Financial Advisors St Albans

With the huge amount of information readily available on the internet, covering all aspects of finances, you may be wondering if it is really worth engaging the financial services of a professional to help you manage your money. The answer is simple, an independent financial adviser has undergone rigorous training and often has a wealth of knowledge and experience under their belt, and in much the same way as you should never consider replacing a visit to your doctor with a google search, your valuable finances are best left to the professionals if you want to ensure you remain financially healthy and on track to a financially secure future.

Services on Offer by IFAs

Top 10 Independent Financial Advisors in St. Albans

Rank	Advisor	Description	Find An Advisor
1		At Audley they approach financial planning with a fresh innovative perspective which puts people before numbers and focuses on the core values of family, choice, security, ideology and opportunity.	Find An Advisor
2		Brilliance Financial Planning has achieved the Chartered Financial Planning qualification, which in turn means that you can be guaranteed that you are dealing with financial advisers in St Albans who have been trained to the highest possible standard.	Find An Advisor
3		IFPC services the St Albans area with independent, chartered, wealth management advice helping individuals, businesses and trustees to protect and grow their wealth.	Find An Advisor
4		At Aqua Wealth Management they take a strong interest in providing a local service that is personable and professional and can add value to the local community whilst providing a beneficial service to its residents.	Find An Advisor
5		Capital Financial Markets offer a bespoke investment management service to clients in and around the St Albans area.	Find An Advisor
6		DGS offer their clients a completely bespoke service, which places you, and your requirements, at the very heart of everything they do.	Find An Advisor
7		At Moore Kingston Smith the advisers are on hand to help you create a financial plan that you can rely on.	Find An Advisor
8		Supreme Wealth Management have been providing independent financial advice in the St Albans area for almost sixty years with a long term approach that aims to fully understand their clients circumstances and financial aspirations.	Find An Advisor
9		With their head office in St Albans, KDW are on hand to serve their local community with all aspects of their financial needs, offering a broad range of services across the entire financial market.	Find An Advisor
10		Trinity Wealth Management provides the area of St Albans in Hertfordshire with fully independent financial advice in order to help you achieve your financial goals and aspirations.	Find An Advisor

Choosing an IFA

How the financial services of an independent financial adviser can be of benefit to you is highly personal, with financial advice being carefully tailored to your particular circumstances. The three main areas are:

Solving Problems

If you are even considering your finances, or contemplating paying for financial advice, then it is likely you have identified an issue with your current set up. Of course the most common reason, and one that we all face, is planning for your retirement. It would be careless to rely solely on the state pension to fund your retirement with a weekly total of £168.60 being barely sufficient to support even the most frugal lifestyle.

Another common reason to seek out the financial services of a professional is the desire to grow your wealth to meet your financial aspirations by using investment opportunities. The investment market is a fast moving and complex area that requires skill, knowledge, and a steady hand to navigate successfully.

Creation of a Plan

An adviser in St Albans can help you identify what your financial goals are and subsequently create a plan to help you achieve them. Some of the common goals that financial advisers can offer assistance with include:

Saving for a comfortable retirement – this can be achieved using the right vehicles and taking advantage of tax breaks as well as devising a robust investment strategy. Identifying how much you require for a comfortable retirement and when you can expect to be able to retire are key to this process.

Planning for education – school and tuition fees are often cited as a reason for people seeking financial advice, and a skilled adviser can include this in your overall financial plan.

Helping your children buy a home – if you plan to help your children with a deposit for their first home then you would be wise to discover the most tax efficient way to facilitate this.

Ensuring your own financial stability – it’s not always about your future finances, you need to ensure your financial journey is stable throughout and a skilled adviser can help you establish budgets and spending plans in line with your financial objectives.

Keeping You On Track

It’s rarely enough to simply throw up a plan and expect everything to fall into line. There will be certain challenges along the road that will need to be dealt with in order to ensure you remain on track to where you need to be. Managing your income in retirement is one such eventuality, as well as ensuring you stay positively invested and have provision for any long term care you might require.

