At Informed Choice, we are celebrating some exciting news. We have been recognised in the FT Adviser Top 50 Boutique Firms 2025, a new list that highlights smaller advice firms across the UK who are making an outsized impact for their clients and communities.
This recognition is a real honour.
FT Adviser, working in partnership with ISS Market Intelligence, compiles its annual Top 100 Financial Advisers list each year.
For 2025, the team introduced a new category to shine a light on firms with ten or fewer registered financial advisers. These “boutique” firms are often more personal in scale, but still deliver the same, if not higher, levels of professionalism, client care, and results as the very largest companies.
To be included in this inaugural Top 50 Boutiques list is a proud moment for us as a small business based here in Cranleigh. It acknowledges the work we do every day to guide our clients through financial decisions that shape their futures.
Our Managing Director, Shelley McCarthy, who is herself a Chartered Financial Planner and Wealth Manager, shared her insights in the FT Adviser article:
We see lots of reasons triggering new client enquiries including job changes, retirement, inherited funds and other life events.
Uncertainty in general — be that government, global political climate or personal circumstances, also drives enquiries.
Fear, or suspicion, of potential government changes to the taxation of accumulated wealth is on the increase, motivating people to seek professional financial planning advice, and we have certainly noted an increase in such enquiries.
The past year has seen a wave of new interest in financial planning across the UK. Political announcements, including changes to pensions and taxation, have left many people seeking reassurance and clear guidance.
Alongside this, broader factors such as inflation, interest rates, and global instability have only heightened the demand for trusted professional advice.
Against this backdrop, firms like Informed Choice are being recognised for stepping up to the challenge.
Our clients come to us for many reasons: a big career change, planning for retirement, receiving an inheritance, or simply because they want to feel more confident about their financial future.
Every situation is different, but the common thread is that we work closely with each individual or family to provide clarity, direction, and peace of mind.
The inclusion of Informed Choice in this new Top 50 Boutiques list demonstrates that size does not define excellence. As FT Adviser itself noted, many of the firms featured are generating levels of new business comparable to some of the largest advice companies in the country.
What matters most is the quality of advice and the strength of the relationships built with clients.
We are proud to be part of a profession that continues to prove its worth in challenging times. And we are especially proud of our team here at Informed Choice, who make recognition like this possible.
This accolade is a moment to pause and celebrate, but also a reminder of the responsibility we carry to continue delivering the very best advice for our clients.
