Services & Solutions

It is my role as your adviser to help you choose the right investments in order to help you meet your objectives. Most clients are looking to invest in areas where they achieve a reasonable return by taking a suitable amount of risk. This is a balance between risk and reward. Over time clients will tolerate different levels of risk. Factors such as timescale, affordability and experience are all important as well as capacity to tolerate loss.
In short, I can help you determine an investment strategy appropriate for your needs, and using the funds best suited to your attitude to risk and tax position.

The aim of life assurance cover is simple…It is there to provide funds for those who are financially dependent on you. This area covers both family and business interests. Making sure that the mortgage as an example is repaid on death is one benefit of life assurance but one has to understand that it is not only a mortgage which needs covering. Clearly if the main breadwinner in the family passed away or is diagnosed with a critical illness (things like cancer, strokes, heart attack etc) or unable to work due to temporary sickness/accident then a lump sum or income would be important to maintain a reasonable standard of living.

These days, for people of working age, maintenance of good health is important, and few people consider what would happen if, due to ill health, their career was interrupted or even stopped. For others, the risks are of frailty in old age.
This type of insurance covers all these issues – from getting fast and effective health care, to providing lump sums for more serious problems, to providing income where long term ill health prevents you working, to providing for the cost of old age care.

Savings for ones future is definitely a good idea particularly as state pension is hardly going to be enough to maintain a good lifestyle. Pension is a form of saving with significant tax advantages and with people in general living longer one needs to make sure there are sufficient savings in back ground to fall back on. Reviewing existing pensions is I believe important and a review service is available subject to appropriate fees to cover the time and work involved. It is not a good idea to leave things till one is close to retirement as often some old style pensions have excessive charging structures compared to modern contracts and a change can in certain cases can be advantageous – a review can highlight this at an early stage.

In the area of pension planning, I can help set up new pension funds and look to improve the performance of existing pension plans where applicable. I often find many clients are invested in unsuitable funds compared to current market and economic conditions and a review often brings this to your attention. Consolidation of existing plans taking into account ones attitude to risk and timescale to retirement can be appropriate in certain cases

Most small to medium sized firms depend on key persons to run the business but they are often unprepared to face the situation if something happens to those key individuals.
The consequences of this oversight may result that the remaining business just cannot survive with possibly disastrous consequences for the firm and its owners and those employed.
Often little thought is given to future exit strategies or succession planning and this can result in paying more tax than necessary.

Example of key areas of advice to consider are:
* Key person cover against death or critical illness – many companies insure the company cars but not the sales people driving them and bringing in business to the company
* Shareholder or Partnership protection – Directors and Partners should look to protect each other against illness or death otherwise the spouse of a deceased or critically ill Director/Partner could inherit that share of the business they know little about. This could potentially ruin the business and all your hard work
* The implications of employer work pensions under Auto Enrolment legislation between 2012 and 2017 brings on complex responsibility for employers and early discussions about this is vital, for if one fails to meet the requirements of this legislation then fixed and escalating penalties are applicable from the pensions regulator.

A will is important for everyone, whatever their wealth status. The importance of having a will should not be under played. Without one, the distribution of assets will be at the mercy of the intestacy rules. These rules are fixed, dating back to 1925 in England and Wales, and can have undesirable results in terms of who gets what, and potentially unnecessary inheritance tax.
Guidance on estate planning is available and I have access to qualified solicitors/will writers who can assist in this. Given the experience I gained working in a major banks estate planning department, I can share the knowledge with you and this in turn will help you in preparing the right structure for your wills and other related documents.