Minimising your tax liability is another way to reduce your out flow, however, taxes are a complex entity with constantly changing legislation and this is certainly one area where the financial services of a professional in St Albans can have a significant impact on your bottom line.

Here is our round-up of top IFAs in St. Albans

At Audley they approach financial planning with a fresh innovative perspective which puts people before numbers and focuses on the core values of family, choice, security, ideology and opportunity. They believe this sets them apart from the competition, offering you a truly personal experience in St Albans and remaining focussed on what actually matters to you most. Audley are also authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, giving you peace of mind.

Pension Transfer Advice

If you have any questions or misgivings regarding your pension provision then the independent financial advisers at Audley can help you focus on what your objectives are and what needs to happen in order to make them a reality. They can ensure you are taking full advantage of the many tax breaks available as well as utilising several other elements to ensure your pension pot is as lucrative as it can be.

Most people already in employment will be linked to a pension scheme, but knowing what the right course of action is with regards to your pension when you change jobs, is a complex issue, and the wrong decision could end up with you losing money over time. For this reason people often end up collecting multiple pensions which may not be performing optimally, or taking advantage of some of the opportunities available. The independent financial advisers at Audley can help bring all your existing arrangements in line with your financial objectives, covering all aspects of retirement planning including review, planning, and draw down options.

Protection

Without adequate protection in place, there can be no guarantees that your financial plan won’t be derailed by one of life’s unforeseen circumstances. Protection also ensures that your family is adequately provided for should something happen to you. The independent financial advisers at Audley can find the best products, at the best price, with the exact right level of cover for you from across the entire market so you can sit back and relax that you are provided for should the worst happen.

Investments

The team at Audley have a wealth of experience building personal investment portfolios that operate in line with their clients risk profile as well as their financial objectives. They can help you navigate the complex investment market, to ensure you get the maximum returns on your capital across a number of different vehicles.

Brilliance Financial Planning has achieved the Chartered Financial Planning qualification, which in turn means that you can be guaranteed that you are dealing with financial advisers in St Albans who have been trained to the highest possible standard. They are able to provide clients with practical and tailored solutions, providing them with a financial road map so they can meet their objectives. With Brilliance you can also have confidence in the integrity of the service as they are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Protection

Why would you take out protection for your car, but fail to protect your family from the loss of your salary due to sickness or death? Protecting your family, your income and your property can provide financial stability at emotionally difficult times. However, there are a massive range of products available from across the entire market, and finding the exact right product, to provide you with just the right level of cover, at the best price, is a tricky area and one where the financial advice of a professional can prove invaluable.

Savings and Investments

The highly skilled team of financial advisers at Brilliance can help you sort through thousands of saving and investment vehicles available on the market, to find the products and financial services that best meet your particular needs. Whether you are saving for a new car, or investing for growth, you will have very unique requirements and a tailored approach is the quickest way to get you to where you want to be. The team at Brilliance in St Albans can help you identify whether you should be looking to save or invest as well as ascertain your risk profile in order to provide you with the best possible solutions.

Pensions

Planning for our retirement is a job that falls on us all and the earlier we start to plan, the quicker we can get there. There are many different pension vehicles available and tax and legislation changes can make this a tricky area to navigate effectively. The skilled financial advisers at Brilliance in St Albans are able to take stock of your current circumstances, and provide you with a review of where you are now, and where you need to get to. They can help consolidate various provisions you currently have in place and make recommendations to get your money working hard towards your ideal retirement. Identifying how much you need, and when you can expect to be able to retire, can help give you the peace of mind that you will be comfortably provided for in your retirement.

IFPC services the St Albans area with independent, chartered, wealth management advice helping individuals, businesses and trustees to protect and grow their wealth. They pride themselves on offering clients a completely bespoke service, tailoring all their advice and recommendations to your unique needs and utilising their specialist team to carefully research the entire market to ensure you get the best products for you. Being independent, you can be sure that the advice you receive from IFPC is completely unbiased and always in your best interests.

