Since the introduction of the Retail Distribution Review on 31st December 2012, the business of Informed Choice, the award-winning firm of Chartered Financial Planners in Surrey, has continued to go from strength to strength.
We recently reported our second best company year in 19 years of business, achieved with a slightly smaller team and amidst challenging economic and regulatory conditions.
Our updated fee structure is market leading and places greater emphasis on the value of advice, rather than product intermediation.
Next month we attend the prestigious Lancaster London Hotel for the Moneyfacts Life and Pensions Awards, now in their 12th year, where we are proud to be a finalist for Retirement Adviser of the Year.
Today we announce some changes to our team at Informed Choice.
After ten years with the firm, Sandy Lowth is moving to a local IFA firm at the end of the month in order to facilitate her full retirement from the advice business within the next three years.
Also joining her at the firm, which is an Appointed Representative of an IFA network, is Catriona Lumiste who has been employed by Informed Choice to assist Sandy with the ongoing servicing of her existing clients.
We wish Sandy and Catriona every success for the future in their new roles, and wish Sandy a happy retirement when this day arrives.
Also departing the firm this week is Emma Calvert who worked part-time in our client services team. Emma is joining another IFA firm in a full-time administration role and we wish her every success.
As a result of improved efficiencies in our client services team, we have decided not to replace the role of Client Services Administrator, as we are confident we can easily absorb the workload from this role within the existing team.
We have always said that change is the nickname used by opportunity, and these changes present us with some exciting opportunities we are looking forward to putting in place.
Our senior paraplanner Shelley McCarthy has applied for re-authorisation from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to provide regulated advice to clients of Informed Choice.
Shelley previously held an advisory position with a national IFA firm and is a highly qualified Certified Financial Planner (CFP). Her role at Informed Choice will continue to focus on research and report writing, with the capacity also to provide advice and ongoing reviews to some of our clients.
Shelley is working hard to become a Chartered Financial Planner and has already started studying to obtain the specialist care fees planning qualification, CF8.
Her re-authorisation to provide regulated advice is of course subject to FCA approval.
Informed Choice managing director Martin Bamford, a Chartered Financial Planner, will also be applying for re-authorisation to provide regulated financial advice in the near future.
Martin gave up his approved person status a year ago to focus on investment research and marketing for the firm, as well as to launch our direct to consumer proposition, IC Direct.
With more capacity available, Martin will return to providing advice to a portfolio of high net worth clients, primarily in the advice areas of choices at retirement, securing income to pay for care fees and investment for individuals and trustees.
These changes see us realise our long-held ambition to create a small but effective team of highly experienced and qualified Financial Planners, delivering our award-winning proposition to individuals, trustees and business owners across Surrey.
We look forward to continuing to provide an excellent service to our clients, as well as working hard to deliver advice to the clients of our professional connections across Surrey and building on our existing reputation as one of the leading firms of Chartered Financial Planners in the UK.
