16/08/2010 by Arthur Childs.

In the light of the BBC Panorama programme about Will writers which was broadcast on 9th August, we thought it was a good time to review our advice on this matter. First of all I should make it clear that Arch Financial Planning Limited does not prepare Wills for clients. We leave this to those who are qualified and experienced in the legal field. We do encourage clients, however, to make a valid Will and to update their Wills where their circumstances have changed.

Should you only use solicitors?

Let me say straight away that there are many situations in which you would be foolish indeed not to use the services of a solicitor to prepare your Will and these are highlighted in our Guide: Making a Will (see below). The Panorama programme did highlight some of the possible disadvantages of using Will writing companies rather than a firm of solicitors. The main issue is that Solicitors are regulated when carrying out Will writing activities and so provide the highest level of security for yourself and the beneficiaries under your Will. The programme highlighted problems that have occurred with some Will writing companies such as hidden charges and even inheritances being stolen. 

As usual, however, such programmes tend to deal with a few specific instances rather than the bigger picture. This is because most of us are interested in people rather than issues. As a result our newspapers and television programmes tend to build their messages using particular instances to show how an issue has affected the lives of one or more people. This is fine and makes for more interesting reading or watching. However, it can mean that the bigger picture is often sacrificed and we get a somewhat overly focused view of an issue.

In this case, whilst taking nothing away from the problems that can occur with using Will writing companies, the fact is that if they did not exist then tens of thousands of UK citizens would not have made a valid Will. This is due to the fact that a great many of us shy away from making a Will for all sorts of reasons, or we simply never get round to it. We need encouraging by someone to get on with it. Whilst solicitors may be the best people to prepare Wills they are, for lots of reasons, particularly poor at marketing their services to us. You basically have to get in touch with them and ‘instruct’ them which is not going to happen if this is something you are shying away from anyway, or it is a very low priority for you.

We encourage our clients to make Wills

People think that the focus in making a Will is their own death, and that is not something that any of us like to dwell on. But that is far from the truth. The focus in making a Will is the long term security and happiness of those loved ones we must leave behind, and those organisations that we care about, after our usually untimely and unexpected departure from this life.

We cannot soften the emotional hurt that those close to us will feel at such a time. However, it is surely our duty to them to make sure that such property and assets as we own, or have an interest in, are distributed amongst our loved ones, and the organisations we care about, in such a way as to be of the most benefit.

For this reason we encourage clients to make a valid Will and to update their Wills where their circumstances have changed. The Personal Questionnaire that we ask new clients to complete asks “Have you made a Will?” and “Briefly indicate main provisions”. It is important for us to at least have this basic information when advising clients on their financial planning.

Where can you find further information?

You won’t be surprised if I direct you to our own website. We have updated our Guide: Making a Will and you can read, download or print a copy by going to www.arch-fp.co.uk/making_a_will.php. The Guide contains a very useful chart which outlines the rules concerning intestacy (if you die without leaving a valid Will). We would encourage anyone who does not currently have a Will to look at this chart as a matter of some urgency.

Please note that this information does not constitute personal advice and should not be treated as a substitute for specific advice based on your circumstances. If you are in any doubt as to whether you should make a Will, or whether the Will you have may need updating, then you should discuss the matter with a solicitor or other suitably qualified legal adviser. Any information given in this Guide relating to the intestacy legislation is based on our understanding of legislation and practice in force at the date of this Guide. Whilst we believe our interpretation of current law and practice to be correct in these areas, we cannot be responsible for the effects of any future legislation or any change in interpretation or treatment. Please note that The Financial Services Authority does not regulate the making of Wills.

If you would like to discuss the implications of your Will in the context of your financial planning please ask your usual Arch adviser, telephone 01483 204600 or email enquiries@arch-fp.co.uk.

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26/07/2010 by Arthur Childs.

If you are interested in obtaining index-linked returns on your savings and investments you are probably already aware that such products were withdrawn from the market last week by National Savings and Investments (NS&I). Their withdrawal was made necessary because the rules state that NS&I is not allowed to dominate the market and sales had “far exceeded” the level anticipated.

