Most people have never used a financial adviser and have no idea what they are signing up for. So here is the whole thing, step by step, including how long each part takes and the point at which money changes hands.
A relaxed conversation by video or phone, usually 45 to 60 minutes. I want to understand what you are actually trying to do — retire earlier, buy somewhere bigger, stop worrying about an old pension you have lost track of. This part is about you, not your paperwork.
By the end I will tell you honestly whether I can help. Sometimes the answer is that you do not need an adviser yet, and I would rather say so than take your money.
If we both want to go ahead, we go properly into the detail: what you earn and spend, what you own and owe, your pensions, your protection, your tax position, and how you feel about risk — which matters more than most people expect.
This is usually the part people dread. In practice I do the chasing. If you have an old pension and only a vague memory of who it is with, that is normal and I will track it down.
This is the invisible part, and it is where most of the work happens. Your situation is researched across the whole market, the options are modelled, and a written recommendation is built explaining what I think you should do and, just as importantly, why.
I am not doing this alone. The research and report writing is supported by the paraplanning team at New Leaf, and the recommendation is checked by their compliance team before it reaches you. That means more than one qualified person has looked at your case.
I take you through the recommendation properly — what I am suggesting, what it costs, what the alternatives were and why I ruled them out. You get it in writing, in plain English, and you keep it.
Ask me anything. If something does not make sense, that is my failure to explain it, not yours to understand it. Nothing gets implemented until you have said yes.
Once you say yes, I handle the implementation: applications, transfers, paperwork, and dealing with providers who are not always quick. Pension transfers in particular can take a while, and I keep you posted rather than leaving you wondering.
When it is done, everything is in place and you know exactly what you hold and why.
A plan built today is right for today. Tax rules change, markets move, and your life does things nobody predicted. An ongoing service means I review the plan with you each year, keep it aligned to your goals, and act before changes affect you rather than after.
This is entirely optional. Some people take the advice, put it in place and get on with their lives. That is a perfectly good outcome and I will not push you into a retainer you do not need.
At any point before step five you can stop, owe nothing and keep whatever I have given you. After that, there is still no minimum term, no tie-in and no exit charge on the ongoing service — you tell me in writing and it stops. If something goes wrong, you have the Financial Ombudsman Service and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme behind you, and the complaints process is set out in the client agreement you will be given before you sign anything.
You will see a few different names on this site and in your paperwork. Here is what each one is, so none of it comes as a surprise.