Why is it important to find an Independent Financial Planner?
What should you be looking for in your planning
Writing this just after the October half-term break, it seems appropriate to talk about holidays. I love this time of year, and I’m sure many of you share my passion for spending quality time with your loved ones and enjoying some much-needed relaxation, fun and indulgence.
"An IFA will be able to recommend strategies from the whole of the market, not just a limited selection that might not meet your needs."
But imagine that you went to the travel agents, told them that you wanted to go away and they said that you could, but they could only send you away to Finland. There is nothing wrong with Finland, but it might not be the ideal holiday for you and your family. It certainly wouldn’t be classed as winter sun, and October is no time to be visiting Santa in Lapland!
That would be unacceptable, wouldn’t it? It would actually be ridiculous! If every travel agent only recommended one country, you’d end up having to most of your holiday legwork research, which somewhat defeats their purpose. You wouldn’t book a holiday through a company who offered such narrow options, so why is that so many people are accepting these conditions when it comes to their money?
If you are looking to plan for your future, grow your wealth or simply take the first step in your financial planning journey, it’s crucial to implement the best plan possible. So, as a customer, what should you be looking for in your planning?
First and foremost, look for independent help. Independence will give you far more choice and enable you to find the best solution for your specific needs. Independence means that you are employing someone to sit on your side of the table, as opposed to selling you something from the other side. Independent Financial Advisers have the ability to recommend solutions from across the market and are able to tell you how your existing planning stacks up against comparable strategies from other companies.
And therein lies an important point. If you go to see a travel agent that only sells holidays to Finland, guess what? They are going to try and sell you a Finland holiday! When I want travel advice, I want someone who knows the best places to travel to in each season. I don’t want to have to do that research myself, because I don’t have the time, resources or expertise.
When it comes to your pensions and investments, and the tools with which you are going to create your own financial freedom, it is vital you receive the best growth possible for a level of risk you are comfortable with. An extra 1% gained in performance here or an extra 1% lost in charges there may not seem like a big deal, but overtime it makes a massive difference. It could be the difference between cruise ships and battleships in your later life.
Knowing whether your money is growing as fast as it could be elsewhere in the market is difficult research to do without the right expertise and tools. That is one of the benefits of using an Independent Financial Adviser, because they have both.
To kick start 2020, we want to help people accurately assess their current pensions and investments, so they can clearly see if what they have really is the best solution available. To achieve this, we will be offering a FREE Portfolio Review for any new client throughout January. We will clearly show you how your investments are performing compared to the other options out there, so you can make an informed decision. If you would like to take us up on this incredible offer, simply email [email protected] or call 01572 898060 and we’d be delighted to shed some light on your financial situation.