What 13 Years of International Financial Planning Actually Looks Like
How one chartered financial planner built a career across Qatar and Dubai, and what she learned along the way.
I did not expect this conversation to hit the way it did.
Aycan Richards, Chartered Financial Planner at Titan Wealth International, has spent 13 years building a financial planning career across Qatar and Dubai. She ran her own business for five years before making the decision to sell her book to Titan Wealth International. In this episode I sat down with Aycan in Dubai to find out what that journey actually looked like, from the moment she left the UK in 2013 to the emotional reality of letting go.
Why Aycan Richards Left the UK for Qatar in 2013
Aycan was happy in the UK. Good job, stable life, no particular reason to leave.
Then she went to visit friends in Bahrain. And everything changed.
She came back, started researching, and in 2013 moved to Qatar with her seven-year-old daughter and a job at a British-owned international wealth management firm. Qatar was booming at the time, with companies moving in ahead of the 2022 World Cup and a growing expat population that needed financial advice.
She had no idea that decision would lead to 13 years of building one of the most respected financial planning practices in the Middle East.
What It Is Really Like to Live and Work in the Middle East as a Woman
Before she moved, Aycan had concerns. As a woman relocating to an Islamic environment, she worried about dress codes, safety walking alone at night, and whether the education available for her daughter would be good enough.
Every single concern turned out to be wrong.
Qatar was the safest place she had ever been. Her daughter attended a British international school she describes as far better than anything available in the UK at the time. The expat community was tight-knit and the friendships formed quickly.
“It was the safest place I’d ever been. You could go to even a very dodgy, scary looking place in the middle of the night. Nothing would happen. No one would bother you.”
She has been working internationally ever since. She is now based in Dubai with Titan Wealth International, 13 years after that first move. And she says the reality of building a financial planning career in the Middle East as a woman is completely different from what most people imagine before they arrive.
How to Build a Financial Planning Client Base from Scratch Internationally
When Aycan arrived in Qatar she had no clients. She could not bring any from the UK even if she had wanted to.
She decided from day one that this was not going to be a quick win. It was going to be for life.
Build trust with a small number of clients first. Do exceptional work. Let those clients refer her to their friends, colleagues, and family. Repeat.
“I always believed in having a long term approach to generating clients. It wasn’t a quick hit type of job for me. It was for life.”
That referral-first foundation became the backbone of everything she built over the next 13 years. She eventually ran her own company for five years before making the decision to sell. And the reason the business was worth selling is directly connected to how she built it. Not on volume. On relationships.
Why Female Financial Planners Bring Something Different to Client Meetings
Only 16% of financial advisers in the UK are women. Aycan thinks it is probably considerably less in the international space.
She has been one of those women for over a decade. And she has a clear view on what being a female adviser actually means in practice.
When a couple sits down with her, she talks to the wife first. Even if the husband manages all the finances. Even if the wife says nothing. She makes sure both people feel equally seen and equally respected in the room.
“When I have couples in front of me, I’m very careful about how I address them. Even if the husband takes care of the finances, I talk to the wife. She’s there. She’s present.”
She says women in financial planning bring a different kind of social intelligence to client meetings. Her female clients notice it. They start looking forward to their meetings. They get more involved. They refer more.
She is also passionate about getting more women into the international financial planning space. She started her career at a time when female advisers in the Middle East were rare. Over 13 years she has seen that change, slowly. But 16% is still not enough. And she believes the profession needs to do more to show women what international financial planning actually looks like from the inside, not what they imagine it looks like from the outside.
How Aycan Sold Her Financial Planning Business to Titan Wealth International
Aycan recently made the decision to retire from wealth management and sell her book to Titan Wealth International.
She chose them for two reasons. She had ex-colleagues there who she trusted. And many of her clients originally came from the UK and Europe. When those clients eventually repatriate, they need an adviser who can follow them. Titan Wealth International has presence in the UK, across Europe, and in multiple other countries. Her clients would not have to start again with someone new.
When she sent the email to her clients telling them about her decision, she cried all day. She went through the list one by one. Each name brought back a memory. A conversation. A meeting. Some of those clients are still close friends. Some she will never see again as their adviser.
That is what happens when you build a business the right way.
Not a book of names. A book of relationships.
If you are a woman thinking about taking your financial planning career international, an experienced adviser considering your exit, or simply curious about what a long and respected career in international financial planning actually looks like, this episode is for you.
🎧 Listen to the full conversation with Aycan Richards on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
🌐 Learn more about Titan Wealth International at www.titanwealthinternational.com
📲 If you are a female financial planner thinking about an international move, Aycan has offered to speak to anyone who wants to understand what it is actually like. Reach out to her directly on LinkedIn.
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