The importance of having a structured financial plan to help achieve your life goals can not be overstated. A well-defined plan will comprise of investments and pensions, which will need to take into account your personal circumstances and future aspirations, for example:

• the amount of time you spend with your family
• the number of holidays you take each year
• your health and wellbeing 
• the amount you may wish to ‘gift’ your family members

Your personal and professional circumstances will no doubt change and your financial plan will need to develop accordingly in order to achieve the things that are important to you. With our guidance you will be able to appreciate your current position, analyse where you are doing well and make changes (if necessary) to the areas that are underperforming. We employ a simple, yet effective process:

• establish your current asset value
• understand your financial goals and life aspirations
• determine whether current planning portfolio will fulfil these
• devise a planning strategy to minimise any shortfall

'A goal without a plan is just a wish' - Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

It is crucial that every investment is carefully matched with its specific objective, time-frame and risk tolerance of each client. Acting with our investment partners, we can take on the responsibility for building and managing your investment portfolio.

Our approach is designed to be less dependent upon volatile stock markets. We have the flexibility to concentrate on alternative Asset Classes that offer more favourable conditions for long-term capital appreciation.

At the core of our investment philosophy is our desire to make your portfolio's performance become more predictable, smoothing out investment returns so your capital is being preserved and is grown in a risk controlled manner, whilst maintaining sufficient diversification across your portfolio.

The value of investments and income from them may go down. You may not get back the original amount invested.

Although a pension scheme will probably play a dominant role in your retirement planning, a well-rounded plan could also include; ISAs (Individual Savings Accounts), Capital Gains Tax vehicles, Investment Bonds and Qualifying Savings Plans. It may also comprise of Venture Capital Trusts (VCT) and Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS).

Our financial modelling tool will help determine how on-track you are with your current retirement plans. As with all financial planning, the key is to have a definitive strategy generated from knowing the following:

• when do you intend to retire
• how much income and what amount of income flexibility do you need in retirement
• do you require a cash lump sum
• do you qualify for an impaired life annuity

We will discuss these questions and then develop a retirement strategy which matches your specific requirements and needs, ensuring that your plans provide flexibility, variety and above all retirement income that is delivered in a tax efficient manner.

A pension is a long term investment. The fund value may fluctuate and can go down.

Almost everyone would prefer to pay less tax and be able to pass more of their assets to their beneficiaries following their death.

We provide advice on the most effective ways to reduce your personal or corporate tax exposure. Our strategies include; Pension Contributions, Capital Gains Tax Planning, Venture Capital Trusts and Enterprise Investment Schemes. In addition and where appropriate, we initiate more complex and creative strategies to save on your tax burden.

Inheritance Tax is an important consideration. The ability to pass assets to your chosen beneficiaries in the most efficient way is an obvious desire. We understand the common concerns surrounding the loss of control, protecting your beneficiaries’ long-term interests and flexibility if additional capital or income is required in the future.

There are a large number of excellent trusts offering a variety of options and levels of flexibility. We would be delighted to demonstrate how you can ‘gift’ your assets to your beneficiaries, whilst maintaining an element of control over the assets passed into trust.

Tax Planning is not regulated by the Financial Services Authority.