Financial Planning

A good financial plan can provide you with financial security, both now and in the future. At IFPC they can offer you a comprehensive service to ensure all areas of your finances are being effectively managed with a sound strategy including savings, investment, protection, retirement planning, trusts and inheritance tax planning. Your adviser will spend time getting to know you, your aspirations, and your perceived issues in order to provide a completely bespoke financial plan that is unique to you. They can help map the inflows and outflows both now and in the future and have the skills and experience to know when expenses are likely to crop up, so you can effectively plan for them. Your adviser will take the time to understand what you want from your retirement, and help you come to the exact number you will need to accumulate in order to achieve this goal. Effective pensions savings and investments can help grow your wealth to meet your objectives and an efficiently managed financial plan can help you achieve your retirement goals sooner, rather than later.

Investment Management

The team of highly experienced investment managers at IFPC include two managers who both hold the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, a guarantee that you are receiving advice of the absolute highest standard. Your investment portfolio will be drawn up to meet your exact requirements, taking into consideration your risk profile, your age, your current financial circumstances, health, employment prospects, and what you need to achieve from your investments. All this information is used to identify the most appropriate strategy, using multi asset investment solutions.

At Aqua Wealth Management they take a strong interest in providing a local service that is personable and professional and can add value to the local community whilst providing a beneficial service to its residents. All the employees at Aqua live in and around the St Albans area and have a vested interest in the area, as well as being family people who offer all their clients an exceptional level of service.

Financial Planning

At Aqua they believe that putting together a robust financial plan should begin with minimising your exposure to tax including:

• Capital gains tax
• Income tax
• Inheritance tax
• Tax resulting in divorce
• Residence and domicile liabilities

These can be tackled separately or as part of your general financial review.

The skilled team of advisers will work with you locally in order to gather and analyse as much information as possible about your current situation, including a full review of how your existing arrangements are performing against your agreed goals. The skilled advisers will also give you a forecast on how your assets might perform across a wide range of products including equities, bonds, property and commodities, so you can make educated decisions on how best to invest your funds.

Your bespoke financial plan will then be strategically drawn up and presented to you in an easy to understand format but it doesn’t end there. Your adviser will nurture an ongoing relationship with you, conducting regular reviews to ensure your financial plan continues to work towards meeting your financial objectives.

Pensions

Because life doesn’t end once you stop work, neither should your income. It’s important to know that you can afford a comfortable lifestyle in your retirement and the advisers at Aqua can simplify the complexities surrounding pensions and put robust strategies in place to ensure you get to enjoy a happy retirement. Pension planning at Aqua includes:

• Personal pensions
• Stakeholder pensions
• Workplace pensions
• Retirement annuity contracts
• SSAS – Small Self-Administered Schemes
• SIPP – Self Invested Personal Pensions
• FSAVC – Free-Standing AVC Schemes

Capital Financial Markets offer a bespoke investment management service to clients in and around the St Albans area. As opposed to passing your investments to another firm to manage such as is the case with many firms, Capital manages their clients portfolios inhouse, investing directly into stocks, shares, bonds, EFTs, and investment trusts.

As part of their bespoke service, clients are assigned a personal investment manager, for whom you will have a direct line and who will be responsible for the running of your portfolio as well as being present to answer any of your questions and address any anxiety you may have during the process. Your investment manager will use their knowledge and expertise to calmly guide you through turbulent markets, ensuring you remain on track to maximum returns on your investments.

Investment Management

In order to provide a completely comprehensive service to their clients, Capital have formed partnerships with financial advisers, accountants and solicitors to ensure delivery of a completely bespoke service. They take the time to fully understand your priorities and work with you to provide a secure future with careful management of your funds. Your investment manager will take care of all the details for you, ensuring the decisions made on your investments are in line with your objectives and your attitude to risk.

Pension Investments

If your single biggest asset is your pension then you may want to consider the financial services offered by the specialist investment managers at Capital. Pension assets, whether self-invested personal pensions, self administered schemes or small company schemes can often be reviewed and improved, changing with your needs and circumstances to suit your unique requirements.

