How we help

The importance of regular financial reviews cannot be underestimated especially where your retirement planning is concerned.

We have always believed that financial planning and the need for a regular review of your finances have a vital part to play in your own and your family’s wellbeing and will impact your ability to cope with life’s twists and turns.

Whether retirement is something you hope for imminently or is still a long way off - it’s all about getting your ducks in a row. Preparing for life’s changing chapters and thinking for both the short and long-term is important.

Good advice also means having someone in your corner you can rely on who knows the detail. Part of our role is ensuring you understand what you’ve already built up, what you’re entitled to, what legislation or taxation might have changed, and how this may impact you.

Our service offering looks different for all our clients, and is tailored to your needs and circumstances, no matter what stage of life you’re at.

All of our client journeys begin with a no-obligation appointment, where we get to understand your financial circumstances, as well as your objectives if you have an existing idea of what these may be.

First meeting:

Our first meeting allows us to gain an understanding of your current financial position, and an insight into your financial goals. You may come to this meeting with a clear idea of what you want to achieve, or you may want our advice on how to approach this.

Either way, our starting point is to establish a clear picture of the investments, pensions, and protection plans that you already have and what they’ll do for you in the future. Following this appointment, you’re under no obligation to take up our services.

Follow-up email:

After our initial meeting, you’ll receive an email that sets out the areas of financial planning, along with our discussion points and agreed actions. There may be some further “homework” for you to complete so we can provide well-informed recommendations, and we may request Letters of Authority should we require additional information on your existing financial products.

Formal recommendations:

Once we have all the information we need, you’ll receive a report setting out our formal recommendations, based on our initial conversations. This report will also set out the product and advice charges that would apply, should you choose to proceed.

Presentation meeting:

This meeting is the opportunity to go through our findings and discuss our recommendations in detail, as well as answer any questions you might have. There will likely be several options for you to consider.

By the end of this meeting, we’ll have built a clear picture of your goals and the actions which need to be taken to achieve them.

Should you wish to go ahead with our recommendations, we will ask you to sign a client registration record (Investing with St. James's Place) and take your instructions.

Ongoing reviews:

Once you become a client, you’ll be invited for regular ongoing reviews and have access to our online services.

Your annual review will cover your pensions, investment performance, fund choices, and financial protection arrangements. We urge you to take up these regular reviews as your circumstances, attitude to risk, timescale for investment, financial legislation, and taxation may change. Most importantly, these help to ensure your plan still meets your requirements. We are always available to answer any questions or discuss concerns outside of these meetings too.

We will also put together a Client Profile document. This is a clear snapshot of your financial arrangements, so everything is neat, orderly, and easy to deal with. This is a helpful summary to keep alongside your Will.