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Meet the financial adviser Bath’s financial advisers are on hand to help you balance the books
GREG HARRIS
ED MCKENZIE
CHARTERED FINANCIAL PLANNER, UNIVIDUAL 01225 427474; www.unividual.co.uk; greg@unividual.co.uk Why do I need a financial planner? Everyone needs one, from buying your first home to retirement and beyond. On average people who have a financial planner have 41% more income and wealth in retirement compared to those who don’t, so why wouldn’t you? What have been your career highlights? Qualifying to become Chartered and Fellow will always be up there for me. It is the highest level of qualification you can get in our field. More recently though, being awarded the Pension Transfer Gold Standard Award. Consumer confidence in pensions is low and it gives my clients the reassurance they need in this complex area. What is your philosophy? I don’t tell people what to do – me and my clients are a team! I take the time to educate people and businesses about their finances, meaning that clients can make their own decisions based on the technical information and expertise I provide. What might we be surprised to learn? In the UK there are not enough financial planners qualified to service those that want financial advice, let alone those that need it. What is worrying is that this position is only getting worse. It is anticipated that a further 15,000 are due to retire in the next 5-10 years.
MCKENZIE & CO FINANCIAL CONSULTANTS 01225 696944; www.mckenzieandco.co.uk
Greg Harris
Ed McKenzie
ALASTAIR MCKEE
CHRISTIAN FEROZE
MANAGING DIRECTOR, ONE 77 MORTGAGES 01225 667177; www.one77fs.co.uk Why would somebody need a mortgage adviser? A mortgage adviser/broker can search the market for you and find the best deals. You’d be daft if you just go to your bank for a mortgage, as you won’t know if the bank next door is doing a better deal. We can compare and contrast deals and give expert advice on the best option. What is the biggest misconception surrounding financial advice? Lots of people think all brokers charge fees, but every adviser/broker in the UK gets paid by the bank the business is placed with and as a result, we don’t charge client fees on top i.e – our service is completely free of charge to clients. In what ways do you think your work benefits people? We allow them to compare all the lenders via a simple phone call or via our website. Not shopping around lenders can result in clients paying thousands of pounds more over a couple of years for their mortgage! What do you specialize in? All areas of property finance, be that residential purchase and remortgages, bridging deals, commercial finance and development finance. Basically, anything relating to property finance.
92 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
What is your favourite part of the job? I really enjoy working with clients to solve complex planning issues and provide peace of mind and plain English to an often complex and gibberishfilled industry. What do you specialize in? I personally specialise in final salary reviews for clients considering the option of moving these to a personal pension scheme. This is an area that has been heavily mis-sold over the last few years and we spend a great deal of time and detail to ensure that, even in the most extreme of circumstances it is in the client’s best interests to transfer into a more flexible scheme. What professional accomplishment has made you proudest? Achieving Chartered Financial Planner Status and Fellow. Exams have never been my favourite part of learning and it was a real challenge to manage running a practice, a young family and studying for exams! Can you share your plans for the future? We have taken on a number of young advisers who are on the early journey I was 15 years ago and we are working to ensure they have the ability to give quality advice and a high level of ongoing service for their clients.
BECKFORD JAMES 01225 437600; beckfordjames.com; christianferoze@beckfordjames.com
Alastair McKee
Christian Feroze
What trends have you seen developing in your industry? Ethical investing is growing considerably and we have spent a lot of time finessing our ethical investment proposition. Saying that, there are still risks with ethical investing. We conduct an ethical investment survey with clients, which has made me realise how ethical investing is interpreted in very different ways by clients. What is your firm’s philosophy? Our clients are at the centre of all we do and we set high standards, aiming to be seen as the professionals’ professional. Our core values would include integrity, approachability and reliability. Ultimately, we try to make complex financial decisions easy to understand for clients. What would you say to someone thinking about becoming a financial adviser? You need to be a people person, enjoy problem solving and learning (there are a lot of exams). It can be quite stressful as you can be dealing with large sums of money on very complex topics. The job doesn’t feature at many career fairs, by all means send an email if you would like some more information.