Suttons Independent Financial Advisers was established over 25 years ago and has built a strong reputation with people looking for local independent financial advice around Sale and South Manchester.
We have found that finding the best financial adviser for your needs can depend on a number of factors.
Technically, you’ll require someone with the appropriate professional skills and qualifications. Personally, you’ll want someone you can trust and feel comfortable with when discussing your personal circumstances and future plans. We believe we fulfil both criteria and you can find out more about our satisfied customers in our local advice review section later in this article.
We help people who require individual financial products through to those who require more complex financial planning advice.
The type of services we offer include:
- Financial protection – life insurance, income protection & critical illness cover
- Mortgages
- Savings advice
- Pensions
- Retirement planning
- Investment advice and planning
- Inheritance tax advice
- Wealth management
At the core of what we do we believe good financial advice can make your life easier and better. In order to achieve this, we believe you will find us friendly, approachable and professional.
Finding financial advice in South Manchester
Whilst we have clients right across the UK, we have built our business providing financial advice to many in the local community.
If you are looking for independent financial advice in South Manchester, please contact us.
Our most local area includes:
- Altrincham
- Ashton upon Mersey
- Bowdon
- Broadheath
- Brooklands
- Carrington
- Chorlton
- Didsbury
- Old Trafford
- Davyhulme
- Dunham Massey
- Flixton
- Hale
- Hale Barns
- Northenden
- Partington
- Sale
- Sale Moor
- Stretford
- Timperley
- Urmston
- Warburton
So, that is who we are and where we are based, let’s now turn to what we do.
What is an Independent Financial Adviser?
In simple terms there are two types of advisers (independent or restricted) and it is important to understand the difference.
We operate as Independent Financial Advisers and can access the “whole of the market” to find the right financial products to suit your particular needs from the whole of market. This means that we have no affiliation to a particular provider and are here to provide you with financial services and advice that is most suited to your personal needs.
The latter type are advisers that are restricted and limited (by product or company) to the financial companies and type of financial products they can recommend to their clients for example they may have a limited number of financial companies they can deal with.
How much does it cost to speak to a financial adviser?
We work hard to understand your needs and obtain the best deal for you. We are open and transparent when it comes to financial advice costs and financial adviser fees.
At Suttons an initial consultation is free and usually lasts for one hour. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss your requirements, our services and how we can help you. After this initial meeting, you should have a good idea of whether we should work together and will outline transparently a personalised fee quote based on the advice you need and should you wish to proceed further.
Typical fees for pensions and investment advice are by a percentage of the investments arranged with our advice which, depending upon the complexity of the advice and the value of the investment, will normally range between 1% and 3% of the amount invested.
For other products, like mortgages and life insurance, our remuneration will be paid by the product provider in the form of a commission payment. This commission will be disclosed to you in advance and in the documentation, you receive from us and the product provider. We may in certain instances charge a fee for example where the commission payment from a mortgage lender does not cover the minimum costs of our advice.
When should I speak to a financial adviser?
As you go through life you may require different financial advice at different life stages based around your individual needs and wants, such as:
- Savings and investment advice
- Buying a first house / re-mortgaging
- Commercial mortgages and buy-to-let investment
- Starting or moving jobs
- Wealth management
- Pension and retirement planning
- Starting a family and protecting your finances (e.g., Life Insurance, Income Protection & Critical Illness Cover)
- Receiving an inheritance
- Divorce
- Death of a spouse
- Financial advice for the elderly
- Trusts and wills
- Estate and inheritance tax planning
We are happy to discuss your specific short-term needs or long-term investment and wealth management needs.
What are the common types of financial advice that you offer?
- Wealth Management
Looking after the needs of affluent clients demands a holistic approach to capture current, future and legacy issues.
Our approach to wealth management extends beyond income and investment advice (based on circumstances, goals and attitude to risk) and can include discussions about cash flow planning, personal tax planning, inheritance tax planning, estate planning, retirement planning, trusts and wills.
- Pensions
We’d all like a well-funded retirement but the road to get there can be confusing.
From pre-packaged pensions to Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs) the options can be complicated.
As independent pension advisers we seek to provide unbiased pension advice and help you plan for your retirement.
The changing state pension and options for personal pensions mean that it is worth taking some time to undertake some retirement planning to identify the best pension plan for you based on your retirement aspirations.
We are happy to assist you in taking out a first-time pension, consolidate an existing pension, research how to obtain income from a pension plan (an annuity) or draw down income.
As a first step on your journey, we will discuss your aims and develop some pension calculations based on your future goals. An important point to note is that pension investments rely on compounding so the earlier you start saving the longer your money has to grow.
In order to tailor your pension plan, we’ll consider a range of factors, including your:
- Lifestyle and personal circumstances
- Employment situation and income
- Savings and investments
- Investment plan options, attitude to risk and retirement aspirations
We’ll also discuss a plan for ongoing support and advice as you build your pension pot over time.
- Financial Protection
Providing for loved ones, protecting mortgage payments and supporting your ability to pay your bills can be aided with protection, such as:
- Life Insurance
- Mortgage Protection
- Income Protection
- Critical Illness cover
We’ll be happy to discuss the types of protection products available to you based on such factors as your health, occupation and lifestyle.
It is important to note that your personal health, family history, recreational pursuits or your occupation can all have an impact on premiums and/or the availability of cover.
For those who engage in a dangerous work or extreme sport, we work closely with Sports Financial Services (www.sports-fs.co.uk) to utilise their deep knowledge of financial protection for hazardous occupational and recreational activities.
- Mortgages
Whether it is assistance for first time buyers, re-mortgaging, buy to let or commercial mortgages our mortgage advisers are here to help.
