Life Is Complicated

Modern life is increasingly complicated. Coupled with the potential comfort that financial security can provide comes the often time consuming task of dealing with the management of assets and financial affairs.

As wealth increases so too does the complexity and time required to maintain and administer a growing portfolio of assets and investments. Properly coordinated tax and estate planning can be particularly time consuming without access to key data and documentation.

A key conclusion that we have reached in the 20 years we have been working with clients, is that ultimately "it is not just about the money". In an age when everything seems to be about maximising the bottom line whatever the risk, we find that our clients value the importance we place on helping them to define and prioritise their personal objectives. These might include minimising the time spent on managing their investments, minimising risk, making their tax affairs as simple as possible or investing ethically. .

A Bespoke and Holistic Perspective

In a previous generation it was not unusual for a family to rely on the personal advice of their accountant, lawyer or bank manager. These individuals are today rarely prepared or able to advise clients on all aspects of their wealth. At the same time, there has been a trend for banks, even in their private banking and investment divisions, to become the sellers of products, of standard packaged investments, rather than providers of genuine independent advice and service. Driven to meet corporate targets, many focus on the products that they have to sell, rather than meeting the particular needs of their clients.

Real wealth management requires a much wider perspective than a client's individual investment portfolio. There is a requirement for input and influence across all aspects of client wealth, including estate and tax planning, pension planning and property.

Enhancing private wealth through a coordinated strategy

We also recognise that the majority of our clients are likely to have a number of existing relationships: for example, with investment institutions, solicitors and accountants. It is not our intention to replace or disturb these relationships, but to provide a more coordinated strategy under the umbrella of our Family Office service.

Increasingly we are finding our clients value the project management and administrative services we are able to provide. Our Family Office service makes life more manageable by assisting a client with much of the tiresome administration associated with significant wealth thus allowing clients the time to focus on the more important aspects of their lives.

Our Family Office service

We have developed our Family Office service to meet these needs for wealthy clients.

We review your situation and your views to agree a strategy to meet your objectives.

We build a plan to achieve these objectives.

We implement an integrated investment advice process. This supports your investment decisions on all your assets. For example, we will help you decide which managers to keep, what structured product to buy, whether hedge funds should form part of your investment strategy and whether your objectives can be met by low-cost collective investments.

Reviewing your family governance will help ensure that your affairs are structured efficiently from a taxation perspective and to minimise risk. For example, we will help you review your wills and any trust arrangements.

Administrative support will help you deal with the complexities of managing your affairs.

Monitoring the performance of your assets and other aspects of your affairs allows you to keep your strategy on track. We monitor progress towards your other objectives and generally act as project manager to enhance your wealth.

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