Paying for our services

We have always declared the true cost of our advice service and the products we recommend: we want you to understand the worth and value of the service we provide. We also want you to understand fully what you are getting and how much it will cost. Only when you are clear and happy about this will we proceed with any work on your behalf.

Your initial consultation meeting with us is free of charge and you are under no obligation to proceed.

We will discuss the various services we offer and the ways of paying for our advice and then help you decide which service or services are most appropriate for you.

We will then confirm in writing the service or services we will provide you with and the specific charges and fees we will levy.

If you decide to engage our services after the initial consultation meeting, whether you buy a product or not you will pay us a fee for our advice and services, which will become payable on completion of our work. We will agree the rate we will charge before beginning work and we will tell you if you have to pay VAT.

Full financial planning advice

This service is suitable for you if you require advice on putting in place a financial plan and investment portfolio.

We charge a fee for this which will be for securing details of your existing investments, pensions and holdings; establishing your investment objectives; completing a risk questionnaire; and subsequently for providing you with a comprehensive financial planning report and recommendations.

The exact cost to you will depend on the complexity of the arrangements in place and will be agreed prior to commencing any work and confirmed to you in writing – we will also tell you if you have to pay VAT.

We can also offer our services on a standard per-hour fee.  This will vary depending on which member of the team you see and the rates will be set out and agreed with you in writing prior to our commencing any work for you.

For putting in place an investment portfolio we levy a scalable charge based on the value of your investment. We will charge no more than 3% – substantially lower for larger investments. The initial charge will be taken directly from your investment portfolio or, if you prefer, we can send you a fee invoice, payable on completion of our work.

Lifetime cash flow forecasting

This service is a suitable accompaniment to the full financial planning advice service or can be provided as a standalone service. We charge a fee at the outset to cover the cost of fact-finding and compilation of a Lifetime Cash Flow Forecast. There is a further charge for presenting the forecast with a range of scenarios and an additional charge for submitting a findings report.

Personal and business protection advice

This service is suitable for you if you wish to determine the best way to protect yourself, your family or business (eg through critical illness insurance, income protection, life cover etc). There is a fee for our research and for submitting our findings, including recommendations.

We will not normally charge a fee for these insurance products, (unless agreed in writing with you in advance). We will normally receive commission from the product provider. However, that doesn’t mean our service is free as you will still pay for our services indirectly through the product charges. These charges pay for the provider’s own costs and any commission to us. If you buy direct, the product charges could be higher, lower, or the same as when buying through an adviser firm. You will receive an illustration that will tell you about the commission and product charges relating to any particular insurance policy.

Post-retirement advice

This service is suitable for you if you wish to establish your post-retirement position, including the viability of securing pension income by way of an annuity.

There is a fee for our research and for submitting our findings, including recommendations. We would also normally charge a fee for arranging an annuity

Mortgage and Equity Release advice

We also advise on mortgage and Equity Release products. Further details can be found in the Mortgages and Equity Release (link to the ‘paying for our services’ page within this area) section of the website.

On-going service provision

We aim to provide a high level of service to our clients but recognise that not all clients require the same service.

Universal service

We will not levy a direct charge for this service as we may be in receipt of commission or other income from plans we have registered with us.

With this service, our dedicated administration team will:

• Maintain your electronic file
• Liaise with product providers (eg notify them of a change of address)
• Secure access to a Financial Adviser/Financial Planner should you need it
• Refer you to other professionals should you ask
• Issue you with regular newsletters

Advantage service

In addition to the support of our dedicated administration team and regular contact from us, your dedicated Financial Adviser/Planner will ensure that you receive:

• Unrestricted access to them and the team ie you will have the ability to contact them or any member of the team to discuss any financial planning matter, without charge
• Further advice and recommendations, where a charge may be agreed and levied
• An ongoing evaluation of your investment funds
• Regular rebalance of asset allocation to the original benchmark
• An annual financial review report
• Interim advice on additional investment, in accordance with our initial charging structure
• Interim advice on withdrawals, where an additional charge may be levied

If you opt for this service, you will be required to confirm acceptance of any and all changes that we propose to make to your investment portfolio.

There is a monthly charge for this service, which will be taken directly from your investment portfolio or, if you prefer, we can send you a fee invoice.

Premier service

If you opt for this service, any and all changes that are made to your investment portfolio will be completed under the discretionary investment management arrangements we have in place with a third party and will be notified to you thereafter.

In addition to the support of our dedicated administration team and regular contact from us, your dedicated financial adviser/planner will ensure that you receive:

• Unrestricted access to them and the team ie you will have the ability to contact them or any member of the team to discuss any financial planning matter, without charge
• Further advice and recommendations, where a charge may be agreed and levied
• An ongoing evaluation of your investment funds
• Quarterly rebalancing of asset allocation to the original benchmark
• Quarterly investment portfolio valuations
• An annual financial review report
• Interim advice on additional investment, in accordance with our initial charging structure
• Interim advice on withdrawals, where an additional charge may be levied

There is a monthly charge for this service, which will be taken directly from your investment portfolio or, if you prefer, we can send you a fee invoice.

If you have specific needs and requirements, we are also able to provide a range of other individual services, at an agreed cost.

Please call us  if you would like to know more about the financial services we offer and how they are paid for.