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2. Family History
2.1 Parents
My parents were not rich though they were not poor either. My
father lived for most of his life in the outskirts of West
London and commuted into Central London where he was employed by
the then "Ministry of Works" as an administrator. My mother was
a full time housewife who looked after the family which included
my brother.
Neither my mother nor my father had any kind of financial
training, and they relied on advice that was given to them by
experts. It would be fair to say that financial services were
sold to them, rather than bought by them. Consequently "The
Man for the Pru" sold them insurance and they invested their
savings in the Halifax Building Society as these organisations
at that time had a very positive friendly corporate culture.
Even today, I recall from 30-40 years ago "The Man from the Pru"
collecting the life and house insurance premiums.
Throughout my parent's lives, they always had a high regard for
these organisations and placed absolute trust in them, because
they believed they had a fair deal. I will not suggest that they
had the best deal, only that they were satisfied with the
service they received and the price they paid, and that was all
that mattered to them.
In the late 80s, my parents sold their property in West London,
and bought a small bungalow in Bognor Regis where they lived out
their retirement on their Civil Service pension which afforded
few luxuries. However, they continued to retain their savings
solely in the Halifax Building Society.
It was very sad and a great shock when my father passed away
unexpectedly in early January 1997. My mother passed away
the following year having suffered over 6 years with Alzheimer's disease and she recognised nobody in her latter 3 years. This was so sad and so I ask if you support any charity, please support the Alzheimers Society.
Page
created on 26 June 2002, last updated:
22 October 2006 22:54
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