Our Advice Process

Seeking investment advice can sometimes seem daunting. Whether you are new to the practice, or already have a robust portfolio, it is important that you choose an IFA you can connect with. It is our role to make a personal connection with our clients, and understand their beliefs. Once we have achieved this, we can introduce them to the ethical, sustainable opportunities available to them. By simplifying our process and making it inclusive to all our clients, you can truly feel involved, and excited, about your decisions.  Our initial consultation is at our cost and without any obligation on either side, so please either call us to discuss, or complete the enquiry form and we will contact you.

Barbara, Knaresborough

“Phil went above and beyond at all points in the process to help me make sound and informed decisions. I was really grateful to have his help.”

James, Dumfries

“I am very impressed with the amount of effort you’ve put into the report. I’m finding it very interesting.”

Lesley, Caernarfon

“I want to simply say that the quality of service is very good indeed, considering how greatly I have benefited financially since starting the trust.”

Step 1

Gaining a clear understanding

Fact Finding

We begin with a fact finding session, which enables us to build up a picture of your personal and financial circumstances. Next, we look to understand and agree your objectives. This ensures that we are tailoring our advice to your priorities and developing the necessary understanding to deliver your goals. It is vital at this stage that you are given a transparent overview of the process, including the likely fees attached and the timings we envisage. This way, you know exactly what is involved before you commit. With this trust established, we can begin to move forward.

Step 2

Establishing an appropriate solution

Advice & Recommendations

We will research all suitable financial products and services from across the whole market place, providing formal recommendations that meet your financial objectives and ethical concerns. In most cases, we will prepare a formal recommendation report, with the option of a further consultation to talk through your options.

Step 3

Getting the wheels in motion

Implementation

Once you understand the options and are comfortable in making decisions based on the recommendations we have supplied, we can implement the recommendations. We will support you by completing documentation and liaising with providers on your behalf. A formal record will document the advice and reasons why we have recommended these actions.

Step 4

Keeping a watchful eye

On-going support

Only through cultivating a long lasting relationship with our clients can we truly offer them the service we believe in. Close contact and regular reviews are vital in helping clients to monitor their progress against their financial objectives, to make sure that they are met in the years ahead. We have developed a series of client service propositions (Acorn, Samara and Berry) to help make this possible, which clearly outline our commitment to you.

Charging options for receiving our service

We have a range of options for charging for our services. The main options are:

  • Fee based (either hourly basis or fixed fee) – invoiced directly to our client
  • Fee taken from your financial arrangements – agreed with you but facilitated by the investment provider

We believe that we have transparent and clear charges which sit well with our principles of providing independent financial advice at an affordable cost. We believe that being transparent is the most appropriate way to demonstrate our impartiality to our clients. In the vast majority of cases we operate a combination approach whereby we complete stage one (Research & Recommendation) on an agreed fixed fee basis. Subject to the decisions a client makes we can then offer the option to implement (stage 3) the recommendations on a fee basis. Where investments or pensions are concerned this tends to be a percentage of the assets invested. If you request our on-going service (stage 4) this can either be funded via a monthly retainer or more usually via an adviser on-going fee deducted alongside the annual management charges for each fund.

Please see Client Fee Agreement for further information.