There were probably two main reasons why the NS&I product was so attractive to savers:

(1) The first reason is the continuing low level of interest rates on deposit accounts, which seem unlikely to increase in the next year or two. The Bank of England Base Rate has been just 0.5% since March 2009. Although the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has said that it expects rates to start to rise next year, economist Professor Peter Spencer of the Ernst & Young Item Club said recently that the Bank of England will have to keep interest rates at their current level until 2014 to counter-balance the government’s spending cuts.

(2) The second reason is the realisation that inflation is currently making a serious inroad into their capital. UK inflation slowed for a second month in June, to 3.2% from 3.4% in May but it is well above the Bank of England’s 2.0% target. The Retail Prices Index (RPI) which includes housing costs is still 5% after falling from 5.1% in May. Whilst a number of economists argue that deflation is more likely than continuing high levels of inflation, the problem is that the inflationary pressure of the previous Government’s massive quantitative easing measures is difficult to predict.

So where can investors turn now?

Well I could simply point to the fact that, over time, a well diversified portfolio of equities has proved to be one of the few consistent hedges against inflation. However, I am conscious that the majority of people who would have previously used the NS&I index linked products would be anything but equity investors.

Instead, therefore, I would like to mention an alternative investment that is likely to appeal to some investors who might otherwise have sought out an NS&I product. As you would expect from an investment adviser, this investment includes risks to your capital but those risks can be known in advance and a proper decision made about them.

I am referring to the Real Growth Plan (Issue Two) which is offered and managed by Jubilee Financial Products LLP, an independent asset management company authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Services Authority.

What does the Jubilee plan provide ?

This is a six year investment plan (the NS&I plans had 3 and 5 year terms) which offers investors a return linked to inflation as measured by the Retail Prices Index (RPI).  Now I mentioned deflation earlier so any purely inflation linked investment, such as that previously offered by NS&I, could provide a poor return. The Jubilee product is interesting because it offers a return linked to inflation as measured by the Retail Prices Index (RPI) or the growth of the FTSE 100 Index (the main UK equity index), whichever is greater. This is what is called a structured product, and these have been defined as ‘investment products that deliver a known return for given investment circumstances.’

So far, so good. So what is the downside? I did mention that there would be risks to your capital. There are two main risks as follows:

(a) Retail structured products usually provide a measure of capital protection and this is what makes them so attractive to investors. The protection in this case is what is referred to a ‘soft’ protection, that is it can be breached and is not a guarantee. Specifically you may get back less than you have invested if the FTSE 100 closes at or below 50% of its initial index level on any trading day during the investment term and both the FTSE 100 and the RPI are below their initial index level on the maturity date. So if the FTSE 100 never falls below 50% of its initial index level your capital is protected. Furthermore, even if the FTSE 100 does fall below 50% of its initial index level your capital is still protected if in six years’ time if either the FTSE 100 or the RPI index is no lower than its initial level. In a worse case scenario and both tests fail then your capital will be reduced by the percentage reduction in the FTSE 100 index. However even in that situation you may still receive a growth payment to partly offset this loss if the RPI is above its starting level. I appreciate that this can sound complicated but the literature is well written and we are here to answer your questions.

(b) The second risk is the possible failure of what is called the ‘counterparty’, that is the bank holding your money during the investment period. In this case the bank is UBS AG (London Branch), part of UBS, the second largest Swiss bank, which is rated A+ by Standard & Poor’s, Aa3 by Moody’s and A+ by Fitch. You should be aware, however, that should the bank fail then you would not have recourse to the bank guarantee scheme as you would with a normal deposit account.

General guidelines about structured products

Using structured products in an investment portfolio can reduce the risk of that portfolio because with structured products you know that they will do certain things at certain times. If you have never used a structured product before you should read our background notes on this type of product www.arch-fp.co.uk/structured_products.php. Our general guidelines are that you should not invest more than 25% of your investment portfolio into structured products and that no more than 10% of your portfolio should be in any one structured product.