Our experienced ‘whole of market’ mortgage team understand that the mortgage application process is more than the simple supply of money to purchase a property. They understand that property buying can be an emotional, physical, legal and financial journey. A long property chain, legal issues, survey hurdles and money constraints can result in some difficult choices (especially for the first-time buyer) so we’ll be there to support you through the process.
Our independent mortgage advisers are happy to discuss a wide variety of issues relating to mortgages and the mortgage process, such as:
Outlining the big picture
- Mortgage calculations
- Affordability and eligibility
- Mortgage deposits
- Calculating mortgage payments
- Loan to value calculations
Discussing your circumstances
- First time buyer / re-mortgaging
- House deposit
- Current equity
- House deposit and current equity 10, 15, 20 ,25-year mortgages
Discussing your needs
- New mortgage
- Mortgage renewal
- Re-mortgaging
- Second mortgage
Researching the market
- Best mortgage companies and lenders to suit your needs
- Mortgage sourcing, rates and deals
- Mortgage costs
- Fixed or variable rates offers
Considering market factors
- Stamp duty
- Current mortgage interest rates
Discussing types of mortgages
- Interest only
- Repayment
- Fixed rate
- Variable
- Tracker
Moving house and second properties
- Re-mortgaging
- Second mortgages
Commercial and investment
- Buy to let
- Self-build
- Land
- Commercial mortgages
Trusted local financial advice
Trust is a major factor when it comes to finding a recommended financial adviser, checking their professional credentials (e.g., Chartered Financial Planner) and working with them towards your financial goals.
In addition to the traditional word of mouth approach there are many modern resources available that can help with your choice in choosing the right financial adviser.
We seek to provide unbiased financial advice and to aid transparency you will now find us registered with Vouched For. This is an online platform that hosts thousands of reviews for Independent Financial Advisers across the UK.
You can check out our company reviews, financial adviser reviews and customer experiences here:
www.vouchedfor.co.uk/firm/4186-suttons-independent-financial-advisers-limited
We are also authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and you can check us out with the following business reference (FCA number 455848) on the FCA register at www.fca.org.uk .
What happens at your first meeting with a financial adviser?
At Suttons Independent Financial Advisers, we provide you with an initial no-obligation meeting to discuss your needs.
We are friendly and flexible and we want to get to know you and your needs. If you are after financial planning advice, we’ll discuss the time horizons you have in mind to achieve your financial goals.
The meeting will be tailored around you and could be narrow in scope (e.g., discussing a life insurance product) or wide in scope (e.g., discussing long term wealth management and tax planning).
For a financial planning discussion, we’ll start with your current circumstances – so we’ll take a look at your assets and liabilities to clarify where you stand. Depending on the nature of your enquiry there may be some useful information that will be useful to bring along to your first meeting. We’ll let you know if any information is required for your first meeting but, for example, this may include:
- Work / occupation benefits (pay, sick pay, death in service cover, work-based pension and health cover)
- Debt, loans and credit card balances
- Rent or mortgage payments (interest rates, outstanding balances, years remaining, type of mortgage)
- Work pension and/or private pensions details
- Savings and investments (and rate of return)
- Any other income sources you receive
- Financial protection and insurance products
- An overview of your general outgoings (e.g., utility bills, car loans, mortgage payments and grocery payments)
If you wish to discuss future planning then it may also be useful to give some thought to your financial future and any aspirations you may have for saving, paying off a mortgage or retiring. This is often an overlooked step but it is a useful step in understanding how much risk you want to take on with a pension or investment portfolio and the time period over which these plans need to take place.
However, don’t worry if you haven’t thought through all your plans. Through discussion we will work with you to develop a plan that is tailored to your circumstances and aspirations.
Following this first meeting we will produce an initial ‘fact find’ to outline our understanding of your needs.
Your feedback on the ‘fact find’ will further help inform our analysis and subsequent recommendations.
Finally, we’ll wrap the findings and feedback up in a ‘Suitability Report’ to outline our recommendations and our reasons for those recommendations. We’ll ask that you check the report and come back to us if there is any aspect of the report or advice that you do not understand.
We’ll only proceed once you are happy your adviser’s:
- Recommendations
- Outline of fee structure or commission(s)
- Service & support plan
Our ongoing support and regular reviews are an important part of this process. This could include discussion of a wide variety of issues such as performance monitoring, returns achieved, reporting variance or tax implications.
Such reviews can happen in various ways and are flexible to suit your life and work, such as:
- In person
- Online video meeting / conferencing
- Telephone
Help to make the right decisions
Ultimately, our goal is to build and develop a deep and meaningful relationships for the long term.
We pride ourselves on providing excellent customer service and when you make an enquiry with us, we will:
- Respond to you within one day and provide a named contact who will support you from enquiry through to completion
- Provide a truly personal service and work with you at times that suit your busy lifestyle
- Research the whole of market and tailor our advice and planning to suit your specific needs
- Provide ongoing after care with a qualified adviser
It is important to note that this content should not be taken as financial advice. It is for information purposes only. As advisers, it is our role to provide unbiased advice and help you understand what the implications will be should you choose to go with any of the above arrangements.
Contact us today on 0161 969 1703 or email info@oursocialteam.uk
Published: July 2021
Suttons IFA is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FCA number 455848
Registered in England, No. 5837639
Registered Office: Trinity House, 114 Northenden Road, Sale, Cheshire, M33 3HD
The guidance contained in this website is subject to the UK regulatory regime and is therefore targeted at consumers over 18 based in the UK.
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is an agency for arbitrating on unresolved complaints between regulated firms and their clients. Full details of the FOS can be found on its website at www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
