In the world of finance, MSc Management alum Jeremy Williams has made his mark on the industry by blending his academic knowledge with his entrepreneurial skills. After graduating from UCL School of Management’s MSc Management programme in 2013, Jeremy started his career in finance at J.P. Morgan, spending almost a decade with the company before launching JJW Wealth in 2022.

Providing bespoke financial advice to London-based professionals, JJW Wealth has taken off and, in a time where influence matters, Jeremy has used the skills developed through his business education and relevant experience to develop a busines with a purpose. In a recent conversation with us, Jeremy shares insights into his current projects, as well as the strategic moves that furthered the trajectory of his career and the ways in which his UCL experience continues to influence his path in finance.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? 

I am from Radlett, Hertfordshire. I attended Henley Business School, University of Reading and achieved a First Class Honours BSc in Finance & Investment Banking. After spending most of my summers during university working at internships at J.P. Morgan, Merrill Lynch, Shore Capital, Catlin & Duncan Lawrie, I was awarded the UCL Management Science & Innovation Scholarship for outstanding academic performance and demonstrating a strong career focus. I then graduated with a Distinction in MSc Management in 2013. I began my career in Market Risk Reporting at J.P. Morgan in Canary Wharf, working specifically on the Volcker Rule Reporting Metrics as a result of the financial crisis. This presented me with a fantastic opportunity to work with the senior leadership of our global market risk teams. I then ventured into the front office and worked in Equity Derivatives Sales Trading in a very fast-paced environment where I learned a substantial amount about financial markets and how to deal with time pressure! My last role at J.P. Morgan before starting my own business was in the Private Bank based at Victoria Embankment.

By far, my most enjoyable professional interest is networking; I love meeting new people, building relationships, learning about their background, what their values are, and helping them. I tend to do my networking during my hobbies outside of work, which are mainly Golf and Padel; if anyone reading this would like to play together while discussing their professional/business ambitions, then please do get in touch!

Can you tell us about JJW Wealth? 

JJW Wealth is a Financial Advisory business. I learn about how my clients like to live their lives and what their financial goals are; then I create a Financial Plan for them using my expertise of both UK taxation and product knowledge to provide them with the best advice and service possible to realize the lives they wish to live.

My client base has strongly grown within the Social Media Influencer industry, so if any readers of this are influencers, either self-employed or are set up as a director of their own limited company, I can certainly help you! I also work with business owners across many different industries as well as city professionals such as bankers and solicitors.

My clients tend to be self-employed, and while sometimes are very high earners can have instability in their income from month to month so I work with them to create a structured budget that creates stability in their lives. I then help them prioritize what they wish to achieve over the short, medium and long term and financially plan around this. Part of the plan and my advice that will achieve my clients’ objectives involves the use of tax-efficient investments using products from St James’s Place.

I started JJW Wealth as I wanted to work and have a genuine impact on individuals and their families’ lives. Being able to achieve my clients’ financial goals is my priority and gives me substantial satisfaction.

Who have your previous customers been?

I have worked with social media influencers with a range of followers - from those who have a following of 30,000 followers to those with 4,000,000 followers and post content related to health/fitness, cooking, comedy, sport and fashion.

I also work with city professionals in and around London who are Investment Bankers, Traders, Consultants at J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, KPMG to name a few. There are also Business Owners within the hospitality industry and Property Development Industries that seek my advice, so I would say I have a wide range of clients.

Have you always shown signs of entrepreneurship?

Yes, although I spent 10 years in the corporate world, I have always wanted to run my own business full time and even started my own buy-to-let property company in 2017. I rented and managed 4 properties across London, Liverpool, Manchester & Leeds and fully managed them so I had to find my tenants, draw up the tenancy contracts, build a network of tradesmen and everything else that comes with property management. I particularly enjoyed the house buying process and analysing the financials of a property deal.

What were you doing before you started JJW Wealth?

As I mentioned, I was at J.P. Morgan for 10 years so very much in the corporate world! My life goal has always to be in control of my own time and although a corporate role can provide so many different positive aspects to your life, trading my time was a non-negotiable. I also felt the impact of my work on individual people was hard to assess so that was another important factor for me to venture out on my own and give people financial advice where I felt I am helping that person and their family achieve exactly what they want.

What’s next for JJW Wealth – where do you see the business in 10 years?

I want to continue the success I have had in the influencer space and further build a presence in the industry as the go-to person for financial advice. I am now collaborating with Talent Management Agencies who have taken the responsibility of providing an additional value-add service to their management of their talent by providing my services to their rosters. I am always seeking to extend my network so building these types of relationships within the industry will both grow my business whilst creating business opportunities for my clients.

Find out more about studying the MSc Management programme at UCL School of Management.