Financial Planning

All the financial advice you need, all in one place

“It’s not how much money you make but how much money you keep, how hard it works for you and how many generations you keep it for”
Robert Kiyosaki on why people benefit from professional financial advice.

This is what we aim to do, to help you make good decisions about your money – providing clear information to help you achieve your financial goals.

We are part of the Yellow Brick Group, a national firm providing advice on Mortgage, Protection, Commercial Finance, Financial Planning and many other areas of financial advice.

Being independent is part of what makes us different. It is the reason we are free to advise you about products from the entire financial marketplace.

We do not act on behalf of any bank or insurance company, meaning our recommendations are solely about what is right for you.

Working as an Appointed Representative of 2plan also allows us to offer you all the benefits of a bigger organisation, such as the latest technology, greater financial strength, and the reassurance of a team of experts helping us to get things right first time.

Investment Planning And Regular Savings

Why Helping with Asset Allocation Is So Important

By including assets with investment returns that move up and down under different market conditions, an investor can protect against significant losses within a portfolio. Historically, the returns from the major asset classes have not moved up and down at the same time, so by investing in more than one asset type, you’ll reduce the risk of losing money and your portfolio’s overall investment returns should have a smoother ride.

Why Does Time Matter

Time Horizon – the number of years, or decades you will be investing to achieve a particular financial goal can make a significant difference. If you think about it, an investor with a longer time horizon may feel more comfortable taking on a riskier, or more volatile investment because they can ride out the inevitable ups and downs of our markets. Risk Tolerance – being prepared to lose some or all of your original investment in exchange for greater potential returns. An aggressive investor, is more likely to risk losing money in order to obtain better long-term results, whereas a cautious investor, tends to favour investments that try to preserve the original investment.

So What Is The Right Approach For Me?

The actual process of determining which mix of assets to hold in your portfolio is a very personal one. The asset allocation that works best for you at any given point in your life will depend largely on your time horizon and your ability to tolerate any potential losses. We have developed cutting-edge psychometric risk profiling software to make sure we help you make the right decision.

Retirement Planning

Recent data from the Office for National Statistics shows that the median value of private pensions in the UK stands around £57,000. As most people take out the 25% tax free cash of £14,250 this would only leave enough for a guaranteed income of around £127pm*. Whilst most people tend to spend less money in retirement, £127pm is around 6% of the current national average earnings.

* Based upon a male and female aged 65 with benefits escalating at 3% and provision for a 50% spouses’ pension

Advice At Retirement

You must remember that you are effectively selling your assets when they are worth less. This is because when the price of each unit that you hold is lower more need to be sold in order to reach your required level of income. Unfortunately, most savers simply assume that if they select a modest level of regular income, regardless as to what happens in the markets, that they’ll be able to carry on indefinitely. In reality, taking regular withdrawals in times of market stress can destroy the health of your pension pot and therefore, investors must regularly adjust their retirement plan and investment strategy to avoid the real risk of running out of money whilst retired.

Ongoing Service

An international HSBC study, The Future of Retirement, in 2011 showed that those with financial plans accumulated nearly 250% more retirement savings than those without a financial plan in place. Furthermore, nearly 44% of those who have a financial plan in place save more money each year for retirement.

FOCUS on plans, not retirement

Research by David Blanchett and Paul Kaplan of Morningstar, in their article “Alpha, Beta and now…Gamma”, has attempted to quantify into real numbers the value that financial advisers can provide. Their research shows that advisers help individuals generate roughly 1.82% excess return each year, creating roughly 29% higher retirement income wealth. This means even if an adviser is charging a 1% fee a year for the management of assets, the financial advice still has a huge impact on generating additional wealth.

The Way We Work

As financial advisers, our success depends on building successful long-term relationships with clients.

Honesty, integrity, good service, going the extra mile – these are the things we believe matter to you, and these are the guiding principles that underpin our approach to business.

As Independent Financial Advisers, we are not tied to any particular provider and can advise you on products from across the whole market. We will always take a rounded view of the options – considering factors such as charges, customer service and financial resilience. This means we will offer the most suitable solutions for your individual needs and circumstances.

Our guiding principles:

•  Best advice – providing you with products and services suitable for your needs
•  Great service – prompt, reliable, friendly; always centred around you
•  Clear, open communication – so you always know where you stand
•  Good information – honest and accurate, timely and relevant
•  Continual improvement – enhancing and updating our service to you
•  Quality control – identifying failings and putting them right
•  Checking and monitoring – reviewing information, tracking progress

KEY LINKS

Best Execution Policy
Client Classification
Conflicts of Interest Policy
Your Guide To Making A Complaint

Existing clients, please click here to visit the Horizon portal.