Advice with a person behind it
Lifestyle Choices Planning exists because the big financial decisions deserve better than a script and a hold queue.
Meet your adviser
Rafe Baker
Mortgage & Protection Adviser
I founded Lifestyle Choices Planning to do advice the way I'd want to receive it. One person who knows your case, explains things straight, and stays with you from the first chat to completion and beyond. I'm based in Iwade, Kent, and work with clients across the whole of the UK, advising on the full range of mortgage and protection needs for individuals, families and business owners.
- CF6 · Mortgage Advice (Chartered Insurance Institute, 2024)
- R05 · Financial Protection (Chartered Insurance Institute, 2024)
- R01 · Financial Services, Regulation & Ethics (Chartered Insurance Institute, 2023)
Sales progression, handled by Jane
Getting your mortgage agreed is only half the job. Once your offer is accepted, Jane takes over the sales progression and keeps your purchase moving all the way to completion, so you are never left wondering what happens next.
With 30 years in the estate industry, Jane knows exactly how a sale should run and where things tend to stall. She can answer the questions that usually get lost between the estate agent and the solicitor, so you always know where your move stands.
Chasing the chain
Staying on top of every link in the chain so a delay somewhere else does not become your problem.
Speaking to the estate agents and solicitors
Doing the calls and the follow-ups on your behalf, so you are not stuck playing messenger between the two.
A weekly update, every week
A clear update once a week on where things are, what has moved and what happens next.
Two specialisms, one joined-up plan
Mortgages
First home, next home, better rate or growing portfolio. Independent advice from a wide range of lenders.
Protection
A mortgage gets you the house. Protection makes sure your family keeps it, whatever happens.
Need something beyond my remit?
Some needs sit outside mortgage and protection advice, things like equity release, later-life lending, or financial advice on pensions and investments. I don't advise on equity release, later-life lending, investments or pensions myself. Where you need them, I can introduce you to trusted specialist partners, and the firm I introduce you to is responsible for the advice it gives you.Just ask, and I'll point you to the right specialist.
Built on a simple frustration
Everyone knows someone with a mortgage horror story. The broker who never called back, the bank that treated a self-employed income like a rounding error, the family who only discovered what their policy didn't cover when it mattered most.
I set up Lifestyle Choices Planning to be the antidote. An independent practice where the person you meet at the first chat is the person who researches your case, handles your application, chases your lender and picks up the phone afterwards. I'm based in Iwade, Kent, and work with clients across the whole of the UK, doing advice the way it should be done. Honest, straightforward and genuinely tailored.
The name isn't an accident. Mortgages and protection aren't really about products. They're about the life you're choosing, the first home, the growing family, the business you're building. My job is to make the money side of those choices feel safe.
What working with me means
- Independent recommendations from a wide range of lenders and protection providers, never a tied list.
- Plain English, always. If you don't understand a recommendation, I haven't finished explaining it.
- Honesty over sales. If staying put or doing nothing is your best option, that's the advice you'll get.
- Full support from first enquiry to completion, with reviews afterwards so things stay right.
The journey, step by step
Initial consultation
A free, no-obligation chat about where you are and where you want to be.
Understanding your needs
A proper review of your circumstances, income and goals.
Research & recommendations
I search a wide range of lenders and explain your options in plain English.
Application & management
Paperwork handled, lenders chased, everything kept moving.
Completion
Keys in hand, cover in place, over the finish line.
Ongoing support & reviews
Regular check-ins so your arrangements stay right as life changes.
Come and say hello
A free, no-obligation chat is the easiest first step. Tell me what you're hoping to do, and I'll tell you honestly how I can help.