We thought it might be useful to step back a little bit and review the value that we bring to our clients, in order to make sure we’re meeting your needs as much as we possibly can. We identified ways in which we enrich the lives of our clients and ended up with quite a long list! We then came up with the brainwave of narrowing down this list and sharing with you 10 ways in which we can help you to improve your lifestyle.
1. We help you develop a financial plan to achieve your desired lifestyle
When you set out on a journey, you need a map to get to your destination. The same applies to your desired lifestyle and the finances to achieve it. Think of your desired lifestyle as the destination. The map you need is a financial plan. This will show you what is needed to live the life that you want to live.
2. We help you sleep at night
We’re firm believers in the principle of risk based investing. Your portfolio needs to clearly reflect your own appetite for risk in order to ensure that your money is working as hard as possible for you, while not increasing the risk in your portfolio beyond your comfort levels. We don’t want you lying awake at night worrying about your portfolio.
3. We make sure an unexpected event doesn’t dash every hope and dream
Life is full of uncertainties that impact all of us every single day. Sometimes significant events change the course of your life and the lives of your loved ones. A serious illness or the death of a parent has an enormous emotional impact on a family. It can also be catastrophic financially and dash a lot of dreams. It’s our job to help you protect yourself financially against such events.
4. We help you reduce your tax bill
We’re very aware of how taxation can take large chunks out of your financial assets. We stay on top of changes to the taxation regime and this knowledge helps us to ensure you are reducing your tax bill as much as possible. This applies of course to retirement planning, but we also look to find tax saving opportunities in your investments, life assurance and income protection planning. We want the money in your pocket rather than the taxman’s!
5. We help you to keep your discipline and focus on long terms goals
Our goal is to help you live the life you want to live, both today and tomorrow. We’re not killjoys, only trying to get you to save as much as possible for the future! Instead we help you strike a balance between spending today and saving for the future. We want you to achieve your long-term financial objectives while living your life to the full.
6. We make sure your plan remains relevant
People get married, babies come along, people change jobs or even careers, future aspirations change. All of these types of events fundamentally change your financial plan. It’s our job to make sure that all of these changes are fully reflected in your plan and that you have the optimal set of financial solutions in line with your changing circumstances.
7. We help you to understand the swings and roundabouts of investment markets
Investment markets are moving up and down all of the time. Some people don’t notice, others sweat over every (downwards) movement. Often this is down to a lack of understanding of markets, volatility and how it works, and the impacts on your own portfolio. While ensuring you have the optimal risk based portfolio in place is an important job for us, it’s equally important that we help you understand how markets work.
8. We help you to make your debt v investment decisions
When incomes increase and there’s some extra cash left over each month, or indeed you get a windfall as a result of a bonus, a gift or maybe an inheritance, you’ve got decisions to make. Do you pay down debt or invest? We can help you make those decisions, taking account of interest rates, projected risk-based investment returns and tax considerations. We want your money working as hard as possible for you.
9. We help you to prepare for a long and happy retirement
Retirement is a significant event in all our lives. It’s also an increasingly lengthy stage in our lives, which means it takes even greater financial planning than before. This planning begins when you’re young and start building up your retirement fund. It continues through to retirement, at which stage important decisions need to be made when your income from work stops, and you need your fund to sustain you into the future. And the planning doesn't stop there, it continues onwards through retirement as you want to make sure you never run out of money. We’re here for you every step of the way, at every stage of this long journey.
10. We help you to plan for later in life and to pass your assets on to loved ones
And finally as you age and the end draws near… We help you plan for the transfer of your financial assets to your loved ones in the smoothest and most tax efficient way possible. We want you to live out your final years without the worry of causing any financial difficulties for your family as a result of poor financial planning.