How we work
We have a simple but comprehensive approach to helping our clients develop financial independence and understanding. Put simply our approach can be summarised as follows:
1. We try to put ourselves in your shoes
As an independent firm we have no head office to set sales targets or to impose standard templates into which all clients most, somehow, be squeezed. Without such restraints we are free to operate in whatever way is to the best advantage of each of our clients. Every client is an individual and our underlying philosophy is to look at each client’s circumstances as if they were our own and to find the solution we would want if we were in your position.
No matter what type of advice you approach us for, personalising that advice to your match your exact circumstances is our overiding goal.
2. We create a plan to make sure that you have the money you need when you need it
If you are willing to invest time with us in developing a detailed lifetime financial plan we can help you clearly identify what cash flow you will need to achieve your lifetime goals, when you will need it, how to accumulate it and how to protect against financial obstacles which might threaten you and your family.
Having established a plan we can help you develop it over the years to adapt to changing circumstances and expectations.
3. We help you understand and control your investments
Many people we meet have a wide range of investments they have “acquired” over the years. Most do not know what level of risk they are taking with those investments compared to the market, or indeed how those risks compare to what they themselves might consider as reasonable. We help our clients understand short and long term investment risk and to identify their personal “comfort zones” which in turn helps identify just what types of investment really are suitable for them.
4. We select and recommend investments that match your objectives
Having identified what levels of risk and volatility you are comfortable with (if any), we develop an investment portfolio asset allocation model which should match those expectations over the time frame your monies will be invested. Like every other aspect of financial planning your portfolio requires regular maintenance and cross matching with your changing attitudes and objectives.
5.We help you enhance returns via tax planning
In some cases simply denying HMRC a share of your investment return can make an instant and very significant improvement to your annual investment return. This can be as simple as getting an extra 25% return on your deposit interest and fixed interest dividends by packaging them in an ISA, or can be somewhat more complex for those seeking to shelter IHT. Surprisingly a great many people do not take advantage of even the most basic tax exemptions. Wherever possible we help our clients plan their affairs to minimise tax leakage.