Further information

The minimum investment is £10,000. Please note that the deadline for this particular issue is 6 August 2010, however, a further issue is expected in the middle of August. If you want to be informed when the next issue is available please email us to this effect. You can either invest directly or through the Nucleus wrap platform if you are already using that for your investments. If you would like to invest in the Real Growth Plan (Issue Two) or find out further information you should visit www.arch-fp.co.uk/structured_products.php where you will find a brochure, standard terms and conditions and application form.

Please note that this information does not constitute personal advice and should not be treated as a substitute for specific advice based on your circumstances. If you are unsure about investing in a structured product then you should discuss the matter with a suitably qualified independent financial adviser such as ourselves.  The risks of investing in this particular structured product are detailed in the Real Growth Plan brochure which you should read. This plan is not a deposit account and is not guaranteed by any third party. Your capital is at risk from a fall in the FTSE 100 during the investment term. You will not receive any dividends from companies in the FTSE 100. Averaging of the final index levels may constrain your returns. If you do not understand any of the risks please discuss them with us before investing.

If you would like to receive advice about investing in the Real Growth Plan or structured products generally, please ask your usual Arch adviser, telephone 01483 204600 or email enquiries@arch-fp.co.uk.

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03/07/2010 by Arthur Childs.

There is already a plethora of directories of UK financial advisers so why am I telling you about yet another one? Financial Planners Elite is quite simply unique mainly because, as its name suggests, it is an elitist directory. Criteria for membership is stringent. To become a member you must be, not only an independent financial adviser (IFA), offering unbiased financial advice, you must also be a Chartered Financial Planner and/or a CFP (Please note that ‘CFP’ and its longer form ‘Certified Financial Planner’ are registered trade marks of the Institute of Financial Planning).

Financial Planners Elite is the first directory to promote Chartered Financial Planners and CFPs together – and to the exclusion of all others. Why? Because such financial planners are the crème de la crème of the profession. In fact, in my view, they are the profession, whilst the bulk of IFAs are still entrenched in the financial services industry of the past when they were simply the retail arm of the insurance company wholesalers.

Chartered Financial Planners and CFPs have not only proven technical knowledge far beyond the average financial adviser; they have also, by the hours of leisure time they have sacrificed, and the money they have spent to attain their qualifications, proven commitment to giving the best financial advice to their clients. Sadly the majority of consumers are unaware that there is such a disparity of financial adviser qualifications – let alone how special Chartered Financial Planners and CFPs actually are. Financial Planners Elite is determined to raise the profile of these leading financial advisers. Why would consumers settle for average when they can have the very best financial advice?

Please do have a look at this new website financialplannerselite.com. Don’t be disappointed if you cannot find an adviser where you live. The number of advisers on the website is as yet small, as it has only just been launched, but it is likely to catch on very quickly by the look of the people already involved. You will, of course, find Arch Financial Planning Limited under the GU postcode.

Please note that Arch Financial Planning Limited is not responsible in any way for the advice that you might receive from any other advisers listed on the Financial Planners Elite website. Whilst we know many of these advisers by reputation and indeed some personally, and believe these to be the cream of our profession, we cannot be responsible for advice that is provided by others. You should not agree to deal with a financial adviser merely because he or she is listed on any website but you should make sufficient enquiries to satisfy yourself that you are dealing with someone you can trust with your and your family’s future financial planning.

If you would like to discuss any aspect of your financial planning, irrespective of where you live, then please do get in touch. If you already deal with an Arch adviser then please talk to him or her, otherwise telephone 01483 204600 or email enquiries@arch-fp.co.uk.

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23/06/2010 by Arthur Childs.

The Chancellor’s proposals in the Coalition Government’s first Budget have been well publicised in various forms since he gave his Budget speech. However, based on past experience we have found that our clients and others have welcomed our summary of the proposals that will have a particular impact on financial planning.

