F inance Welcome to Finance Shop S hop Independent Financial Advisers
Contents Finance Shop - Overview Finance Shop: an overview........... 02 Finance Shop Values................. 03 Retirement Planning.............. 04 Investment Planning.............. 05 FS Wealth Management........... 06 Protection...................... 07 Mortgages...................... 08 Estate Planning.................. 09 Tax Planning.................... 09 Long Term Care.................. 09 Equity Release................... 09 Corporate Financial Planning FS Corporate Pension Solutions..... 10 Employee Benefits Service......... 10 corporate clients. Our success has been built Established in 1990, Finance Shop has grown to become one of the region s leading firms of Independent Financial Advisers. With offices in Norwich, Gorleston and Lowestoft, we have our roots firmly in East Anglia but also deal with clients across the country. As a locally owned, genuinely independent company, we pride ourselves on the quality of our advice and service to both personal and upon word of mouth referrals from existing clients and close relationships with solicitors and accountants. Important Information Finance Shop is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Investment values can fall as well as rise and are not guaranteed Past performance is not a guide to future performance The content of this brochure does not constitute advice and before any alterations to investments or pension plans are made, you should speak to your financial adviser With over 150 years of financial services experience within the firm and over 200 million of assets under management, we have the expertise and knowledge to be able to advise on all aspects of financial planning. Our belief is that access to quality, independent advice is more important than ever and that is why we spend the majority of our time face to face with new and existing clients, explaining the key issues of today and helping them plan for the future. Speak to a Finance Shop Independent Financial Adviser today and put us to the test. We are confident we can make a real difference to your finances. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage For full details of our services and costs, please refer to our Client Agreement www.financeshopgroup.com
www.financeshopgroup.com Welcome to Finance Shop Finance Shop Values Finance Retirement Shop Planning Values Finance Shop Values Our aim is to be known as East Anglia s best Independent Financial Advisers. It is therefore vital to maintain the trust of our clients and ensure they receive a quality of service which is of a consistently high standard throughout the company. To underpin this commitment, we have a number of performance standards and initiatives that we feel will cement our relationship with both existing and new clients. Finance Shop Values provide a number of specific service benchmarks for our clients. Transparency by being open and honest at all times with clients, including making it clear what our charges are from the start, will help ensure that we adhere to the FSA initiative of Treating Customers Fairly. Knowledge it is important that we know as much about you as possible to ensure we can advise you correctly, but it is also important that our advisers are suitably qualified to enable them to deliver this advice. Finance Shop has a wealth of experience to call on and all advisers have the correct level of qualifications. However, we also realise that specialist advice is sometimes required and therefore we have close relationships with tax and legal experts who can be called upon when needed. Clarity as the world of financial services can be very confusing, we will do our utmost to communicate to you in plain English, both in our face-to-face meetings and via any written reports. Our internal compliance team check that all communications are fair, clear and not misleading. Availability We aim to be available when needed by clients. All our advisers can be contacted by e-mail or telephone. We can meet you in any of our three offices, or if you prefer, at your home or place of work. We will respond to any telephone / email enquiry and will give time scales for our response. Expectations It is important that our clients expectations are managed; that they are not led to expect unrealistic performance from products recommended and that the service received is as good as promised. Regular checks are made by our internal compliance officers that projections of performance and promises of service both verbally and in writing are appropriate and justifiable. Feedback We welcome and regularly request feedback on advice and service received. This feedback is supplied to the management of the firm to identify possible areas of improvement and development. Individual performance reviews are linked to feedback from clients. Innovation As the marketplace, legislation and the financial world are constantly changing, we will keep abreast of all the key issues that may affect you as our client. With the use of the latest technology, we are able to offer an increasingly personalised service and our unique Wealth Management process can help ensure that your pension or investment is regularly monitored. 03
Retirement Planning www.financeshopgroup.com Retirement Planning Retirement Planning Saving for a retirement is more important than ever but pensions can be very confusing and lack of action can lead to a severe drop in your living standards when you retire or having to work much longer than you planned. The key questions are: When do you plan to retire? How much income do you need in retirement? How much income will you receive from your current pension provision? 04 The answer to the first two questions is straight forward but most people do not know the answer to the third which presents a huge problem. With people now living much longer, retirement can mean 20 to 30 years of surviving on whatever provision you have made. It is therefore vital to review your arrangements to avoid any nasty shocks when you retire. We will review your current plans and give you a realistic forecast of your likely income at your preferred retirement age. We will then make recommendations where appropriate to help ensure that your pension is working as hard as possible for you. A key part of any solution we recommend will be risk management. Selecting the correct level of investment risk is crucial and can have a huge impact on the value of your pension, particularly as you approach your preferred retirement age. So monitoring the risk and return of your plan is very important. One way to solve this is via our Wealth Management service, which provides peace of mind to know your pension is being monitored with adjustments recommended when required. For further details, please refer to the Finance Shop Wealth Management section. As you approach retirement, we will guide you through the options available and tailor our advice to your individual requirements. There are many ways of drawing your benefits so it is vital to ensure that you pick the right option. This specialist will cover areas such as conventional, investment linked and enhanced / impaired life annuities, capped and flexible drawdown and phased retirement. We are confident that with our expertise and experience, we can put you back in control of your retirement planning.
