2025 has been an eventful year with lots of developments, both professionally and personally, for the entire Ardent team.
We’re excited about the start of 2026 and look forward to offering continued support to our valued clients. But before the new year begins, we wanted to reflect on everything we’ve achieved in the past 12 months.
Here is your review of Ardent Financial Planning in 2025.
January
The year began with some important outreach work in our local community. Ruth and Elain visited Huntington School in their roles as education champions and taught the students valuable lessons about financial planning. This vital work means that young people move into adulthood with the tools they need to succeed.
Elain was also a guest speaker for training specialists Pro Development, discussing the benefits of employee engagement.
February
February saw an exciting milestone for one valued team member. Senior financial planner Ruth Norman celebrated 10 years with Ardent.
We’d like to thank Ruth for all the amazing support she’s offered to clients over the past decade.
March
Fostering talent is important to us at Ardent, and this year has been a big one for Dan Sanderson. In March, he passed his J10 exam, setting him on the path towards becoming a Chartered financial planner.
It was a successful month for the business too – we were delighted to hear we were shortlisted for the Professional Adviser Awards in the category of Adviser Firm of the Year North East. This nomination demonstrates the excellent quality of service we offer our clients.
April
April was a very busy month for us at Ardent. We launched a range of new client-facing materials to inform and educate you about relevant financial planning topics and will continue this moving forward.
The whole team also attended the Ardent day out in Leeds, enjoying food, drink, and some healthy competition at boom battle bar where we played indoor golf, darts and shuffleboard.
Dan continued his professional development and was promoted to financial planner, becoming a vital member of the advice team.
Finally, the firm achieved CISI Chartered Status, confirming our expert knowledge, professionalism, and ethical approach in everything we do.
May
In May, we held another exciting Ardent event, this time with our clients. We visited York Theatre Royal, where we went backstage and finished the day with a cream tea.
Back in the office, we had our files and processes audited by a third party, and we’re pleased to say we were given a clean bill of health.
May was also the month we released our client survey, asking you to provide feedback. We couldn’t be happier with the results – 100% of our clients believe working with us has helped them or will help them achieve their financial goals.
June
During the summer, we received more valuable recognition when we were awarded CISI Accredited Status, the highest possible industry standard. This is an exciting development for Ardent, and we’re proud of the entire team for reaching this milestone.
The team also engaged in more vital community outreach work. We continued our volunteer work with York Cares, removing the invasive Himalayan balsam plant and protecting the habitat of the endangered tansy beetle and letting indigenous plants thrive
July
In July, we attended the York Cares Golden Moments ceremony, where we received an award for all our volunteering work throughout the year.
We also started a quarterly newsletter with another of our important charity partners, York Against Cancer. These communications give more information about how donations made through our client referral scheme help families battling cancer in the local area.
August
Many of us took holiday during August and enjoyed a much-needed quiet month, preparing for the rest of the year.
September
September was another month filled with big professional milestones.
Business director Elain Hughes celebrated 10 years with us. We are delighted with everything that Elain has achieved in her time with us and look forward to seeing what the future holds for her.
Andy Tatterton also earned a well-deserved promotion to senior client relationship administrator. We’re sure he will step into this role with confidence and continue nurturing client relationships in 2026 and beyond.
October
We were delighted to welcome Sarah Hall to the client servicing team in October. She is already thriving in her role as client relationship administrator, and we’re sure she’ll have a long and successful career with Ardent.
Andy passed a level 4 unit in financial planning and advice, expanding his knowledge and ability to support clients.
The team also hosted an online webinar about cybersecurity, providing crucial information to clients about how they can protect their personal data.
Finally, after a reorganisation of the business, managing director and Chartered financial planner, Mark Fisher became the sole owner of Ardent IFA.
November
November was another eventful month at Ardent. We started our employee survey to gain more insight into the team and how we can better support them.
Gary went to Leeds to present at the Northern Lights conference, a brilliant event bringing together family law practitioners and financial advisers to discuss ways to serve clients more effectively.
Dan had even more good news as he passed the AF4 Investment exam, giving him more knowledge and tools to serve valued clients.
Perhaps most importantly, Ardent was named in the New Model Adviser Top 100 advice firms list for the fifth year in a row, cementing our place as an industry leader.
December
As we wind down for Christmas, the whole team are looking forward to our festive meal and pottery painting activity.
But we’re still focused on providing an excellent service to our clients, which is reflected in the reviews we receive online. As a result, we’re on track to be named a VouchedFor Top Rated Adviser for 2025.
The Ardent team look forward to supporting you in 2026
From the whole team at Ardent, we’d like to wish you and your loved ones a merry Christmas and happy new year.
We look forward to supporting you in 2026.