Description
Welcome to the website of Fiona Gray Financial Planning.
We are a small independent financial adviser practice based in
Flitwick, Bedfordshire, and offer personalised, tailored financial
planning for individuals and companies.
Being independent means
that if our advice includes product recommendations, we can choose
those products from the whole of the market. It also means we are
flexible on how you choose to cover the cost of our time; fees or
commission.
We advise on all aspects of personal financial
planning, including life cover and protection, investments and savings,
pensions and retirement planning and inheritance tax planning, with the
exception of mortgages*.
All our advisers are fully FPC qualified, and some of us hold specialist qualifications for advising on pension or tax matters.
Located in Flitwick, Bedfordshire, Fiona Gray Financial Planning
started as Paul Associates based in Milton Keynes. A mother/daughter
practice, Paul Associates was headed by Julia Paul, who was in practice
for 20 years.
On Julia's retirement in 1999 her daughter Fiona
Gray took over as Principal and relocated the business to her Flitwick
where she had lived for over 20 years.
In 2003, Fiona Gray
Financial Planning took over the clients of Spectrum Financial of St
Albans headed by Lyn Bolton. In March 2005, Fiona Gray Financial
Planning merged with and became a trading name of Caliber Financial
Associates Ltd of Leighton Buzzard.
Caliber Financial is a
group of 12 IFAs located across Beds, Bucks, Herts and beyond, each
with different skills and including some highly qualified specialists.
We take a holistic approach to financial planning, and actively
encourage advice and input, when appropriate, from other Advisers in
the practice or from other professional advisers such as tax planning
specialists and accountants to ensure that all aspects of a client's
financial affairs are dealt with effectively.
We gain most of
our clients through personal recommendation and referral from
Solicitors and Accountants. Often, our recommendations will relate to
items which would not result directly in business for us. We aim to
provide a 'track to run on', for you to action, as and when your
circumstances and funds permit, and are interested in developing long
term partnerships with our clients to help them secure a sound
financial future for themselves, their families and their businesses.
Although the majority of our business comes from individuals, we
also deal with several companies who rely on us to provide corporate
insurance and company pension advice.
As Independent Financial Advisers we
are able to advise on financial products available from all product
providers. We use advanced computer software to assist us in our
research and analysis, allowing us to compare and select the most
suitable deals currently available.
You'll get our help
to review your existing financial situation and reach a realistic
assessment of your likely needs. For this, you'll need to set aside
some time to talk to us - the first one-hour consultation is free.
There's no charge, and no obligation, while we find out together if
it's worth going ahead.
Depending on your instructions we will
carry out a needs analysis based on your current situation, and taking
into account any specific plans and/or targets you may have. We will
then advise you on anything from a short term financial objective to a
lifetime financial plan, followed up with regular reviews.
You
will receive professional advice about where your financial
arrangements are already good, and where they're inadequate (or not
covered at all).
You'll also have our help to decide how much
provision you need to make, and the order of priority in dealing with
your finances. And of course it will all be sensibly balanced in
relation to your current income and your prospects.
All our
proposals will be fully explained and costed so that you'll know
exactly what we are recommending and why before you action anything.
Often,
our recommendations will relate to items that would not result directly
in business for us. We aim to provide a 'track to run on', for you to
action, as and when your circumstances and funds permit, and are
interested in developing long term partnerships with our clients to
help them secure a sound financial future for themselves, their
families and their businesses.
On receiving an enquiry we invite a
prospective client to come to our offices for a preliminary meeting.
The purpose of the meeting is to establish whether we are able to
assist with your needs and objectives. There is no charge for this
preliminary meeting and no obligation on either side.
At
the end of the initial consultation, we will agree with you what you
want us to do, and how the cost of our time is to be covered. You may
chose to pay us a fee, or we can be paid out of the cost of any
financial product we set up for you (commission). We will always tell
you about any commission we earn, and it will be taken into account in
working out our fee.
Commission is paid to an IFA firm by a
provider, usually an insurance company or an investment house for the
successful placing of business. The commission is included within the
providers normal product charges, so there is nothing you need to pay
us in addition. The amount of commission is based on a percentage of
the premiums payable or sums invested.
Fees can be based on time
spent and evaluated at a rate per hour, or agreed at a flat rate for a
job. Fees can attract an additional VAT charge whereas commissions,
under current legislation, do not. We will always tell you about any
commission we earn, and it will be taken into account in working out
our fee.
Whether we take our remuneration by way of commission or fees will
be a matter of discussion and agreement, and no charges for fees will
be made without prior notification in writing.
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