This summary also includes comments where appropriate which we hope you will find helpful. To see a copy of our summary which you can download or print off please visit our website www.arch-fp.co.uk. Some of these proposals may change before they are enacted. However, it is important that financial plans are reviewed in the light of the likely changes.

These Budget notes are intended as a guide only. The information given is based on our understanding of the Chancellor’s proposals. Whilst we believe our interpretation of the proposals to be correct, we cannot be responsible for the effects of any future legislation or any change in interpretation or treatment. You should not make changes to your financial planning on the strength of these Budget notes but talk through your personal situation with an independent financial adviser such as ourselves. Please note that this information does not constitute personal advice and should not be treated as a substitute for specific advice based on your circumstances.

If you would like to discuss any aspect of your investments, pensions or your financial planning generally, please ask your usual Arch adviser, telephone 01483 204600 or email enquiries@arch-fp.co.uk.

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08/06/2010 by Arthur Childs.

The first budget of the new coalition Government is due in just two weeks, on 22 June. Prime Minister David Cameron has warned of “difficult decisions on pay, pensions and benefits”. He has not unexpectedly stated that the situation is “even worse than we thought” and “because the legacy we have been left is so bad, the measures to deal with it will be unavoidably tough.” 

So we cannot say that we have not been warned!

Rise in Capital Gains Tax

There have also been very clear statements that taxes will need to rise substantially, and particularly of concern to investors, big and small, is the prospect of a rise in capital gains tax from a flat 18% to fall in line with the income tax levels, currently 20%, 40% and 50%. As CGT is added onto a person’s income in the year that the gain is taken, a basic rate tax payer could suddenly find themselves paying 40% tax on a large gain. To make things worse we know that the LibDems had wanted to reduce the annual CGT exempt amount from its current £10,100 down to £2,500.

David Cameron has been at pains to try and put investors’ minds at rest and there does seem to be the possibility of the re-introduction of some form of taper relief so that long term investors have some relief from gains partly caused by inflation. There has also been talk of special reliefs for investors who are age 65 and over. Will the new rules start from 6 April 2011 to give investors time to carry out some tax efficient rearrangements of their portfolios, or will the changes be immediate or even backdated to the start of this tax year? The latter would be a nightmare for HMRC. The truth is that we simply do not know and it is even possible that these things have not finally been settled by the Chancellor as I write this.

The majority of investors have money in assets that can be caught for CGT such as unit trusts, OEICs and direct shareholdings. We cannot recommend taking drastic action, such as the wholesale selling of portfolios, because we do not know what the new rules will be and any action you take blindly, as it were, could make the situation worse. Married investors might, however, want to make sure that investment portfolios are fairly equally divided between them by possibly transferring some assets into their spouse’s name. Such transfers between married couples are not deemed to be a sale so that the original cost and gain is transferred across untouched. This allows maximum use of both CGT annual exempt amounts on an eventual sale.

All Investors Should Consider This

There is, however, one thing that all investors should consider right now and that is to use up their investment ISA allowance before the Budget. We do not expect the ISA allowance to be removed, it may well be increased, but it is a way of moving money into a CGT free environment and is therefore a prudent course of action.

If you are an existing client and have money in unit trusts and OEICs on a platform such as Nucleus, Cofunds or FundsNetwork, then simply email or telephone us and we will email you a switch form to move up to £5,100 or £10,200 (if you do not also wish to use Cash ISAs this year) into the appropriate ISA account. Please remember that these amounts are per individual so that a couple can move a total of up to £10,200 or £20,400 out of harm’s way.

If you are not an existing client or your investments are not held on a platform then it may be too late to get any switch into an ISA completed before the Budget, but we are still happy to talk through your options with you.

Please note that this information does not constitute personal advice and should not be treated as a substitute for specific advice based on your circumstances. If you are thinking about investing in an ISA then you should discuss the matter with a suitably qualified independent financial adviser such as ourselves.

If you would like to receive advice about switching some of your investments into an ISA or investing directly into an ISA, please ask your usual Arch adviser, telephone 01483 204600 or email enquiries@arch-fp.co.uk.

