![\"Millie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/MillyGreen-4a6f-e1765551956336.jpg\")
\n\t\tMillie\u2019s finances changed completely when she split from her partner (Picture: Supplied)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tMillie\u2019s finances changed completely when she split from her partner (Picture: Supplied)<\/p>\n
\u2018Growing up, finance and business was always left to the men in my family,\u2019 says Milly Green, 58 and an art dealer based in South London<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2018We girls were expected to get married and have children.\u2019<\/p>\n She did. And then she got divorced<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2018I found myself with such a strong wish to be independent,\u2019 she says. \u2018I felt I needed to be able to manage my finances without having to ask my father.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019ve run my own business<\/a> my entire career and I can do that brilliantly. I wanted to be able to do that in my financial personal life too.\u2019<\/p>\n Yet for Milly, a creative person, getting to grips with what she should do with the money she had was confusing and, as a result, frightening. <\/p>\n She had an independent financial adviser at the time but found he explained things in language she didn\u2019t understand and overwhelmed her with details.<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018I find money stressful and, to be honest, I don\u2019t really want to have to understand it,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web \u2018But I do want to know that I don\u2019t have to panic about my future or fear how I might look after myself.\u2019<\/p>\n Then Milly heard about a cheese and wine night specifically for women<\/a> who were divorced and felt financially unstable to find out about how they could rebuild their financial stability for the long term.<\/p>\n This was where she met Petra Spirkova, an IFA with First Wealth, a B Corp-certified firm aiming to offer a different, more modern approach to financial planning.<\/p>\n \u2018She was just a breath of fresh air,\u2019 says Milly. \u2018The whole evening was really relaxed and I felt such warmth and humour when I spoke to Petra. She\u2019s a mother<\/a> too and really understands from a woman\u2019s perspective.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t Petra says: \u2018Milly came to me after her divorce<\/a>, wanting to understand where she was financially.<\/p>\n \u2018Being a professionally creative person with a passion for art, she attends art fairs and sells art, sometimes making a profit, sometimes a loss but there was no clarity.<\/p>\n \u2018She has a good accountant but the missing link for Milly was being able to see a bigger picture. The future she wishes for versus a future she could create, plan for and be excited for.\u2019<\/p>\n Petra and Milly went through her dreams, goals and objectives for the future.<\/p>\n \u2018I needed to understand her short term needs and also to explore her fears about money, the worries and concern she has for her future security and the legacy she wishes to leave for her children,\u2019 says Petra.<\/p>\n Using sophisticated forecasting software to provide clarity and model future potential outcomes, the penny dropped for Milly.<\/p>\n \u2018I could finally see what my finances<\/a> would look like in different scenarios visually,\u2019 Milly says. \u2018It was such a relief to have that presented to me in a way that my creative brain could understand.\u2019<\/p>\n Petra mapped out Milly\u2019s finances<\/a>. \u2018She receives income in dividends from her family business, pays her bills, runs art fairs and earns income from that,\u2019 says Petra.<\/p>\n \u2018She collaborates with amazing artists, spends money but then worries about the monthly budget and holiday costs.<\/p>\n \u2018She saved too much in cash and ignored it \u2013 there was no structure or set objectives or timelines and so dreams were put on hold. Her pension<\/a> fund was also neglected and misunderstood.\u2019<\/p>\n With Petra\u2019s advice, Milly moved her cash deposits to the right accounts to match her needs for short-term cashflow, medium security, guilt-free spending and long-term emergency funds.<\/p>\n \u2018Money pots with purpose,\u2019 says Petra. \u2018We allocated a pot of money to her future, planning it around achieving her dream to own a place in Italy<\/a> to retire to.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t Milly also opened a stocks<\/a> and shares Isa<\/a>, and invested her full annual allowance of \u00a320,000 to create a separate personal source of retirement income, providing tax free growth and later tax-free withdrawals.<\/p>\n They reviewed her pension, found it a new more suitable home and set up monthly contributions to build up the pension fund in order that Milly would benefit from the tax relief available to her.<\/p>\n In September this year, Milly opened her art gallery, Art Movement in Clapham<\/a> in London.<\/p>\n \u2018Without having Petra\u2019s help, I wouldn\u2019t have been able to do it,\u2019 Milly says.<\/p>\n \u2018I now finally feel like I have financial success and the freedom to make decisions like starting Art Movement. It\u2019s given me such confidence.\u2019<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-1779311261.jpg\")
\n\t\tMoney had always been a stressful topic for Millie (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvideo<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-1428788053.jpg\")
\n\t\tMillie felt understood by Petra (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Close](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-1318233663.jpg\")
\n\t\tMillie opened a stocks and shares Isa (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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