Financial advisor (pensions, savings etc)

[Fred Bloggs]

Take care not to overstep the mark Ben…

Please refer my comments above. If an IFA is requested in the OP, SJP are absolutely not IFAs and should not be recommended. There is nothing independent about SJP's self employed sales people.

[Fred Bloggs]

Happy to put you in touch with an IFA firm we recommend to our clients (I only deal with mortgages and protection so we refer our clients looking for pension, investment and tax planning advice onto another firm). They are a franchise of St James Place and I have only ever had positive feedback when I have referred clients to them in the past. Feel free to pop me a DM and I can pass your details on to them if you wish.

Kind Regards

Ben

I suggest that recommendation of St James Place here is inappropriate. Members at CUK generally do our best for other members. Recommendation of SJP is possibly the worst advice anyone here could get. They are expensive, difficult to leave without paying questionable exit charges and their investment performance is amongst the worst out there. Their self employed agents can only sell St James Place products. They are salespeople, they are not financial advisors.

I would never use anyone to make investments for me. But for anyone wanting and adviser, always search for an Independent Financial Adviser, IFA. And check them out the FCA register to make sure they are fully authorised for the advice you require.

Even better, educate yourself enough to not need an advisor. All the information is out there. HTH.

[cojak]

Take care not to overstep the mark Ben…

[TheMortgageSquad]

So I'm new to recent contracting (did some back in the 90s!), my first contract is inside IR35. I need some help looking at my finances both in terms of keeping my tax burden lower (ie. selecting and putting more into a pension, NEST is default through Umbrella but I can choose another provider if I pay a slightly higher fee). I've got a few previous pensions (civil service plus more recent company pension (Scottish Widows)). Can anyone recommend a truly independent financial advisor who can help look at my overall financial position? I know getting decent advice is well worth the money.

Happy to put you in touch with an IFA firm we recommend to our clients (I only deal with mortgages and protection so we refer our clients looking for pension, investment and tax planning advice onto another firm). They are a franchise of St James Place and I have only ever had positive feedback when I have referred clients to them in the past. Feel free to pop me a DM and I can pass your details on to them if you wish.

Kind Regards

Ben

[malvolio]

Thanks, it does look like more of a "Wealth Manager" would be best as they cover everything not just pensions. Need to do some research.

I was going to say the same thing. I used several IFAs in the beginning and wound up with a pile of disconnected pots of money. I was pointed at a Wealth Manager who took a properly holistic view. His parent company have changed hands once or twice, but I've kept the same guy for around 15 years. Seems to have worked out quite well...

[lukemg]

Found myself inside for a short time, could not find anything better than massive pension contribution to my SIPP to take the edge of the tax take.

[Aeia]

Thanks all, do think a general IFA may be best. I'm nowhere near the 1M mark and financially things are simple (no mortgage (at the moment but may consider moving at some point to something more costly but no current plans), no kids, no dependents well a husband but he can look after himself :-) )

[d000hg]

Yeah a decent IFA sounds like what you need if this is really just about pensions and getting a handle on where you stand with savings, pension, mortgage, etc. They would likely advise on things like life cover (i.e. does your existing cover match your debts and costs), maybe wills and things as well.

[Lance]

Thanks, it does look like more of a "Wealth Manager" would be best as they cover everything not just pensions. Need to do some research.

I wouldn't touch a 'wealth manager'.
Sounds like someone claiming to be something that is not regulated. IFAs are heavily regulated.

If you are a high wealth individual then wealth managers have some value. If you're a general customer, with minimal assets (pension < £1M and house < £1M), then do you really want some whiz-kid recommending a scheme based in the Cayman Islands?

[Aeia]

Thanks, it does look like more of a "Wealth Manager" would be best as they cover everything not just pensions. Need to do some research.

[d000hg]

Where are you based? I would recommend mine but not sure if they focus on their own area... they used to but these days they are used to Zoom meetings and might not care.

[ladymuck]

I've recommended this firm, Ian Wilson specifically, to a few people and they've been helpful. They sorted out combining lots of bits of pension pots for me.

http://forumwealth.com/

They know how to deal with contractors and will happily talk to your accountant to explain any queries they may have once you've confirmed a course of action.

[Aeia]

So I'm new to recent contracting (did some back in the 90s!), my first contract is inside IR35. I need some help looking at my finances both in terms of keeping my tax burden lower (ie. selecting and putting more into a pension, NEST is default through Umbrella but I can choose another provider if I pay a slightly higher fee). I've got a few previous pensions (civil service plus more recent company pension (Scottish Widows)). Can anyone recommend a truly independent financial advisor who can help look at my overall financial position? I know getting decent advice is well worth the money.