Technical knowledge around tax and planning issues is important to me and I have achieved the Diploma in Financial Planning from the CII and am a member of The Personal Finance Society.

My Commitment

Integrity and ethics are at the heart of the way I do business, so have developed a number of key principles I aspire to provide:

• I will always act in your best interests
• I will provide the highest standard of service
• I will use my technical expertise to benefit you
• If there is more than one way to achieve something I will present you with all the options
• Regular contact and review of planning is essential

My Approach

…is about working together. I provide a personal service, with advice in the four main areas of financial planning for individuals and businesses:

Protection - to help you and your family or business avoid financial catastrophe should you suffer long-term incapacity, through critical illness or death whilst others are financially dependent on you

Retirement planning - so that you can enjoy a comfortable lifestyle when you stop working

Savings and Investment planning - to help you accumulate capital in a flexible, tax-efficient and suitably diversified manner

Estate Planning - to minimise Inheritance Tax so that, in due course, your family receive as much of your wealth as possible, yet without compromising your own standard of living this can incorporate business exit strategy.*

My aim is to help you to identify your financial priorities and objectives and develop a strategy with an aim to achieve these goals within your desired timescale, both individually and for your business.

Step one – I conduct a thorough review of your current financial position by asking lots of questions – the difficult bit is you having answers but I will help you find the answers which will culminate in developing a financial planning strategy over the short, medium and long term by minimising tax paid where practical and using tax allowances where appropriate.

Step two – I will then develop an investment strategy and plan this with you by discussing possible solutions to meet these goals and aspirations. This is achieved by understanding and taking account of your attitude to risk as well as capacity to accept loss over these timescales thus ensuring prudent diversification – which matches assets held with your attitude to risk.

Step three – Once agreed, investments are put in place and most importantly, regularly reviewed to allow for changing circumstances, legislative changes as well as investment reviews.

In addition, St. James's Place has a distinctive approach to investment management with the help of its Investment Committee who’s role is very simply to "manage the fund managers" on behalf of our clients.

It has the overriding objective of providing our clients with the best chance to achieve superior returns over the medium to long term. It also monitors within the appropriate investment firm, the individual and the firm to ensure the committee remains happy with the choice and changing them where necessary.

The value of an investment with St. James's Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds you select and the value can therefore go down as well as up. You may get back less than you invested.

The levels and bases of taxation and reliefs from taxation can change at any time and are dependent on individual circumstances.

*Exit Strategies may include products and services that are separate and distinct to those offered by St. James's Place.