www.financeshopgroup.com Investment Planning Investment Headline Planning 3 Investment Planning Investment Planning Whether you have 10,000, 100,000 or 1,000,000, the same fundamental principles apply to any successful investment planning: Tax efficiency Managing risk Maximising return Diversification our Wealth Management service, which provides peace of mind to know your investment is being monitored with adjustments recommended when required. For further details, please refer to the Finance Shop Wealth Management section Whatever your investment requirements, we are confident we can help and make a real difference to your financial future. Regular reviews With interest rates at historically low levels, most people recognise that having some exposure to the stock market within a balanced portfolio can make sense for real returns over time. However, investing in the stock-market can be daunting, particularly as markets have been volatile and the choice is huge, with over 2,000 investment funds to choose from. There are two main reasons people invest: To accumulate a lump sum for the future To provide an additional income There are, however, numerous solutions and we will use our expertise to establish the most appropriate investment for your needs and crucially, the right level of risk for you. We will also consider the most tax-efficient option for your circumstances and aim to use diversified investment portfolios with the aim of optimising returns. With increased market volatility, risk management is vital and one way this can be achieved is via 05
Wealth Management www.financeshopgroup.com Wealth Management Finance Shop Wealth Management Investing in the stock-market can be daunting and confusing. Selecting the right funds for your pension or investment plan can make a huge difference to your overall return and ultimately your financial future. With over 2,000 funds and a wide range of risks to consider, where on earth do you start? the performance of the portfolios via the regular updates. The FSWM team monitor the portfolios using performance and risk benchmarks and should any adjustments to the investment funds be necessary, you will be sent a letter or email explaining why the change should be made and seeking your authority to proceed. FSWM is available for individual investment and pension plans plus group pension schemes. Minimum premium / fund values apply, for further details of cost and availability, please speak to your Finance Shop Independent Financial Adviser. Even if you have selected an investment approach that you believe is right for you, markets move very quickly and monitoring both the risk and return of your plan then becomes vital to keep you on track. Finance Shop Wealth Management aims to solve these issues for you and give you the peace of mind to know that your investment or pension plan is being closely monitored at all times, with adjustments recommended when required. With quarterly updates to keep you informed, you can rest assured that your money and your financial future are in safe hands. 06 The Finance Shop Investment Committee have constructed portfolios covering four risk categories to meet the vast majority of clients needs. The portfolios aim to optimise returns by offering a diversified mixture of funds within a stated risk profile. You will be able to track
www.financeshopgroup.com Mortgages Protection Protection Protection Protection The foundation to any financial planning is protection. Once you have protected you and your family against the financial consequences of death, critical illness or long term ill health, you will have peace of mind to know that whatever life throws at you, you will be able to cope financially. It is a fact that most people have insufficient cover in place to protect against these risks. It is easy to brush these concerns under the carpet but the financial consequences of death or illness can be devastating. As with many areas of financial planning, there is a bewildering range of policies available on the market and the hardest part can be deciding the type and amount of cover you require. A common error is simply choosing the cheapest policy. Care is needed to ensure that you are still getting value for money. We will undertake this research for you and consider all options including reviewable / guaranteed cover, index-linked benefits and recommend when a policy should be written in trust. We can guide you through this maze and help you select the right policy at the best price. By thoroughly reviewing your current provision and circumstances we can highlight any shortfalls you may have. We will then help you prioritise your individual needs and recommend the best policy on the market to meet these needs within your budget. 07
Mortgages www.financeshopgroup.com Mortgages Mortgages It is widely agreed that buying a home can be one of the most stressful times of your life. Part of this stress is caused by worry about finances: How much can I afford to borrow? Should I have a fixed, tracker or variable rate? Is my credit history good enough? What insurances do I need? Another dilemma is insurance. We can discuss all the relevant insurances with you: Life insurance Critical illness cover Long term sickness cover Unemployment cover Buildings & contents insurance By conducting a thorough review of your circumstances, we will recommend the right policies for you based on your needs and budget. We can take this worry away by answering these and many other questions for you and guiding you through the mortgage maze. We have been providing mortgage advice for over 20 years and have seen all market conditions from gazumping to negative equity. 08 As independent mortgage brokers we will act on your behalf to find the best deal to suit your circumstances. You may not be moving house, but have a mortgage that is coming to the end of a fixed rate period and need advice on what to do next. Again, we will use our expertise to source the best of the deals from all lenders.