Inheritance Tax Mitigation

Mitigating your exposure to inheritance tax can literally save thousands on the final value of your estate when it comes time for your beneficiaries to inherit. There are many vehicles for mitigating your inheritance tax including:

• SIPPS (Self-Invested Personal Pensions)
• AIM BPR Portfolio’s / AIM inheritance management
• Setting up a discretionary trust

DGS offer their clients a completely bespoke service, which places you, and your requirements, at the very heart of everything they do. They are completely independent, meaning they don’t sell products to you, but rather scan the entire market place to find the products to best meet your unique requirements at the best possible price. They have also achieved the accolade of Chartered Financial Planners status, which provides you with the peace of mind that your financial plan is being managed by advisers who have achieved the highest level of qualification possible. Their Chartered status also ensures that they are acting in an ethical and knowledgeable way that is always in your best interests.

Investments

The advisers at DGS are able to skillfully balance your potential returns against the level of risk you are willing to take in order to ensure your investment strategy is as efficient as possible. They take the time to understand your objectives, and then meticulously match you with investment opportunities to give you the best possible chance of reaching your objectives utilising various tax reliefs and allowances.

Protection

Having adequate protection in place for your family, your income, and your property can provide you with the peace of mind that your financial plans won’t become derailed due to one of life’s unexpected encounters. The specialist team at DGS can advise you across the following areas of protection:

• Life assurance
• Whole of life assurance
• Critical illness cover
• Relevant life assurance
• Accident, sickness and unemployment cover
• Income protection
• Private medical insurance

Retirement Planning

Planning for your retirement is a key element of your financial plan as the state pension is unlikely to afford you the lifestyle you aspire to. The advisers at DGS can help you come up with the exact amount you are going to need in order to make your retirement dreams a reality, and then put together a plan to help you get there. If you already have a pension in place then they can conduct a thorough review to ensure your pension plan is on track as well as make any recommendations to improve the performance of your current arrangements.

At Moore Kingston Smith the advisers are on hand to help you create a financial plan that you can rely on. They can help you identify your goals and aspirations, and work with you and your current circumstances in order to create a robust strategy to ensure you meet your objectives. Their service is completely holistic and they work with financial, tax and legal specialists in order to take into account all aspects of your situation, including risk and tax issues.

At Moore Kingston Smith they will never try to sell you a product or service that isn’t in your best interest. Being completely independent, they are able to analyse the entire marketplace in order to identify and recommend the very best products to meet your unique requirements.

Family Protection

At Moore Kingston Smith they focus on identifying entities that could put your financial plan at risk. They don’t believe in leaving anything to chance, especially not your finances, and create a complete protection strategy to ensure you and your family are covered, regardless of what life throws at you. They can help protect your health, your income, your assets, and even your life with a complete assessment and analysis to ensure you have just the right level of cover.

Property Finance

Whatever your reasons for buying a property, the advisers at Moore Kingston Smith are well versed at finding the right solutions for you. They can take into account any property tax and legal issues you might be facing in order to source the best mortgage product for your unique requirements.

Retirement Planning

How comfortable you are in your retirement rests solely on your pension plans, and therefore a robust pension strategy is a key element of your overall financial plan. The advisers at Moore Kingston Smith can take into account your tax efficiency, contribution limits, investment choices, and retirement options to help you make the right decisions about your pension provisions within the constantly changing landscape of pension legislation.

Supreme Wealth Management have been providing independent financial advice in the St Albans area for almost sixty years with a long term approach that aims to fully understand their clients circumstances and financial aspirations. They prioritise you, and are totally unbiased towards any one bank or provider, which in turn means you will benefit from the broad range of products and financial services they can access to meet your requirements.

An initial consultation with Supreme Wealth Management is completely free of charge and carries no obligation. This can however lead to small changes that can have a considerable impact on your finances in the future.

