How we work
Our First Meeting
Finding out about us
- This meeting is held at our expense, it is important that you are comfortable with what we do and how we do it before commencing a professional relationship.
- We’ll introduce ourselves and provide you with a business card confirming your adviser’s contact details.
- We’ll discuss our services and give you a copy of our “what we do and how we do it” and “terms and conditions” document outlining our services and how we intend to work with you.
- We’ll also discuss the charges for our services.
- All actual charges and fees (in pounds and pence) will be agreed with you before we do any work and we’ll explain your payment options too. We’ll also let you know where any fees are subject to VAT.
Finding out about you
- The main purpose of our first meeting is to find out about your financial circumstances and objectives.
- One of the most valuable things we can do for you is to draw out a clearer vision of your financial future. We can help you understand what options you have around longer-term issues, such as retirement. If you have an obvious and immediate need, we can also help you to meet this.
- Once your financial needs are clear, the next step is to be clear on your priorities; your adviser can use their expertise to help you establish your goals and develop a plan of action that suits your personal situation.
- Where we are providing advice on investments, one of the key areas we will explore is establishing how much risk you are prepared and able to take with your money. Understanding what risk really means to you is critical to the investment decisions you make.
It would be helpful if you could bring along to this meeting, details of any policies, schemes, investments, mortgages, financial outgoings, wills, interests in trusts that you already have.
Analysing your requirements
- Where necessary, we’ll forward your authorities to obtain additional information from the relevant product providers. We may also need to contact you for further information and ask your permission to liaise with your other professional advisers (e.g. accountant, solicitor).
- Once we have all the necessary information in place, we’ll undertake our research to assist us in identifying appropriate plans and solutions which will help you to achieve your objectives. As part of identifying appropriate solutions, we take into account areas such as:
- Your attitude to and understanding of the risks involved
- Timescales relevant to your objectives
- Appropriateness of products and investments, including types of fund, where these are invested and how these fit with products or investments you may already hold
- Tax-efficient investments and planning – we’ll try, wherever possible, to consider tax-efficient opportunities and, in this respect, we may need to liaise with your tax advisers (please note that the Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate tax advice).
- Costs and charges
- One of the most visual ways to help you plan for your financial future is by using cash flow modelling technology. Using our cash flow analysis system, we will input information about the current value of your investments and apply relevant assumptions about things like investment growth rates and key life events to create detailed and precise cash flow models based on your individual circumstances.
- We’ll set out our recommendations in a financial planning report.
Our Second Meeting
- Depending on what we agree, we’ll send you our report to review or we’ll arrange to meet again and discuss it.
- Depending on your circumstances, you may want to invite other parties to this meeting such as your spouse, your children or other professional advisers.
- Our report will outline your current position and detail our professional observations and recommendations.
- In developing our recommendations, we’ll always look to agree a solution for you that strikes the right balance between your financial needs and objectives, and the amount of risk you are prepared and able to take in achieving them. Sometimes that means you’ll need to compromise, and your adviser will be able to identify where that is the case and build it in to your plan.
- The report will also contain the supporting information behind our recommendation, including where applicable, illustrations and brochures for any financial products recommended.
- The costs associated with our recommendation(s) will also be confirmed in our report. If further meetings are required these will be discussed and agreed.
Implementation
If our recommendations involve putting in place any financial products, once we have received your instructions, we’ll forward the completed application forms and payments on your behalf.
Ongoing support
We’ll agree with you at this stage whether we’ll provide any ongoing services, what those services will include and the cost of those services.
We appreciate that sometimes you may just be looking for help in a particular area on a one-off or ad hoc basis, and that’s fine. However, our optional ongoing services are designed to ensure that your financial arrangements stay on track to meet your financial goals.
What our clients say
The majority of my time has been spent running a business and concentrating on making the correct day-to-day decisions; it was essential for me to gain advice and guidance. Phill and his team at RPG have been able to guide me and provide a balanced portfolio. Without turning to RPG, I would have been unable to arrange my long-term financial future. They have a vast amount of knowledge and have produced the results essential for when I decide to retire.
Director
Because our business was growing every year, we didn't really look at how the money we were making was put to best use. We needed some expert advice to lead us in the right direction. Anthony O'Connor has always been very helpful and approachable whilst dealing with our affairs. We are left to do what we do best: run a business. We would highly recommend anybody who is seeking financial advice to look at the services Anthony and his team can provide.”
Business owners
We decided to use Phill Owen to help us with our financial planning as our savings, mortgage and life policies did not seem coordinated. Phill provided a clear plan for the future. He helped us organise our wills, inheritance matters and our future retirement. With our face-to-face catchups and regular emails or phone calls, Phill has always given us sound advice. This, in turn, has given us the peace of mind that our financial matters, now and in the future, are in good hands and in good order.
Retired Dairy Consultant and Retired NHS Therapist
I started using RPG on the advice of my bank when I started my own limited company. They have guided me through potential pitfalls in such a friendly manner that, even though our relationship has always been professional, I still consider them as friends. This journey has gone through setting up my company, tax, VAT, insurance advice, setting up wills, buying a different house and ensuring my wife and sons are provided for, both now and in the future. It has been such an easy journey. I would have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone.
Aircraft Engineer
My wife and I have been clients of Phill's for 25 years; 20 of which were with RPG Chartered Financial Planners. 17 years were prior to retirement and nine years have been post-retirement. Their involvement has been crucial to dissipate our financial and estate management concerns. RPG’s staff have been exemplary; always approachable and quick to respond. We have no reason to believe that this tremendous working relationship will not be as successful in the future as it has been in the past. We have no hesitation in recommending them.
Retired Veterinary Surgeon and Retired College Lecturer
I am a Chartered Structural Engineer and have very little knowledge, experience or understanding of financial affairs and investments. Approximately six years ago I started to think about early retirement. For the past six years RPG have provided excellent financial planning and tax-efficient advice in the form of a combination of pension and cash ISA investments, which have grown significantly to such an extent that early retirement is imminent.
Chartered Engineer
Early in 2000, we decided we needed financial advice. We contacted Phillip Owen, who created a financial planning strategy that addressed all our needs. We were impressed with his advice, and so a partnership began that has lasted. Original goals are still being met and often exceeded, and investments are successful. There is long-term financial planning in place, even for the youngest family members. I highly recommend Phill and his team.
Retired Teacher and Volunteer Sector Adviser
We were in need of an adviser who could provide a wide spectrum of advice for managing our portfolio. We met Anthony on several occasions to understand his breadth of experience, and we were very impressed. Anthony's team took the reins in consolidating and rationalising our portfolio. We are very pleased with Anthony's service and we look forward to a long-lasting relationship with him.
IT Consultant & Accountant
Anthony O’Connor has advised me over several years about pensions and general financial planning. I have found him knowledgeable, supportive and a person who provides good solutions . He has a “can do “ approach and makes things happen.  I have recommended him to a number of friends and they are all happy with his support and advice He is always good humoured which is a good quality when planning ones financial affairs.
Solicitor