As a little boy Benjamin Frith dreamt of becoming an airline pilot.

But in the end those lofty plans didn't pan out for reasons beyond his control, not that he didn't hold on to the dream for a long time but as he put it: "I wanted to fly but my vision is not 20/20 so that went out the window."

It wouldn't be until adulthood that Mr. Frith would decide on what else he might do with his life - now that soaring the skies was out.

Somewhere along the way he decided pragmatically that he'd become a professional "something", eventually deciding to set his sights on either the legal or accounting profession.

But it was a circuitous decision making process with Mr. Frith first earning a sociology degree from Northwestern University in Illinois.

One degree in hand, Mr. Frith headed back to the classroom - but this time locally, at Bermuda College in the business studies programme. There fate more or less decided for him that his future was in crunching numbers: "I got As in my accounting courses and was doing exceptionally well. That wasn't the case with my law courses. It was clear that I was to be numerate not literate," he joked.

Perhaps it wasn't such a surprise that he ended up as an accountant with Mr. Frith reflecting that his family, since their arrival in Bermuda in 1620, have always followed "the chief industry at the time" - from shipping (he is a descendant of well-known privateer Hezekiah Frith) to agriculture to tourism to international business - and that there were "numbers in his blood" given that both his grandfather and father, the founders of Frith's Liquors, had studied accounting.

With an aptitude for numbers and what he cited as a clearly defined need, at the time, for Bermudian accountants, Mr. Frith switched tracks: "Sociology while very interesting is not particularly lucrative so I looked at where I could fit," he said.

After further studies, including studying accounting at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Mr. Frith achieved his certified management accountant (CMA) designation.

Along the way he also married, having met his English wife Michele when she came out to the Island to work as a corporate administrator at a local law firm. Married now for six years, the couple have two "happy, bouncing" boys aged three and one.

Mr. Frith reflected that between work and family life, there is little time for other pursuits beyond the occasional skiing trip. Gone are the days when he used to compete in local triathlons, although Mr. Frith vows to get back to them once his boys are older.

"The combination of the sports really gets your endorphins going - it was satisfying to do that. And besides I could eat and drink whatever I liked," he laughs.

Professionally, Mr. Frith has also established himself in the accounting trade. Fast forward to the year 2000 - and past stints working in audit and then at the Bank of Bermuda's mutual fund department and as the finance manager at a local shipping company - when Mr. Frith joined AXIS Accounting and Financial Management Ltd. as managing director. More recently, Mr. Frith became a principal in and the managing director of Marcuard Capital (Bermuda) Ltd., a wealth management firm set up earlier this year.

The idea to set up a wealth management company was hatched when Mr. Frith was approached by one of his AXIS clients who had an interest in setting up an offshore company for high-net worth individuals and family trusts.

The reasons for setting up such a company here were numerous, according to Mr. Frith. For a start, he cited the Island as the world's premier "blue chip" offshore international financial services centre, and having established itself as a domicile for Trust and Wealth Management services some 140 years ago.

He added that geographically Bermuda was perfectly situated "at the crossroads of Europe and the Americas in a time zone convenient to both" and had built up its reputation as a top-flight jurisdiction through its reliability, efficiency, legal security, privacy and professionalism.

Through a symbiotic set-up Mr. Frith has also remained managing director of AXIS, which is the accountant for Marcuard and both companies have offices on the fourth floor of Jardine House.

Marcuard is run by Mr. Frith and a UK-based managing partner Michael Hammond. Mr. Hammond, whose family have reportedly been operating offshore investment companies in Bermuda since 1968, deals with the investment side of the business while the accounting and financial management falls to Mr. Frith.

Mr. Hammond previously worked in global investment banking at Credit Suisse First Boston, UBS Warburg, Robert Flemming and ABN AMRO Rothschild.

So far, in its initial months of operation, Marcuard - which is geared to provide long-term services to high-net worth individuals rather than corporate entities - has already signed on three clients.

For an agreed fee, Marcuard offers a range of services to its clients - services that Mr. Frith said was punctuated by Marcuard's commitment to custom-made solutions for each client.

"We spend time with each client to understand individual objectives and special needs," he said, including giving clients impartial advice on asset management, tax and estate planning.

Although a new company, Marcuard's distinctive name - a reference to the Marcuard family of Banque Marcuard fame, a once pre-eminent European finance house which was sold to Credit Suisse in the early 1900s - is rooted in history and Marcuard descendant Hans-Joerg Rudloff, a formidable figure in the financial services world as head of leading investment bank Barclays Capital, sits on the board as chairman.

With some relish, Mr. Frith talks about his role with Marcuard Capital: "As accountant my job is effectively to issue reports in accordance with GAAP." That description makes the task sound straightforward but the magnitude of that job is underscored when one takes into account the large amounts of cash at stake.

It is a big responsibility - with Mr. Frith stressing that Marcuard's clients are sophisticated investors that want to have regular updates on their position as well as full explanations of any changes to their net worth.

But Mr. Frith, as an adherent to the old school of accounting where the numbers are "supposed to reflect economic reality to the dollar", is only too happy to be held accountable for virtually every penny under Marcuard's management.

Mr. Frith was obviously disapproving of how some accountants - as highlighted in recent corporate scandals - have "lost sight of the fundamentals" including the overall principle of value, with fudged books making it appear like "something is of value when it's not".

Mr. Frith concluded that accountants needed to be vigilant "stewards" that "don't hide anything".