These days there is such an array of different products available, that the role of an independent adviser has never been more important.

Our aim is to keep in touch with the market and the latest developments with products, lenders and rates and then be able to communicate that information to our clients and in a manner that is clear and easy to understand.

We have been involved in advising mortgages for 20 years, and that experience enables us to gain a good understanding of market developments.

Our attitude is that you should have all your options explained to you so that you can make an informed choice in what would suit you best. Being independent means that we are able to give you the benefit of our experience in how lenders deal with customers both pre and post application.

We also place a great importance on affordability. In our opinion it is vitally important that you borrow the amount you can afford, rather than just the amount you may need for the house you want. You also need to consider how your payments will change when rates go up as well as down.

House Buying Advice

We also provide in depth advice on buying a house, including advice on negotiating for the price you want to pay. Although we will not actually take over the negotiating for you, we can guide you through the process rather than you take advice only from the agent who is selling the property.

We will also assist in advising you as to how to ‘position’ yourself in the sales process. This involves understanding whether the market is in favour of the buyer or seller, and how you can put yourself in the best position to pay the price you want to for a property.

YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE

Many people are considering this area, as it is becoming increasingly necessary for some people to enhance or maintain their lifestyle in retirement.

We feel it is vitally important that independent advice is taken in this area from experienced advisers who fully embrace the market and understand the legal and financial implications of their advice.

Having been advising Equity Release for over ten years now, we are fully committed to this sector.  We have spent a lot of time ensuring that our advice is as professional, competent and personal as possible.

The key to this, is to ensure that clients are given time to consider all the options available to them, and where we do not think that an Equity Release product is suitable we will say so.

Our advice process involves an initial meeting, which is free of charge.  The aim of this meeting is to work out whether other alternatives have been considered, how much you understand about Equity Release, and to work out whether the advice will impact on any family or dependents.

We spend time constructing a comprehensive report into the suitability of equity release.  If equity release is deemed to be suitable then we will recommend a product and enclose our reasons why.

Many people have bought properties to let out over the past few years.  We’ve been involved in advising Buy to Let mortgages since they first came to prominence in the 90’s.  We have developed an extensive knowledge of the sector.  One aspect that can be challenging is that each lender has different criteria for working out how much they will lend.  We will advise you on how to position your case to appeal to as many lenders as possible.

It is also important to consider the type of property you wish to buy and the type of tenant you wish to attract.  Again, we will provide advice on what to look for and things to avoid.

We will also advise you on the taxation of buy to let properties and how to take advantage of any allowances.

Buying to let is not for everyone, and for some, owning the bricks and mortar can create more hassle than it’s worth.  Therefore we can advise on investing in property funds where you can benefit from the growth without owning the bricks and mortar.

There is an array of different products to choose from.  It can get confusing as to the different terms and conditions, risks and rewards etc.  We aim to explain things in simple terms and ensure that the right product fits your requirements.

The key to investing is ensuring we assess the level of risk you are prepared to accept and then choose a range of funds to reflect that risk.  Ongoing monitoring is then essential to ensure that this level of risk is maintained as one fund performing better than another, can alter the risk rating.

We also need to take account of the period that you are prepared to invest over, whether you have a safety net to fall back on, and then the relevant tax wrapper needs to be put around the product to ensure its tax efficiency.

It used to be the case that many people wanted to have a more ethical view to their investing, but then found the returns were so disappointing that compromises had to be made.  Nowadays, it is possible to invest ethically and also see a good return on your investment.  There are many funds that invest in a range of areas, from water sustainability to waste management.

We are very keen on recommending ethical funds and will happily provide you with guidance to ensure any fund matches your particular beliefs.

These days people generally save less than they used to.  We believe this is mainly due to the absence of proper plan.  We believe it is important to budget effectively, to ensure that not only all the bills are paid, but money is set aside in a ‘rainy day’ fund you can fall back on just in case.

Once you have built up a rainy day fund, then you can look to a longer term to save up money that will help you pay for things in the future.  This will take account of ISA’s, Unit Trusts, Investment Trusts, OEICS etc.  Again, we need to take account of your attitude to risk as well as the term you are investing over.

Ensuring that your family and loved ones are cared for in the event of your death remains an important part of sound financial planning.  There are various ways of making sure there are adequate resources.  You can make sure that there is a lump sum of money available for your dependents, or you could arrange for an income to be paid in the event of your death.

You will also need to consider how you would meet all your commitments should you become ill or disabled.  There are various solutions to these problems and it is vitally important that the correct product is recommended as well as the correct level of cover provided.

Once policies have been arranged we will then provide advice on ensuring the money is passed to your beneficiaries as soon as possible.  So we would look to put the policies in trust, where possible.

We offer advice on:

Life Assurance
Mortgage Protection
Income Replacement
Critical Illness Cover
Accident Sickness and Unemployment Cover
Family Protection
Private Medical Insurance
Buildings and Contents Insurance

As with our core belief about financial planning, this is more about strategies than necessarily products.  Planning for retirement can take various forms, including pensions and savings plans. 

Many people took out pensions in the 80’s and 90’s, and yet these products have been superseded by better value schemes since the millennium.  Also, many of these schemes have been investing in the same funds since inception, and yet these funds rarely reflect an individual’s risk profile.  We will look at each scheme and provide advice on which areas can be improved.

We will also carefully consider when you would like to retire and how much money you will need.  We will then look at your existing provision and work out how close to your target you are.  We can then discuss the various ways open to you to improve on this position.

Many people have been moved from lucrative Final Salary schemes to less predictable Money Purchase arrangements, and therefore we will look at the amount of money that is being invested into these schemes to ensure your goals are achieved.  We will also provide advice on the fund choice, paying particular attention to your attitude to risk.

When you reach retirement, there are a number of options open to you.  Recent pension legislation means that you no longer have to take your entire pension when you retire.  You can take it in stages.  It is also possible to take an amount of your fund in cash from some pensions that previously were only going to provide an income, such as AVC’s and Contract-Out schemes.

Most personal pensions have an Open Market Option.  This means that you are allowed to take your pension from any provider who will offer you an annuity, not just the provider that you have been paying into.

Recent pension legislation has had an effect on many people’s pensions and therefore it is vital to review your arrangements and consider whether any adjustments need to be made.

We will also go through a proper plan to clear any debts.  Many people do not set out an end date to their credit card debts.  You have an end date for your mortgage, car or personal loan, but there isn’t one for a credit card.  If you only pay the minimum payment on your balance, this debt can last more than 15 years.  Therefore it is vital to set out a distinct plan as to how this debt will be cleared and then a savings fund can be built up to ensure you rely on your own resources rather than a credit card company.

As mentioned in the Budget Planning section, we believe that it is important to have an effective debt reduction plan.  A target must be set to clear your debts and, together with a savings plan to build up a rainy day fund, this will lead you to be able to use your own resources rather than a lender’s.

Many people have found that credit has been far too easy to obtain and have got into difficulty with the payments.  We are qualified to provide advice on how to address any debt problems and can also give guidance on how to discuss your situation with a lender.

Another area we will provide effective advice on is tidying up entries on your credit file.  We can provide advice on how your credit file can affect any applications you make, and give guidance on the various ways you can improve the situation.