At Aptus Financial Planning and Wealth Management, our advisers are experienced and skilled in advising on the 'core' areas outlined below, as well as, where necessary, having access to external sources of technical knowledge, which can be invaluable to our clients.
The following summaries of the different areas of financial planning and services we offer, the approach we take to them, the work inherently involved and the nature of our meetings are designed to provide you with a broad overview and of course, are by no means an exhaustive insight into the work we do:
Financial Planning
Investment and Savings Planning:
At some time in their lives, most people want to save or invest their money wisely, in order to help them meet their needs and achieve their objectives, which may include capital growth or generating an income, for example.
We work with you to build an investment and savings portfolio, which is individually tailored to your circumstances and requirements and will help enable you to attain your financial goals.
We have detailed discussions concerning matters such as your target returns, the length of time you wish to invest for and the level of risk you are willing to take with your money.
We then conduct extensive research, focussing on factors such as tax efficiency, investment performance and risk analysis, to help us construct a well-balanced, diversified portfolio.
Once we have constructed your proposed portfolio, we arrange a convenient time to meet you again, when we talk through the work we have done, issues we considered and the reasons for our conclusions.
Only if you are completely satisfied will we proceed to implement our proposals.
Our aim in the years before your retirement is to help you ensure you make adequate provision for the lifestyle you aspire to, in your later years.
It is widely agreed that often the most important factor in determining the size your retirement funds, is the length of time you have allowed your investments to grow for. Indeed, Albert Einstein famously supported this theory, having reportedly declared that 'the most powerful force in the universe is compound interest'.
For this reason, we strongly believe that it is never too early to begin planning for your retirement and that time is very much of the essence.
Our discussions with you will focus on matters such as the level of income you feel you will require in retirement, whether you are saving enough and how well any existing pension funds or retirement-related investments, such as a Buy-to-Let property, have been performing.
We will recommend a strategy which will aim to deliver the results you hope for, whilst taking account of the crucial issues of your tolerance to risk and affordability.
Our focus immediately before and during your retirement, is helping you to decide which options are right for you, with regard to taking the capital and income benefits from your retirement savings and investments.
Our discussions will focus on your income needs, your objectives for any capital lump-sums, tax-efficiency and your wishes in respect of the wider benefits available from the various different options you may have.
We will recommend a course of action which will aim to deliver your goals and most importantly, the retirement you hope for.
Whether you are a first-time buyer, moving home, looking to buy property as an investment, need to consolidate debts or simply want to remortgage for a more competitive deal, our work with you will be focussed on the same result - securing the very best deal for your circumstances and wishes, from the whole mortgage market.
At our initial meeting, we carry out a careful analysis of your personal circumstances and ask you to tell us exactly what you require of your mortgage, to ensure we are in a position to offer appropriate advice.
We will then discuss the various options available to you, plus our own views as to the best course of action, ultimately forming a consensus of thought, which will allow us to concentrate our efforts on finding the most suitable deal for you.
Our research will be very thorough indeed, filtering through the thousands of available deals, to find the one which most accurately meets your requirements and importantly, provides the best value for money.
If you are completely happy with our recommendations, we will proceed to submitting an application and undertaking the ongoing administration process on your behalf, until the final completion of your mortgage.
Our usual fee for Mortgage Advice is £500.
Think carefully before securing other debts against your home. Your property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
Individual and Family Financial Protection:
No-one likes to think that the worst could happen to themselves or any of their loved ones and nor do they like to think that they or their families would struggle to cope financially in such circumstances, but the sad reality and indisputable truth, however, is that this scenario occurs on a daily basis and affects tens of thousands of people each year.
There are very few families, for example, who would not be affected by the loss of the main breadwinner, particularly if there are children to consider, yet it is unfortunately also true that very few individuals and families actually have the protection they need in the event of death, a serious illness or a prolonged period away from work. In light of this, we consider it vital that close attention is paid to this area of financial planning, at all times.
After ascertaining whether there are any shortfalls in your or your family's financial protection, we conduct extensive research to find the products which offer you the right protection for your circumstances.
Importantly and unlike many other Financial Advisers, our recommendations, whilst considering cost and affordability, will always focus on the products which offer the best protection, not those which offer the cheapest protection and we absolutely make no apology for this.
Estate Planning / Inheritance Tax Mitigation
Inheritance Tax is a very controversial issue in the UK; a deeply unpopular and many feel, unfair tax, levied at a highly sensitive time in people's lives.
Like the majority of people, we would not like to think of our families receiving a reduced bequest or facing a large tax bill upon our deaths', as a result of the Inheritance Tax laws. Therefore, we understand our clients' feelings and concerns on this issue and are committed to helping them mitigate their family's potential liability.
At our initial consultation, we will ascertain the nature of your estate and the extent to which there may be an Inheritance Tax liability. After talking matters through with you, we will consider how best to utilise the options open to you and what actions may be required, before proceeding to conduct appropriate research.
Once we have formulated a strategy for mitigating any liability, we will arrange a convenient time to meet you again - we are happy for this meeting to include family members and other professional advisers, if you wish - to talk through the work we have done, issues we considered and the reasons for our conclusions.
Only if you are completely satisfied with our recommendations, will we then proceed to implement them.
Many people have built up substantial equity in their residential property over recent years, as house prices have soared.
Many of these people may be 'asset rich', but equally, many may be 'cash poor', if they do not have other 'liquid' assets available to them because unfortunately, of course, one cannot simply 'spend' one's equity.
This means that, although a person's overall financial position may be very healthy, they could find themselves struggling to pay for the things they need or want, in their later years.
Equity Release schemes can help to provide the funds people require, in order to generate a cash lump sum or an income and importantly, can provide an alternative to being forced into moving out of the home they may have lived in for many years.
At our initial consultation, we will discuss your financial position, your short and long-term needs and the benefits and drawbacks of effecting an Equity Release scheme.
Once we have conducted our research, we will put forward our recommendations to you and preferably, your family as well and only if you are completely happy, will we proceed to implement them for you.
'Equity Release' includes Home Reversion Plans and Lifetime Mortgages. To understand the features and risks, please ask for a personalised illustration.
Please note that Equity Release schemes can affect eligibility for state benefits and grants.
Wealth Management
The ultimate aim of our Wealth Management service is to provide you with ongoing, comprehensive financial planning, focusing on but not restricted to, your investment portfolio, working closely with you throughout your 'financial journey' through life, however long or challenging it may be.
We offer this service because we firmly believe that financial planning is not a one-off event, but a continuous, life-long process, which requires regular reviews of your circumstances and almost certainly changes of strategy, in order to ensure you are prepared for and can adapt to, any financial situation you may be faced with.
If you do not have the time or expertise to effectively manage your own financial affairs and are looking for professional help and a personalised solution, our service will be ideal.
Once we have analysed your existing financial position and assessed your long-term objectives, we will construct a strategy for helping you achieve them.
If you are happy with our proposals, we will proceed to implement them, whereupon our relationship does not come to an abrupt end, as it might with other Financial Advisers.
Instead, we maintain contact with you, continuing to monitor your financial affairs on a regular and ongoing basis, providing up to quarterly investment portfolio valuation reports and arranging review meetings, as required, to help ensure you are on target to achieve your goals.
If you would like more information on our complete Wealth Management service or any of our other services, please feel free to call or email us to arrange a free, no obligation initial consultation.