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13/05/2010 by Arthur Childs.

Millions of us are keen to save money by shopping around and purchasing a wide range of goods online and by using online deposit and Cash ISA accounts.

However, we do not seem as a nation to have woken up to the fact that when we retire we need to shop around to get the most appropriate, most competitive, pension income from the pension funds we have accumulated.

Far too many people simply take the annuity offered to them when they retire. In case you are not sure, an annuity in this context is the pension income you will receive for the rest of your life which is paid for by the pension fund that you, or you and your employer, have built up. It is estimated that two thirds of people who have taken the trouble to build up a private pension fund throw away part of the guaranteed income that it can produce for the rest of their lives when they retire.

Setting up an annuity is a decision which, in most cases, cannot be changed. It is equally astonishing, therefore that so many people go ahead with the choices offered to them by the pensions provider that they built up their pension with, when that pensions provider will, in most cases, be prohibited from offering them advice.

A little knowledge

Even those who do look at the most competitive annuity rates in financial magazines or online tables can easily fall foul of the old addage that ‘a little knowledge is a dangerous thing’. For example they may not realise that some annuity companies will pay 2% more to someone living in Warrington, Cheshire than where I live in Guildford, Surrey. That may not sound a lot but if that person lives for 25 more years it can add up to a useful sum.

It is estimated that 40% of people can qualify for some type of enhancement to their annuity rates. This may be because they smoke, are seriously overweight, or have had a serious illness or major surgery. Given the odds, it really is a tragedy that so few people bother to investigate this possibility.

Our new Guide: Annuities

We have just produced a new guide which tries to explain the financial implications of some of the choices that you are expected to make when you purchase an annuity. Of course, not everyone will want to purchase an annuity with their pension fund and certainly if the total of your pension funds is over £250,000 then you should talk to us about the possibility of keeping your fund intact and drawing amounts from it each year to supplement your other retirement income.

It is also important not to wait until you reach retirement age before collecting your annuity quotes etc. With financial advisers moving to a fee basis the last thing you want to do is turn up at your adviser’s office with five different pension pots from which to purchase an annuity. We can investigate now, using specialist software, whether you can consolidate some of those pension pots ahead of time.

You can download our new annuity guide from our website at www.arch-fp.co.uk/annuities.php. If you find it helpful please email and let me know.

Please note that this information does not constitute personal advice and should not be treated as a substitute for specific advice based on your circumstances. If you are thinking about purchasing an annuity then you should discuss the matter with a suitably qualified independent financial adviser such as ourselves.

If you would like to receive advice on the purchase of an annuity, or your retirement options generally, please ask your usual Arch adviser, telephone 01483 204600 or email enquiries@arch-fp.co.uk.

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07/05/2010 by Arthur Childs.

The hung Parliament electoral outcome has certainly been a disappointment for markets which were hoping against hope for a clear majority for one of the parties, preferably the Conservatives. The FTSE 100 is floundering as I write this, having now fallen by 11% in the last three weeks, mainly as the result of the Greek debt crisis.

There are, of course, reasons why Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg will each feel disappointed today. Then there are the hundreds of people who are disappointed and angry because they wanted to vote but got locked out of their local polling stations. It is possible they will have another chance to vote within the next year or so.

As someone who takes voting very seriously I am always disappointed that so many people don’t bother. In my local constituency of Guildford the turnout was a relatively high 72.1% but that still means that one in four people couldn’t be bothered. This is strange when there were just a few hundred votes separating the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats at the last election.

Looking on the bright side the German philosopher Friedrich von Schiller said “Disappointments are to the soul what the thunder-storm is to the air.”

The market jitters over the election result should be relatively short lived. The companies that populate the main UK stock markets derive around 70% of their earnings from overseas. Furthermore, where our clients have moved onto our new investment proposition they will also be aware that their portfolios are broadly diversified and have a large proportion which is not invested in the UK.

