What is your financial planning process?

Our advice process starts with getting to know you and understanding your needs. Our fact-finding meeting is an opportunity for us to gather information about you, your plans and your existing arrangements. During this meeting, we would discuss your tolerance for investment risk and your capacity for investment loss.

Following that initial meeting we will obtain detailed information about your existing arrangements from you or direct from the product providers. We will conduct a health check to establish whether existing arrangements are fit for purpose before recommending any changes. This analysis would include:

• A review of current performance

• A review of any charges payable

• An understanding of the options and limitations of the existing arrangements

• An assessment of the arrangements in relation to your current and future needs

• An assessment of the value of your estate for inheritance tax purposes

We will research suitable products, considering the tax treatment of possible solutions and product features that are essential or desirable. We will issue a financial report to you which will include the most suitable solutions. Once you have agreed to our recommendations, we will follow through to completion all the recommended actions that you have agreed to.

It is important to regularly review your arrangements to ensure that they remain on track to help you achieve your financial goals. As such, we would recommend an ongoing service. We have differing levels of service depending on the complexity of your needs. We can discuss this with you in more detail and agree the frequency of review meetings with you.

How often should I review my finances?

It is important that you review your finances on a regular basis. Exactly how often you review your plans will depend on your own circumstances. Typically, we meet with our clients once a year for a review. Our reviews include a discussion about your circumstances to see if anything has changed, a review of your investments and pensions to ensure they are still on track to help you achieve your goals and a review of the risks that you are taking with your pensions and investments.

What does it mean to be Chartered Financial Planners?

The Charter is seen as a kitemark for trust and quality, which ensures you receive the highest standard of advice available. It is reassuring to know that your affairs are looked after by an established firm, operating at the top of its profession.

How do I pay for advice?

Your dedicated adviser will meet with you initially to understand your needs and your goals. We will discuss your payment options with you based on the type(s) of work we are asked to undertake for you and answer any questions you have. We will not charge you until we have agreed how we are to be paid. We will discuss with you when you will have to pay our charges, both initial and ongoing. Our initial advice will be appropriate for you, based on your requirements and circumstances at that time. We will not ensure that any initial advice remains suitable for you at a later date unless you elect to receive ongoing services from us.

We work on a fixed fee basis. The fee payable would reflect the complexity of the work that we feel we will need to carry out for you. Once we have understood your needs, we will prepare an itemised cost projection which we will share with you before carrying out any work.

Why should I have Independent Financial Advice?

We believe that it is important that you receive independent advice as you can be certain that the advice is truly impartial. As we do not work for any particular product provider, you can be assured that we are working in your best interests and not those of a provider. Additionally, as Independent Financial Advisers we are able to research the universe of suitable products to meet your needs and goals.