Benefits of Using an Independent Financial Advisor

An independent financial advisor can help you work your way through the maze of investments, pension funds and future planning. Financial advice can be a little bit like asking for advice on choosing a car. Everyone will have a different answer, think that theirs is the best and you can be left more confused than before. Just like choosing a car, you want to make sure that you are as safe as you can be, and that you have not just thrown money down the drain. You might do some research, take a few different cars out for a test drive, and you'll only buy from a salesman that you feel good about, and trust.

Investing is the same. You want to know that the investments that you are making are based on sound advice and evidence, and that your financial future is as safe as it can ever be. You also want to seek advice from an independent financial advisor that you can trust and get on with, even if occasionally you have different points of view. There is a relationship to be built here, as many investments take time. Whilst consulting a financial advisor is the best thing you can do, doing some research of your own is also a good thing.


The first step in seeking out advice from a financial advisor, would be to consider the type of fees that are payable. Some advisors work on a fixed fee basis, others on commission or percentage fees. A fixed fee advisor is great as it offers you flexibility and all the payments are laid out upfront, so no nasty surprises down the track when you start getting bills. With commission based advisors, even if you are unhappy with them, they still receive their trail commission for as long as you have the investment. Fee based advisors are often more closely watching various products and will only want to recommend the ones that will work for you, otherwise they do not get paid. Shop around and do your homework by all means. Talk to some fee based financial advisors and then make your own mind up.

Next, think about what it is that you actually want to achieve. You might be looking for an investment portfolio, strategies to make your retirement more secure, or simply want to just take a deeper look at existing investments or financial plans. Or, you might be looking for ways to maximise your pension or reduce your tax bill. Any of these ideas can be talked through with a financial advisor, and you will probably find that all of these plans intertwine at some point or lead off in different directions. Putting them all together in a strategy that maximises your wealth is why you need an experienced financial advisor.

Then you can turn your attention to your time frames and short term versus long term goals. You might be looking to put a retirement strategy in place now, even though retirement is 20 years away. Or you might be keen to get all of your affairs in order, and check for any gaps, as you are planning to hang up the boots soon. Alternatively, if you are looking for ways to secure the future of any business ventures you are involved in, then you might want a 5 year succession plan. Most investments take time to bloom, and so getting things started as soon as you can is the key. If there has been a change in your personal circumstances, such as a marriage, divorce, birth of a child or a family death then you might find that you need to change your will or any other legal financial documents quickly. This can all be discussed with an Independent Financial Advisor.

Seek out the advice that you deserve, and make that hard earned money work harder for you. An Independent financial advisor London will be governed by the same industry body as an IFA Cardiff and whilst style, personality, experience and portfolios will change from firm to firm, the codes of conduct are the same. So start planning for your financial freedom now, and live a happy, successful life, well into retirement age.