By far the bigger problem is Greece. We in the UK are particularly vulnerable because our indebtedness as a country is not much better than that of Greece, except for the important fact that we are expected to repay our debt over a longer timescale, so some of the pressure is off us.

Helpfully, ratings agencies Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s have said that a hung parliament will not put the AAA status of Britain at risk, repeating their earlier comments that it is the economic policy that comes from the government, not the government itself, that counts. What will be necessary in fairly short order, is a credible plan to start reducing the deficit.

The disappointment that markets, and probably most of us, feel at this time will quickly pass as the politicians sort themselves out. The bigger threat to our investments and pension funds is the uncertainty that all this is creating at a time when we are expecting to face big headwinds as a result of the problems in Europe.

The crisis for Greece that is having such an effect upon us was made much worse by the procrastination and dithering of the leaders of various European countries. Let us hope that our political leaders understand that this is a time when they need to act decisively.

As I close there is talk of the Conservatives offering one or more cabinet seats to the Liberal Democrats. Let’s hope that one of those is for Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader and Shadow Chancellor as he really knows his economic stuff.

Please note that this information does not constitute personal advice and should not be treated as a substitute for specific advice based on your circumstances. 

If you would like to discuss any aspect of your financial planning please ask your usual Arch adviser, telephone 01483 204600 or email enquiries@arch-fp.co.uk.

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25/03/2010 by Arthur Childs.

The Chancellor’s Budget proposals have been well publicised in various forms since he gave his Budget speech. However, based on past experience we have found that our clients and others have welcomed our summary of the proposals that will have a particular impact on financial planning. This summary also includes comments where appropriate which we hope you will find helpful.

To see a copy of our summary which you can download or print off please visit our website www.arch-fp.co.uk. You will also be able to see, download, or print off tax tables showing the position following the Budget Proposals.

Some of these proposals will no doubt change before they are enacted. However, it is important that financial plans are reviewed in the light of the likely changes.

These Budget notes are intended as a guide only. The information given is based on our understanding of the Chancellor’s proposals. Whilst we believe our interpretation of the proposals to be correct, we cannot be responsible for the effects of any future legislation or any change in interpretation or treatment.You should not make changes to your financial planning on the strength of these Budget notes but talk through your personal situation with an independent financial adviser such as ourselves. Please note that this information does not constitute personal advice and should not be treated as a substitute for specific advice based on your circumstances.

If you would like to discuss any aspect of your investments, pensions or other financial planning, please ask your usual Arch adviser, telephone 01483 204600 or email enquiries@arch-fp.co.uk.

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13/03/2010 by Arthur Childs.

We received the following email this morning and I thought that my response might be of help to others.

My savings are ‘trapped’ in stocks and shares ISAs and I am unable to escape into cash in the forthcoming financial aftershock of the crunch (unless I dispense with the benefits of ISAs). Does Arch have any tricks up its sleeve to help? If so how and what does it charge? Thanks.

Thank you for your enquiry. No tricks but the solution is to move your stocks and shares ISAs onto an online investment platform. Once on the platform you can usually move in and out of cash within 24 hours and on our preferred platform all switches are free. If the underlying investments in your ISAs are ‘collectives’ such as unit trusts, investment trusts or OEICs (Open Ended Investment Companies) then we would be happy to be involved. If the underlying investments are direct shareholdings then you will need to use a stockbroker and I would be happy to give you details of an online one you could use.

It takes a few weeks to get things moved across but once there life becomes a lot simpler. You can see all your investments in one place and (if you were using our services) give us instructions by email as to what amounts you want to move in or out of cash. You do not lose the ISA status of your investments by such a move.

If the total of your ISAs and any other unit trusts you have is less than £20,000 then we would move them to the Cofunds Fund Supermarket. We have used Cofunds for 10 years and it works well but it is not so flexible as our preferred platform and there is a small charge for fund switches. If the total of your ISAs (which can include any new ISA investments) and unit trusts is more than £20,000 then we would use our preferred platform the Nucleus Wrap which we have used for two years and in which we have purchased a small shareholding so we can use the system as it is IFA (independent financial adviser) controlled.