Pensions

The savings you make today will completely change the retirement you experience tomorrow and therefore it is worth ensuring your pension is working as efficiently as possible towards providing for your twilight years. There are significant tax breaks available on pension savings and recent changes to legislation have given much greater flexibility to how you draw down your pension when the time comes. Navigating all this can be a complex area, but the advisers at Supreme Wealth can ensure you are making the right decisions for your future in the following areas:

• Personal pensions advice
• Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs)
• Small Self-Administered Schemes (SSAS)
• Stakeholder pensions
• Company schemes and auto enrollment
• Annuities
• Phased retirement
• Income drawdown

Investments

The advisers at Supreme Wealth are masters at spreading your investments over a wide range of asset classes in order to achieve the maximum returns for you, within your agreed risk tolerance profile. They can guide you effortlessly through the ups and downs of a volatile marketplace with an approach that is just right for you across the following vehicles:

• Risk and reward assessments
• Lifestyle or target-date funds
• Unit trusts
• OEICs
• Investment trusts
• Structured products
• Government bonds
• Corporate bonds

Mortgages

Making the wrong decision when taking out a mortgage to finance the purchase of a property, can end up costing you thousands over time, which is why you can benefit from the expert guidance at Supreme Wealth. Their unrivaled knowledge of the market can help match you with the best product to meet your needs, both now, and in the future, giving you confidence that you are receiving the best mortgage advice available.

With their head office in St Albans, KDW are on hand to serve their local community with all aspects of their financial needs, offering a broad range of services across the entire financial market. They take the time to get to know their clients personally, so they can act in their best interest and with a thorough understanding of their financial situation and aspirations. They also harness the power of technology to bring you 24/7 access to your portfolio using their innovative online platform.

Pensions

As the basic state pension is not enough to provide you with a comfortable retirement, you should be looking at making other arrangements to compliment this to ensure you are adequately provided for. The advisers at KDW offer bespoke goal setting for your retirement, identifying where you personally need to be, by when, and what you will need to make that happen. They then sort through all the various options available for your retirement planning and help you select the right product for your needs.

This whole process will be simplified into easy to understand language, and you can monitor your retirement funds in real time, giving you confidence that you are always on track to your retirement goals.

Investments

If you are looking to invest, then you will be hard pressed to find a better service than the one offered by KDW. They currently have over £365 million in assets under their management on behalf of over 6,000 people which is testament to the outstanding service and valuable results they achieve with their portfolios. Each and every client receives a completely bespoke service, taking into account your attitude to risk and what you hope to achieve from your investments.

For clients with existing investments KDW operates an inhouse analytics tool to completely analyse the performance of the investments you have in place in order to establish whether they are achieving maximum performance. All your options will be presented to you in clear concise language so you fully understand how your funds have been invested and what they are expected to achieve for you.

Trinity Wealth Management provides the area of St Albans in Hertfordshire with fully independent financial advice in order to help you achieve your financial goals and aspirations. Their comprehensive approach to financial planning, overseeing your immediate financial needs as well as planning for your long term future ensures every part of your journey is meticulously planned for and you have the best possible chance of achieving your financial goals.

Creating Your Financial Plan

Trinity equates their financial planning service to a SatNav, knowing your final destination is as important as knowing the most efficient route to get you there. Your personal financial planner will meet with you, typically face to face, to gain a clear picture of what your financial goals are and your existing assets, so they can draw up a comprehensive plan to bridge that gap and make your dreams and aspirations a reality. This also takes into account your attitude to risk, income tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax issues so no stone is left unturned.

Giving Advice and Implementing Your Plan

A robust financial plan should include a complete review of any existing products you hold and any investments you have in place. Being fully independent, the advisers at Trinity can offer you access to the best products and services from across the whole of the market, potentially saving you cash and increasing performance on your existing arrangements.

The next stage is also to implement your investment strategy, in line with your attitude to risk and also with full analysis and constant review of the investment landscape to ensure maximum performance.

Ongoing Relationships

At Trinity your individual adviser is on hand to walk you through every step of your financial journey from start to finish. Constant reviews are an integral part of keeping your plan performing towards realising your goals and your adviser will also take into account any changes to your personal circumstances along the way. You will have constant access to the performance of your investments with the use of innovative technology, but at Trinity they maintain personal contact and nurture the relationships they build with their clients over the course of their financial journey.

Useful links:

• Stepchange.org
• National Debt Help UK
• Citizens Advice – Financial Advice
• Financial Services Compensation Scheme