www.financeshopgroup.com Specialist Advice Estate Planning For clients who have accumulated wealth over the years, most agree that preserving their estate for future generations is of utmost importance. Lack of planning can result in a large tax bill for your family and a severe reduction in the value of your family s inheritance. With careful planning, inheritance tax (IHT) can be mitigated either partially or fully and we can guide you through the most appropriate options for you. This is a complex area but by considering exemptions, trusts, will-planning and IHT friendly investments, we can make a significant difference to your family s wealth. Tax Planning If you are a business owner looking to withdraw profits from your business in a tax efficient manner, a higher or additional rate tax payer looking to mitigate your tax liability or simply looking at alternative ways to save for retirement, we can help. Venture Capital Trusts (VCT) and Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS), whilst not being suitable for every investor, offer excellent tax breaks that can significantly reduce your tax burden and can form part of an overall tax strategy. Long Term Care Statistics show that one in five of us will require some form of long term care.* If you have savings or own your own home, you may have to fund the whole cost of care yourself. With the average cost of long term care over 30,000 per year, it does not take long for hard-earned wealth to disappear. * Source: Caring Choices The good news is that, again, with careful planning, these costs can be controlled and reduced. Because of the complex nature of this type of planning, we would liaise with your solicitor where necessary and between us provide the expert legal and financial planning advice required. We have the experience and qualifications to be able to tackle this worrying area. We can help you protect your estate for future generations whilst ensuring that funding is provided for quality long term care if required. Equity Release Many people in retirement are finding that their income has not kept pace with the cost of living and they increasingly have to watch the pennies. Ideally, retirement should be a time to be able to enjoy yourself and do the things you ve always wanted to do. If you own your home and are over 60, equity release may well be the perfect solution to this problem. It enables you to unlock some of the value within your house to provide you with a lump sum or an income. You can still live in your home, do not have to make repayments and can never owe more than the value of your house. As this is a specialist area, we would liaise with your solicitor to ensure that you are fully aware of the legal aspects of equity release. As independent mortgage brokers, we can then research the whole of the market and select the right deal for your circumstances. Estate Planning, Long Term Care, Equity Release Specialist Advice 09
FS Corporate Pension Solutions including Employee Benefits Service www.financeshopgroup.com Corporate Financial Planning FS Corporate Pension Solutions including Employee Benefits Service FS Corporate Pension Solutions was designed to give employers and employees quality independent pension advice. Not only will we recommend the most suitable company pension scheme that meets all the auto-enrolment regulations and administration requirements of an employer, but we will add value by offering an independent service to all employees, helping to advise on all of their pension arrangements (past and present) and recommending individual portfolios of funds if required. We have a unique Wealth Management service available via our group personal pension schemes with handpicked portfolios that are reviewed and monitored on a quarterly basis, for all employees. Importantly, we will also be available to review the schemes on an annual basis and give further advice to existing/new members where necessary. For trustees of occupational pension schemes, we have an investment advice service, in which we will oversee the appointment of investment managers to invest scheme assets. We ensure that the appointed investment managers are investing /performing to the required level via benchmarking. 10
F S inance hop Finance Shop 38-39 Baker Street Gorleston-on-Sea Great Yarmouth Norfolk NR31 6QT Finance Shop St Georges House Salhouse Road Norwich Norfolk NR7 9AU Finance Shop 140a London Road North Lowestoft Norfolk NR32 1HB 0844 800 6990 www.financeshopgroup.com Finance Shop is a trading name of Finance Shop Limited. Company Number 07535053. Registered in England Registered Office: 38-39 Baker Street, Gorleston, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR31 6QT Finance Shop is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority October 2013