Ben Grist

Spear’s Review

‘The accountancy world over the last 20 years has become more automated,’ says Dixon Wilson’s Ben Grist. ‘Where you can add value for clients is areas like tax, because everyone feels very personal about tax.’ And add value he does: Grist has become a general adviser for HNW clients, on everything from simple filings to estate planning and more complex questions. 

‘I like it because it means you’re dealing directly with clients,’ he says. ‘You start off just talking about taxes, and that brings in lots of questions about how families work, how wealth gets passed down … You go above and beyond the technical question of “What’s my tax bill?” And that’s what I love to do – speak to real people.’