We would charge 1% of the monies moved to the platform to cover our advice and admin costs. This would be capped at £400 so moving £20,000 would cost you £200 and moving £100,000 would only cost you £400. In the case of Nucleus our charge can come out of the funds transferred rather than by direct payment if you wish. We then charge 0.5% of the funds each year which is paid out of the funds to us. Please note, however, that as Nucleus negotiates reduced annual management charges with fund groups the extra annual cost to you is likely to be negligible. One of the major advantages of using Nucleus is that you have access, at no extra cost, to a range of professionally managed risk-rated portfolios for your ISA investments and these are rebalanced quarterly.

Some fund management groups will simply allow you to ‘re-register’ your ISAs to a platform. For example, we can arrange this for you with Henderson, Invesco Perpetual, Jupiter, Schroders and Threadneedle and they make no charge for doing so. Other companies do feel it necessary to deduct a small charge from the funds transferred so for example M&G charges £35 and Gartmore £25. Some fund management groups such as Fidelity will not allow re-registration. In those cases we can transfer the funds. This means the funds within your ISA are sold and the cash amount is transferred to the platform where new investments are purchased but still within the same ISA wrapper, that is you are not using up any of this year’s ISA allowance. As there are no initial charges on the purchase of 95% of funds held on the Nucleus platform the only issue with a transfer is that you are out of the market for around 10 days, so you could lose out if markets race ahead or gain if they fall back during that short period.

If you would like us to provide further information please let me have a list of your ISAs showing the ISA provider (eg Gartmore), your account number for that ISA and the approximate value (a figure from your last statement is fine). I will then forward the relevant paperwork (which is quite straightforward) together with our Personal Questionnaire so we can make sure our advice is correct. I will also let you have a copy of our Client Agreement although I can confirm that our fees would be as detailed above.

Thank you once again for your enquiry, which is appreciated. I trust that this information has been helpful to you and I attach some notes on Investment Platforms.

If anyone reading this Blog would like to receive our notes on Investment Platforms please email me at arthur.childs@arch-fp.co.uk with ‘Investment Platforms’ in the heading or body of your email. If you would like to discuss your ISA investments please ask your usual Arch adviser, telephone 01483 204600 or email enquiries@arch-fp.co.uk.

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24/02/2010 by Arthur Childs.

I would like to say a personal ‘thank you’ to the small but growing number of followers to this blog. By way of a small reward I am going to let you have details of a new website (not ours) that I would rank as a must have on your favourites list for anyone who is interested in pensions, or rather anyone who should be interested in pensions but finds the subject confusing and boring to say the least.

The website is the brainchild of Steve Bee. If you are not sure who Steve Bee is then according to John Greenwood of financial journal, MoneyMarketing, he is “Arguably the most famous person in the pensions industry. He’s taken on the pensions minister, his legendary roadshows draw thousands and his thought leadership is second to none.” Steve Bee has been Head of Pensions at the mighty Pru and for the last 15 years he has been Head of Pensions Strategy at Scottish Life. I had the privilege of listening to him present an update on pensions and talking to him on a one-to-one basis last week at a conference because he has just joined Paradigm Partners LLP as Managing Director of a new company, Paradigm Pensions, in which we as a company are very interested.

If you, or any of your friends are likely to say “I’m totally confused about my retirement! If only I had a Pensions Guru to turn to ..” then you must visit and bookmark www.JargonFreePensions.co.uk.

This new website will also be a real blessing to any employer who is concerned about the fact that they will have to start auto enrolling their employees into the Government’s new NEST (National Employment Savings Trust) before too long, or an alternative QWPS (Qualifying Workplace Pension Scheme). Steve Bee can make this stuff understandable and even fun!

If you would like to discuss your pension benefits or review your pension funding please ask your usual Arch adviser, telephone 01483 204600 or email enquiries@arch-fp.co.uk.  If you are not quite ready to have a conversation yet then please have a look at our own information-rich website www.arch-fp.co.uk.

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