IFA Consultancy

Through our Partnership who is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority, we are able to provide comprehensive financial planning and wealth management services, helping individuals, trustees and corporate entities to achieve their financial goals, irrespective of their resources or life stage.

Whatever your situation, we will work closely with you to identify appropriate solutions for your needs. As your requirements change over time, your Partner will be there to ensure that our recommendations remain appropriate.

Our Services

Investments

The performance of your investments could make a critical difference to your financial well being in the future, so reliable financial advice, investment products and fund managers you can trust are important.

The vast majority of our new clients come from referrals from our existing clients who have a solid relationship with their advisor and have been very satisfied with the advice and service they have received

ISAs

The events of the last few years have shown once again that the path to successful investing is not always easy to follow. But losing your way can be the difference between whether or not you achieve your financial goals.

Whilst investment markets have recovered from their lows, the economic outlook in the UK remains uncertain. What is more certain is the prospect of us all facing higher taxes as the government seeks to get the economy back on track. This makes it even more important that you take advantage of every opportunity to invest tax-efficiently.

Your annual ISA allowance is just such an opportunity. Investors can save up to an annual limit in any tax year with no further personal income or capital gains tax making this investment a valuable part of your financial planning.

Remember that if you don’t use it you lose it, and with it the chance to stay one step ahead of the tax man. For more information, please contact us.

Please note that the favourable tax treatment of ISAs may not be maintained and may be subject to future changes in legislation.

Investing for Income

Global credit markets endured a roller coaster 2008, which has continued into 2009, and have witnessed a number of high-profile casualties as the squeeze on global liquidity impacts the worldwide economy. At the same time, interest rates have fallen to their lowest ever levels leaving investors looking for income needing an alternative home for their capital.

The following opportunities for income or capital growth exist for those willing to consider the alternatives:

• Fixed Interest – corporate bonds and gilts offer significant potential for increased income in times of low interest rates.
• Equities – whilst in the short-term equities can be volatile, history shows us that they have outperformed all other asset classes over the longer-term. With share prices currently at low levels, equities offer the potential for capital growth and rising income over time.
• Commercial Property – whilst the commercial property market offers an opportunity to achieve capital growth over the longer-term, the primary return for investors is rental income. Securing long leases with financially secure tenants is critical in order to maintain attractive and sustainable income levels.

Investing in Volatile Markets

Short-term volatility is an inherent feature of stock markets, but the history of financial markets has consistently shown that falls have always been followed by recoveries. Over the last 100 years, equities have had a superior long-term track record for delivering inflation beating returns. Short-term speculation is dangerous because it is all too easy to get your timing wrong; instead, a measured long-term view on investment, guided by specialist advice along with investment products and fund managers you can trust is the key to a successful future financial strategy.

Drip-feeding money into volatile markets reduces the worry of investing at the wrong time and can benefit the long-term investor. Nervous investors can be reassured and rewarded by regular savings and the use of our Automatic Transfer Facility. This facility is for investors, perhaps those concerned about market timing, wanting to move money into or out of the market over a period of time

UK shares are currently priced more cheaply than at any time in the last 20 years in a bear market dominated by recession fears. But recession is not always bad for stock markets, with both the UK and US markets having risen in three of the last four recessions. It is always worth remembering that in a medium to long-term strategy, the only prices that matter are the ones you buy at and sell at. Difficult though it is, try to ignore what is going on in between. That old maxim ‘time in the market, not timing the market’ has never been more apt than during the current turmoil in the financial markets

Investment Bonds

Investment Bonds allows your money to be invested, along with other investors’ funds, by professional fund managers. This allows the managers to spread the risk across a wider range of shares and markets than would otherwise be possible.

Providing you with a single, long-term investment, our Investment Bond can:

• Maximise growth prospects
• Spread risk
• Offer a range of carefully selected and monitored Investment
• Managers
• Give you the option of a regular and predictable ‘income’
• Allow you to switch between funds easily
• Reduce your personal liability to Income and Capital Gains Taxes.

Along with our range of Managed Funds, for those with a more focused investment objective we also offer Specialist Funds. For example, funds that may invest in a particular geographical area such as the Far East or North America, or alternatively, in a particular type of investment such as Gilts, Property or Cash.

Unit Trusts

Unit Trusts can accommodate the tax advantages extended by Personal Equity Plans (PEPs) and Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs). Our Unit Trusts are suitable investments for the ‘Stocks and Shares’ component of the ISA, providing the opportunity to benefit from a stock market investment, free from any further personal liability to Income Tax and with no liability to Capital Gains Tax. Please do take advice before investing if you are unsure of your tax position.

Offshore Investments

For some, investing offshore is advantageous, for instance:

• Where a parent has provided capital to a minor
• For individuals who can expect their marginal rate of tax to fall (perhaps in anticipation of retirement or becoming non-resident in the UK)
• Investors entitled to an age related allowance
• Expatriates investing to avoid UK tax while non-resident
• Companies investing corporate funds
• Investors who are Trustees

Personal Cash & Borrowings

We live in a fast moving world, which leaves little time to manage our finances as effectively as we would like.

We aim to make your life smoother whilst making your money work harder for you. We have access to a range of competitive interest rates on savings and current accounts, along with a vast choice of mortgages from over 5,000 different products to find the best mortgage to suit you.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage

Mortgages

A mortgage is one of the biggest financial commitments most of us are likely to face in our lifetime. That’s why, with so many lenders offering so many products, it’s important to seek the right advice.

We can provide clients with access to thousands of products offered by a carefully chosen panel of lenders, including:

• Cheltenham & Gloucester
• Chelsea Building Society
• HSBC
• Halifax
• Lloyds TSB
• Royal Bank of Scotland
• Santander

We can offer you mortgage solutions tailored to your individual needs, such as:

• Fixed Tracker
• Offset Flexible
• Buy-toLet* Commercial Lending*
• Discount Capped
• Lifetime** First Time Buyer
• Overseas Equity Release**

ABC Accounting Services also has via our partnership to exclusive offers not available on the High Street.