Despite the success of these ancillary businesses however, Michael's main interest and professional background was in accountancy, taxation and banking in the UK, so he finally combined these personal and business experiences in 1985 to create his first professional practice, that of a UK Taxation Consultants.

Michael's financial competencies and gradual awareness of the need for a more professional approach in Financial Services led him to open a second UK practice in 1990, one of Financial Consultants, which practice acted as UK regulated financial advisers and assurance and investment brokers. Since qualifying and opening this second practice, he has acquired further UK Financial Services qualifications and still belongs to the Chartered Insurance Institute and the Personal Finance Society, and formerly to the Society of Financial Advisers and the Life Insurance Association until they were were amalgamated with the former.

In 1994 Michael capitalised on the synergies between the two practices and merged them to form a single practice of Tax-strategic Financial Consultants. However, by 1996 the notion of independent consultants had asserted itself in the UK — 'independent' meaning that consultants were no longer tied to using one, or one group, of product providers — and so Michael's practice became totally independent of all links to any financial organisation. As a result of this diversification, so too did the number of consultants representing the practice grow and, of course, the support staff, which included an actuary.

It was also in 1996 that much interest was generated in France for French businesses to reduce their employer costs by moving to the UK. Thanks to a connection with his local Chamber of Trade, and to being bilingual in French and English, Michael very quickly found himself advising French and other foreign nationals and businesses looking to move, and moving, to the UK.

This international aspect to his work, combined with the increasing numbers of British nationals who were increasingly seeking to move abroad, gradually found Michael also advising those leaving the UK and, in conjunction with a Paris-based comparative advisers, professional help was finally being provided to British nationals seeking to relocate permanently to France ... only for Michael and his family to follow suit a few years later!

So, in 2001, and having sold his UK practice, Michael moved to France. Now with Pelican Consulting he and his consultants bring his business and professional expertise and perfection to foreign nationals looking to be permanently resident in France, and to both French and foreign nationals already resident in the hexagon.

Through Pelican Consulting, Michael and his consultants seek to offer further assistance and help on a wide array of relevant and finance-related topics, ranging from basic healthcare through to complex international defiscalisation and investment schemes.

As far as he knows, Michael is the only truly bilingual, financially and professionally qualified multi-professional specialist heading a practice offering these Franco-International financial services — so who better to turn to for French fiscal and financial advice in English ... for a more relaxed life in France …