What has changed? The honest answer is that for our clients nothing has changed, except for our ownership structure. Our clients continue to deal with their trusted advisers and our wider teams with whom they have built fantastic relationships over the years. Crucially, we retain our independent status, meaning we are not incentivised to choose one solution for a client over another and continue to provide truly independent financial advice to our clients. Is the joined-up approach still in place? We are still based in the same offices as the Scrutton Bland Group and continue to closely work with them to assist both existing and new clients. We were always a separate company structure to the rest of the group for regulatory reasons, so our change of ownership does not affect our ability to work together. A good example of this was late last year when I was contacted by Scrutton Bland’s Corporate Finance department who had been advising the directors of a local publishing firm on the sale of their business. The directors needed professional advice on their pensions as well as the appropriate investment of their sale proceeds, and as I’m a specialist in that area, asking me to talk to them was the logical thing to do. What do you think will change this year? It is still early days under our new ownership and various aspects of the business will be reviewed over the next twelve months or so as we align with the wider Socium Group network. As and when any changes are confirmed these will be communicated to our clients as quickly as we can. One change that we know will happen this year is that the trading name of Scrutton Bland Financial Services Limited is going to change to Amber River. Over the next 12-18 months all existing firms within the Socium Group will take on the new Amber River name and brand identity. The aim is to build a substantial presence across the UK and develop the business further.
Can you summarise the main areas of advice your team provides? Our Independent Financial Advisers continue provide a range of financial advice for individuals, companies, trusts and charities including: Investments – Combining knowledge of investment markets with tax efficiencies of various investment structures allows us to build a portfolio to suit your needs and objectives, as well as reviewing this on an ongoing basis to ensure or improve both tax efficiency and suitability over the years. Pensions – Whether you are building your pension ready to retire, trying to decide whether you can afford to retire or are already in retirement, making sure you have the right pension and underlying investment strategy within it is key, as well as understanding the tax implications and potential longevity of your fund alongside any non-pension assets. Cashflow modelling – A professional adviser can help you understand where you are on your financial journey, and help you to plan ahead, using realistic assumptions and allowing for market events. This may be to help time your retirement, gift surplus funds or simply to help understand your position in a more graphical format. Protecting your wealth for future generations - There are numerous ways our advisers can help with inheritance planning for your estate. These include accessing specialist investment structures that qualify for reliefs or combining our tax expertise with investment planning to help you take advantage of individual tax allowances whilst investing your wealth in order for it to grow. This may also include working with Tax Advisers and Solicitors in order to put in place Trust arrangements to help ensure funds are passed on in a controlled manner. Our specialists in Independent Financial Advice will work with you to deliver a complete plan for your future. Contact Matt at matt.merchant@scruttonbland.co.uk or phone 01473 267000. Scrutton Bland Financial Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The FCA registered number is 209451.
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