Fees, and the first steps to becoming a client

The initial step is to meet with you to understand your current circumstances and discuss your aims and ambitions. We will ask you to complete a full financial questionnaire so that a first meeting can take place with more direction.

Click on the icon below to request a meeting or questionnaire. The questionnaire we send you can be completed ‘on-screen’, saved and sent to us for prior comment if you wish.  At the same time as we send you our questionnaire we will send you our full terms of business and Service Proposition so you know exactly what costs what, and what you can expect for your money.

REQUEST A MEETING OR A QUESTIONNAIRE

Our income is predominantly derived from fees which are determined according to the amount committed for investment by our clients.  In this way, we are giving totally independent advice, with no risk of being swayed by high commissions.

One-off establishment fee (tiered):

On the first £150,000 / 200,000 € / $225,000 ………. 3.0%

From £150,000 / 200,000 € / $225,000  to  £500,000 / 700,000 € / $750,000 ………. 2.0%

Between £500,000 / 700,000 € / $750,000  and  £1 million / €1.2 million / $1.5 million ………. 1.0%

£1 million / €1.2 million / $1.5million  and above ………. 0.5%

(Note that the tiered basis applies where separate tranches of investment are made over a period of time.  Where, for example, £1 million is invested on a single date, only the initial charge of 0.5% applies.) 

There is a minimum first year initial fee of £1000, or 1200 €.  Where legacy assets are transferred (ie where assets are already in place but you transfer them to a nominee service of our recommendation for ongoing advice by us), we charge one percent of the value of the amount transferred in order to cover our cost of usually constant liaison between the nominees.  On an ongoing basis we charge 0.8% per annum advisory fee, taken as 0.2% per quarter in arrears.

Where we are asked to provide detailed advice on UK pension planning, specifically in respect of drawdown and/or annuity income from one or several schemes, we will typically seek your authority to contact your pension providers so that we have the necessary information to make an informed analysis before reporting to you and discussing with you the way forward.  We charge a minimum flat fee of £1000 for this service, and there is a minimum fee of £2500 for any trust work undertaken (for inheritance tax or protection planning); these fees can be paid separately or via the above, included within the initial investment fees or commissions).

Our fee income covers the cost of our meeting with you to establish your financial goals and priorities, our advice and recommendations by way of a full written report, costs of implementation if you decide to take up our proposals, ongoing fund research and advice, including biannual portfolio reviews and monthly market outlook bulletins, regulatory and compliance requirements applicable to financial institutions, and other legal and functionality costs.

There are occasions (typically for life assurance policies and regular premium savings contracts) where we may determine that to be paid by commission from the product provider could be in your best interest, for example where a share of the commission payment results in your receiving an initial uplift in unit allocation or an increased sum assured in the case of a life assurance policy.  Where this is a consideration, we shall advise you of such, and give you the option of paying a fee if you prefer. In this circumstance, our minimum fee to cover the cost of our providing detailed appraisal and [trust] advice, and liaise with the underwriters, is £2500 or 3500 €.  Upon receipt of the acceptance terms and the policy going on risk we charge an additional implementation fee of 10% of the uplift in the sum assured received as a result of a rebate of commission.  If you are happy for our fee to be paid out of the normal commission payment, we will share with you (less corporation tax) any additional commission over and above our minimum fee.

[/column_2]