The Advice Process

If you haven’t spoken to a financial adviser before, you may wonder what’s involved.  This is a broad outline of the steps we follow.  At all times during the process, we will discuss how things are going with you, so that you are fully informed.

Meeting

• Our first meeting is a chance to get to know each other, and assess whether we are the right people to help you.  Initial meetings are always free and without obligation.

Services

• We agree the services you require and sign a client agreement, which sets out the services we will provide and our fees.  Our fees will always be clearly explained and set out.  We do not receive commission for any recommendations we make.  (If, in some rare circumstances, it is better value for the client, we will take a commission, and then rebate it against the client's fees.)

Fact find

• We complete a detailed fact-find to fully assess your current situation and your needs and aspirations.  We may also, if you want advice on investments, assess your attitude to risk.  This stage gives us a chance to get to know you better, and get a feel for the way in which you have made financial decisions in the past.  We also gather information about your family, and the way in which they fit into your financial picture.  At this stage, we also verify your identity

Review

• We review the extent to which your financial arrangements are aligned to your ambitions and plans.  We look for gaps in your financial provision, and consider different ways to fill them in a way that you can afford. 

Research

• If necessary, we will review the whole of the market for alternative, replacement or complementary products.   We won’t change anything about your present arrangements unless it’s in your best interests.  At this stage, we may well have interim conversations with you to present alternatives.

Recommendations

• We write a detailed report to you with our recommendations and explanations of why we have made them.  We may well include other options we have considered with the reasons they have been rejected.  We will have a meeting with you to discuss what we recommend, and to make sure you understand and are happy with it.  If you wish, we can include other family members so that they are fully informed about your plans.

Implementation

• If you agree with our proposed solution, we will implement it for you, assisting with all the paperwork and practicalities. 

Ongoing

• Once the initial work is done, we will, if you choose, continue to manage your investments and keep your finances under review, with regular meetings and checks to see how you are progressing towards your goals.