Michael Sappal, Chartered Financial Planner, explains why expats shouldn’t ignore old workplace pensions and the risks of leaving them unattended.
When people hear about technology in wealth management, they often imagine algorithms replacing human advisers, cold dashboards spitting out numbers, and a service that feels more mechanical than personal. At Skybound, the reality is the exact opposite. For us, technology is not here to replace advisers - it is here to empower us. It allows us to step away from endless spreadsheets and manual reporting, so we can dedicate our energy to what truly matters: listening to your story, understanding your priorities, and guiding you through life’s most important financial decisions.
What sets Skybound apart is how deeply technology is woven into the way we work. Our systems are not just static dashboards displaying the latest figures. They are dynamic, real-time tools that anticipate the conversations we need to have. Before I even sit down with a client, I already have a complete overview of their portfolio performance, risk exposure, cash flow projections, and possible future scenarios.
This means I no longer need to spend the meeting buried in numbers or pulling up old reports. Instead, I can ask questions that go straight to the heart of the matter: Has your timeline for retirement changed? Have there been any new priorities for your family abroad? Technology sets the framework, but the conversation remains entirely about the client and their life.
This difference becomes clear when you see it in practice. A client of mine, based between Dubai and London, recently came to me with concerns about how funding his children’s overseas education would affect his long-term retirement plans. In the past, this kind of question would have required hours of manual calculations across multiple currencies, investment portfolios, and tax structures. With Skybound’s technology, however, we were able to model different scenarios instantly.
Together, we could see how each decision would impact not just his retirement, but also his family’s security in the years ahead. The clarity this brought was invaluable. What could have been a technical discussion about numbers quickly became a meaningful life conversation about priorities, trade-offs, and long-term goals. The technology gave him visibility, but it was the conversation that gave him confidence.
For many firms, innovation stops at providing clients with access to dashboards or online statements. At Skybound, we believe technology should go much further. Our systems don’t just show static information - they actively work in the background. They flag potential risks before clients even notice them, they run compliance checks in real time so that advice is always aligned with global regulations, and they allow us to stress-test financial plans against different market or life scenarios.
This isn’t technology for its own sake. It is purposeful innovation that ensures nothing is missed, no opportunity overlooked, and no client question left unanswered. It allows us to remain proactive, not reactive, and that makes a world of difference in the quality of advice we provide.
The real power lies in the combination of human expertise and intelligent systems. Technology provides the data, the clarity, and the foresight. Advisers bring the judgment, the empathy, and the ability to translate numbers into meaningful strategies. One without the other is incomplete. Together, they create an experience that feels personal, informed, and genuinely responsive to each client’s needs.
Because our technology is designed for international use, it also ensures that globally mobile clients - whether they are in London, Geneva, or Dubai - receive the same level of clarity and consistency wherever they are. This is particularly important for expats who manage assets, pensions, or businesses across borders, and it is one of the areas where Skybound’s approach makes a real difference.
For me, the greatest value of technology is not efficiency. It is empathy. By taking care of the routine, it creates space for deeper conversations. By structuring the data, it frees us to focus on the human. Technology allows me to be fully present with my clients, to ask better questions, and to provide advice that is connected not just to their investments, but to their lives.
That is the true digital edge at Skybound: technology that makes advice more personal, conversations more meaningful, and relationships more enduring.
With a focus on financial planning and investment strategies, Joseph helps clients negotiate the intricacies of wealth management with clarity and confidence. Specialising in global financial planning, he works closely with international professionals to create tailored solutions that fit their unique lifestyles and aspirations.