Our investment expertise

Why should you trust us with your money?

There are three core reasons our clients trust us to look after their money.

1 We are aligned.

We charge you fees which means we do not get kickbacks from anyone else. It is therefore extremely important to us that, as the person paying the bill, you are very happy. If you are unhappy, you are unlikely to pay.

Our service is about helping you over the long term. As you can see from our ‘Fees’ page we make money on an ongoing basis when you do. We have, in fact, built our business from our clients’ investments doing well. That means:

  • We get hurt if you get hurt.
  • We are incentivised to keep you happy, otherwise you will not pay us anymore.

2 We are independent.

Simply put, that means we don’t have to sell you ‘the house’ fund range or investment service. This is extremely important for you as a client to understand. Think about what happens when you go to Firm A – who have their own funds – and you want advice:

  • You need money managed. Firm A will select their own fund for you to invest in. We are sure that this is a perfectly good fund but, be honest, how much due diligence did you do on Firm A in the first place?
  • What are the chances that Firm A’s fund is the absolute best one out there for you? It would be quite a coincidence if Firm A’s fund was the best one in the world. Regardless of the glossy brochure.
  • We do not mind which investment is best. Every six months we review the market and update our ‘Buy list’ with the best investments at that given moment. Investments may leave the list because of mergers or performance dips or charge increases. We believe in competition because it makes us all perform better – especially your pension and investments.
  • Think – with us you get objectivity. When you have been sold the house fund you can instead get excuses; “He is biding his time”, “They are poised to benefit from..” you get the picture.

3 We build portfolios around your objectives.

We take the time to understand your goals. That means your friend who invests with us might have the same risk rating but a different portfolio. That’s OK because she has different goals to you.

  • You need your portfolio to give you the best possible chance of achieving your goals. Being in the wrong investments at the wrong time doesn’t just mean you lose money: it might mean you cannot pay off that mortgage in time for your 50th birthday, or not be able to exit at 45, or secure the school fees – whatever it is you’re working towards. If you don’t have the money for your objective when you need it, you might not achieve your objective.

Ultimately – the reason you should invest with an independent firm like us is:

We can advise you on the best choices at the time from the whole of the market.

A few more thoughts on investing – if you are interested

We are entering an unprecedented time in the investment markets. Government borrowing is racing away, wealth is accumulating in the pockets of the few, taxes are likely to rise and technology is changing everything almost constantly.

We think its fair to assume that there is far too much change going on to be either close-minded about any type of investment or overly confident that any one thing is going to lead the way in the future.

Investors need to understand the macro economic position of the current world moment. They should build their portfolios accordingly whilst looking to the trends of the future and be flexible and open-minded.

Question – Who cares about plumbing?

Answer – Nobody. Until their plumbing goes wrong and they have to figure it out.

In most situations nowadays there are three or four layers to an investment ‘cake’. They are:

Investment Platform

  • Think of this as a bucket
  • This is where all the administration of your investments goes. The regular payments that go into your pension and the rebalancing of the funds.
  • Its important that this platform is easy to use, super secure and has a wide and unrestricted range of investments.
  • Expect to pay up to around 0.35% per annum for this.

Investments (direct and funds)

  • Think of this as the tennis balls that go in the bucket
  • This is what drives your returns. You want good ones of these.
  • There are thousands of options and infinite combinations. On a positive note there is going to be an optimum combination for any eventuality.
  • Beware that often you cannot have a fund without a platform – so beware of just going off of fund fees – you normally need a platform too.

Investment Manager (sometimes)

  • Think of this as someone picking the tennis balls
  • Sometimes you pay explicitly for someone to choose your funds
  • This person must add value above their fees, which can be material
  • It is important to ensure you actually need one of these and, if you do, that they perform well. A good investment manager can be worth their weight in gold.
  • There are plenty of breakthrough Investment Managers who provide plenty of value at a low cost

Financial Adviser (sometimes, but always with us!)

  • The financial adviser is here to make sure 1, 2 and 3 (if you have or need number 3) are right for you and to ensure that they continue to be right into the future.
  • They are also there to ensure additional monies are added in the most efficient manner
  • They are also there to keep a check on your objectives and your investments and ensure ongoing suitability
  • They are also there to ensure that your investments have the correct structuring for you. No one is saying your shouldn’t pay your taxes, but you should use all of your available tax bands and relief to minimise any further drag on your money.
  • Finally, we feel that the guidance in the good times but, especially the bad, can help you keep your eyes on the prize and not make emotional decisions that can ruin your attempts to achieve your objectives.

Unfortunately, we are still waiting for flying cars and hoverboards (the ones that can actually fly – and not over water). What we are probably not still waiting for is a move to a lower carbon world and a world where the expectations of companies are moving to being about more than just a quarter’s shareholder returns.

Whether its Ethical, Socially Responsible Investment, Environmental Social and Governance, Sustainable or any other weighty themes, we think this is likely to be a sea change in investing. It is probably not to be ignored.

From day 1 we have founded Aretian Wealth Management to offer a full and appealing range of SRI and ESG based investments that fit with a likely future investment world.

We might also force some additional change for good in the process, which would be nice.

Plenty of people make a living managing money on behalf of their clients. Historically it has been a very good living indeed.

Unfortunately, it has also been a popular observation that, often, the investment managers have made more money than their clients ever have.

When commission for investments and pensions was banned by the FCA in 2013 it was the intention that the Financial Adviser would be a key part of restoring that balance between investment managers and their clients.

We think that a clearly stated fee-based independent advice firm gives the best possible chance of ensuring our clients make more money and achieve their objectives sooner than they otherwise would have.

Which is hopefully reasonably compelling.

Your client experience

Let us walk you through your journey with us, step by step.

Your journey

Ethical investing

As greater numbers of people choose to live environmentally and socially conscious lives, so the possibilities for ethical investing have also grown. We offer a range of socially responsible portfolios that allow you to align your investments with your values, and make money while making the world a better place.

To speak to someone on our team about ethical investments, please:

Contact us

Please note: The content of this page is for information purposes only and should not be treated as advice. Independent personalised advice should be sought before taking action. Investing involves risk. The value of investments, and the income from them, may fall as well as rise. Investors may not get back the original amount invested.

Client stories

Peter

Technology

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Our conversations centred around what I wanted to achieve, and it then became about working out how I’d get that. My goal was financial freedom. I didn’t have that when we first met, but I’m glad to say, I do now.

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Julie

Pharmaceutical

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I met Nick a few years ago, via an introduction from a close friend. I was at the stage in my life where I really needed to think more strategically about my finances, and planning for the future and ultimately my retirement.

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Susan

Law

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I know that I am in good hands and that my finances are being looked after by someone I trust which gives me huge peace of mind. What I particularly value is the care that Paul gives – he is proactive, responsive and always makes time to listen and explain everything really clearly.

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Jeremy

Technology

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Having the financial part of my life squared away gave me the confidence I needed to start my own company. I wouldn't have had the confidence that I have the money, or the bandwidth to take this step otherwise.

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Suzanne

Pharmaceutical

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Paul has helped us plan for our children’s futures. He advised us on school fees, how to plan for our children going to university, and we’ve gone through all life scenarios and said, in each one, are we secure? What do we need to do to ensure we would be secure in that situation?

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Contact us

If you would like to have a confidential discussion with no obligation about how we can help you then please get in touch.