In one of my recent articles, I set out some of the things I’ll never do as a financial adviser. As a counterweight to that, I thought I’d provide you with a list of some of the important things I will do for clients. All of them are designed to help you manage your finances as effectively as possible and to give you the best chance of a secure and rewarding financial future. 1. I’ll always tell you the truth During our adviser/client relationship, it may occasionally be necessary to tell you things you might not want to hear. For example, I might think it’s necessary that, in order to meet your financial goals, you need to save more each... Read More

Working in the financial services, I tend to keep an eye on how other financial professionals advertise their services. What often strikes me is the way they will heavily promote what they’ll do for you, the client. Investment managers will tell you how they will help you grow the value of your investments, while banks will look after your money and offer no end of financial products to meet your needs. You will rarely see anyone telling you what they won’t do. So, I’m going to turn this on its head and tell you about four things I will never do as a financial adviser. 1. I won’t use jargon or try to impress you with complex ideas Even as... Read More

This is the second of two related articles about financial planning as a couple. In the first piece, you read about the problems you and your partner could face if you aren’t prepared to plan your financial future and manage your finances together. These ranged from how a lack of joint planning could result in small financial issues becoming major ones, to the problem of financial infidelity. Now read about the other side of the coin – how joint financial planning can make your relationship stronger, and why there are tangible monetary advantages to planning as a couple. 1. The planning process will create a solid foundation for your financial future It’s likely one of you will take the lead... Read More

The start of a new year is often a time when you set out with firm intentions to improve your life. If you’re planning to do more exercise and improve your fitness, you aren’t alone. A YouGov survey found that those two activities topped the list for more than half of Britons (53%) who intend to make a resolution for 2023. Likewise, 43% say they plan to lose weight and the same proportion are resolving to improve their diet. It’s also common to make financial resolutions for the new year, such as to clear your credit card debts, or to save more money each month. But if you’re in a partnership and not planning your financial future with your spouse... Read More

History is littered with examples of wily fraudsters taking advantage of unsuspecting individuals and stealing their money. There have been countless scams, from the “sale of the Roman empire” scam in 193 AD to the original Ponzi scheme in 1920, and its many derivatives. Usually this was done by word of mouth or newspaper advertisements. But more recently, extraordinary advances in online technology means scammers can target you remotely without having to meet you face-to-face or even talk to you on the phone. Most financial scams these days tend to fall under two different categories: Those looking to obtain your personal information in order to be able to target your bank account and other financial holdings Those looking to persuade... Read More