it also highlights the areas where you are not so strong, allowing you the space to seek help when you need it. 

Inheritance Tax (IHT) planning, changing pension rules and legislation, and the ups and downs of investment can all be incredibly complicated. 

That’s why working with a highly qualified and expert financial adviser is so important.

2. It’s never too late to learn new skills and build money confidence 

Financial planning is about your goals and dreams, not the products we advise you to take out.

Advice can be hugely beneficial, financially and non-financially. We’re on hand to help you build money confidence, feel a sense of control over your future, and have peace of mind that you and your loved ones are in safe hands.

When the Pevensie children arrive in Narnia they are just that: children. But throughout The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the challenges they overcome, the teamwork they employ, and certain magical qualities in the Narnian air, allow them to grow, eventually becoming lifelong rulers. 

We can’t provide the magical air or high-sea adventures that saw spoilt bully Eustace Scrubb come of age between The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair. 

But we can nurture you and your family’s financial literacy, helping you to get to grips with your money and intergenerational planning.

3. Your risk profile is personal to you so don’t follow the herd

Just as each of the children magically transported to Narnia has their own strengths and traits, it’s important you know yours too. 

In terms of your finances, this is most important when thinking about your risk profile and your capacity for loss. Our attitudes are individual to us and the views or biases we hold often date back to our childhood relationship with money.

This is why it’s so important that as financial planners we get to know you. We need to understand your financial position now, your ultimate goals, but also the personal traits and aspirations that guide you. In this way, the long-term financial plan we put in place will be perfectly aligned with your values. 

Whether you’re a tactician like Prince Caspian, thoughtful and meticulous like Lucy, or prefer to fly headlong into danger like the three-foot-tall mouse Reepicheep, we’ll be by your side.

We can steer you through the turbulent waters of the Lone Islands, helping you to stay focused on your ultimate goal, whether that’s a comfortable retirement at home or the throne at Cair Paravel.

The importance of thinking long-term from the outset 

The image of a faun carrying an umbrella and parcels through a snow-covered wood first came to CS Lewis in 1914, when he was just 16. It would take him more than three decades to put this vision into a story. 

Over the next three years, Lewis wrote three sequels to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, all assumed by the author to be the series’ last. It was only in 1954 that Lewis decided to round out the world of Narnia with two prequels, finally finishing the saga in 1956’s The Last Battle.

Since then, the “correct” reading order (by chronology or publication date) has been hotly contested. While the author opted for chronological order, this sequence contains missteps and anachronisms that Lewis couldn’t possibly have foreseen when he set out to pen the original story. 

A long-term plan is vitally important but it also needs to be robust enough to change if your goals do. Life events can alter our priorities but a long-term relationship with a financial planner can provide guidance and reassurance and help you to stay focused. Get in touch now if you need our help.

Get in touch

With decades of experience on this side of the wardrobe, our Chartered Financial Planners have the expertise to help you plan your retirement your way. If you have any questions, please get in touch and speak to us today.

Please note

The value of your investment can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Levels, bases of and reliefs from taxation may be subject to change and their value depends on the individual circumstances of the investor.