The Value of Advice

The advice process normally requires an initial fact-finding process, which we are happy to conduct without charge or obligation. This would generally last for one hour or more, depending on the complexity of your financial situation. By appointment, it can be held at our offices or on agreed media that you are happy with, or if you are prepared to pay for a visit then clients can receive either a home or workplace visit; we find that some documents and information that will be required can be found more easily here. Daytime or early evening contact can be arranged to suit with an allowance for different time zones.

Our adviser will present you with a business card and explain the services that we offer and how we charge for those services. You will be presented with specific disclosure documents to confirm this information.

We are required to formally identify you by seeing either your (original) passport or photocard driving licence*. In addition, we are required to prove your address by viewing a recent utility bill (within the last 3 months), mortgage or bank statement, motor or insurance certificate, etc. It is now a requirement that we hold certified copies of these documents on file, therefore it would help if you could get a copy prepared in advance as we prefer not to take your originals.
*These are our standard requested documents, but other forms of identification may also be acceptable in line with CDD requirements.

We will listen to your requirements, your views and concerns on related matters and take notes. Before giving advice, we are required to gather some information about you and possibly your partner, including occupation, income, outgoings, assets, liabilities and existing arrangements and policies, if relevant. You do not have to give us this information, of course, but our advice can only be based upon the level of information given.

By the end of this initial discussion, we would normally have agreed the best way forward with you. Remember that this is a ‘getting to know you’ time, after which you (or we!) may decide either that no further contact is required, or that we may proceed to the next stage.

We will need your written authority in order to gain any necessary up-to-date and technical information from the Providers of any of your existing arrangements, mortgages or policies. We carry a simple form for this purpose, which normally also appoints us as the servicing agent for the policy until further notice, so that any future queries or alterations can be dealt with efficiently.

At this stage we would agree our service proposition and payment.

Taking account of the facts gained, your views and aspirations and using our industry knowledge and experience, our adviser will then carry out a plan, if appropriate, and ‘whole of market’ research in accordance with your specific needs. The length of time this takes will vary, but can sometimes depend on timely receipt of the correct information from the existing Providers.

We use up-to-date research and specific analysis tools to narrow down the individual solutions for each Client. For example, we could look at costs and charges, fund performance, fund ratings, the financial strength of the Providers, investment portfolio planning, risk categories, asset allocation, comparison of insurance policy cover, etc…The time taken will vary for each case, until a printed report is produced detailing the research carried out and the reasoning behind it. A recommendation is then produced for the best considered solution.