Managing Director
“LHW is almost 50 years old. My father Ian founded this business on trust and values, and that foundation has never changed. I joined 38 years ago and have watched the world transform around us, markets, legislation, technology, everything. But what hasn’t changed is the belief that financial planning is a deeply personal thing. You can’t do it by email. The best outcomes come from real relationships, and we’ve always known that.
My name is Alan Lewis and I’m the Managing Director of LHW Financial Planning.
Financial inertia is the enemy of financial freedom. People know they should be doing something, but they wait, and waiting is expensive. What I’ve seen over 38 years is that the clients who engage early, who take that first step and have that first conversation, are the ones who end up with real freedom to live. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to start.
At LHW, we have created a happy place to work, and I don’t say that lightly. We have nine people and over 200 years of combined experience between us. We encourage engagement, we have fun, and we get the job done. But what drives me, still, after nearly four decades, is the moment a client truly understands what “Freedom to Live” means for them. That moment of realization, that they have more choices than they thought, more security than they imagined, that’s why we do this.
A Cork beginning and a Dublin life, the places that shaped him
Where the story starts
School, sport and career all followed
Leading LHW Financial Planning in Ballsbridge
Dublin schooling, and four decades of technical training since.
Rugby World Cup refereeing (left) · an Old Wesley RFC presentation
St Andrew's College · YMCA · South Leinster · MCC · Ireland · heroes: Desmond Haynes, Michael Holding, Allan Border
A lifelong love of the fairways · hero: Seve Ballestero
Old Wesley RFC · international referee · hero: Derek Bevan
Fitness and headspace
A family business, and a family of internationals.
Father, Ian From Dublin · founder of LHW · played cricket for Ireland
From Cork · at the heart of the family story
Wonderful wife, mother and sister to me, who sadly passed away at a young age
Gaby & Robyn · Ireland cricketers, and great people
Serious about supporting family, friends and clients, but never taking himself too seriously.
From school, rugby, cricket, golf and business, built up over a lifetime
Taking support of family, friends, work colleagues, clients & others very seriously, but not himself
His work colleagues and clients
A constant thread through every stage of life
Supporting those less fortunate than himself
What Alan loves to do with the freedom he helps his clients find.
Time with the people who matter most
Loves his job, work colleagues and clients
Rugby, golf and the gy
Favourite places: Cork, Dublin, the West of Ireland, Cape Town, Sydney and Buenos Aires
Loves all music, but particularly soul, with Stevie Wonder a favourite
Last supper: prawn cocktail, then TBone steak with chunky fries
Having operated at the highest levels of two global sports, what Alan has carried into running LHW and looking after clients.
Rigorous training and the relentless pursuit of excellence drive business growth and innovation
Athletes absorb setbacks and highpressure moments, and bounce back from business challenges
Clear, measurable goals and the strategies to achieve them, essential for planning and execution
Effective collaboration and leadership, crucial to building the successful team at LHW
Strong personal brands and extensive networks bring instant credibility for customers
Calculated risks, matched to each client's requirements and preferences, deliver the best solutions
After almost 40 years in the business, Alan's key takeaways on investments and the best decisions for customers.
Through every crisis, including the 2008 crash, equities have rewarded those who stayed in the market. Many have tried to time it; the message is time, not timing
Expert advice means avoiding the noise and focusing on real needs and wants. That principle holds for many of life's decisions
Perhaps the greatest human failing. Alan encourages clients young and old to make the prudent decisions they could and should make
However capable they are, businesses and individuals rarely have the time or resources to maximise their pensions, wealth and wellbeing alone