The Pathfinder Programme

The Pathfinder Programme is an entry-level and ongoing financial planning programme that will set you on the road to financial organisation, clarity and peace of mind. It will guide and support you in the achievement of your goals.

The service includes the following:

Financial plan

We will provide you with a highly personal, written financial plan at the outset. This is revised annually thereafter. The plan includes statements for net assets, income, expenditure and lifetime cash flow. It will incorporate a financial assessment, a risk profile and investment protection, pension and tax plans.

Annual review

The annual review is essential for achieving your financial goals and objectives. You provide us with an update of your affairs and this provides the foundation for your written plan and recommendations for the next 12 months.

Implementation

With your authority (but subject to any regulatory restrictions) we will implement our financial recommendations or your requests. The first two hours of implementation time each year is included. Any additional implementation time will be charged at normal rates, as published on our website. We charge at the lowest rate applicable to additional work and our systems ensure that most tasks can be completed quickly.

Investment planning

We will create an investment plan to achieve your goals and manage your portfolios by selecting appropriate risk adjusted, asset allocation funds that provide access to the three core asset classes (cash, fixed interest and equities).

Pension planning

We will help you plan core pension accumulation strategies, where appropriate. However, dealing with actual retirement planning is often complex and time consuming given the number of options available at retirement and the complexity of pension regulation; this is not, therefore, included as standard in the Pathfinder service.

Tax planning

We will incorporate basic strategies into your plans to reduce your current and future liabilities to income and capital gains taxes. We will provide advice about taking up your tax allowances at the start and end of the tax year. We will advise you of any inheritance tax liability, but estate and inheritance tax planning is not included in this service.

Investment administration

Your investments are held in our third party investment administration service (additional custody and dealing fees apply), to which you have unfettered access (subject to any regulations relating to restricted products).

Cash can be withdrawn or deposited electronically (allow three working days to complete) and you can sell or transfer your investments at any time.

You have full access through a single internet point of contact to your portfolio current value, buy and sell transactions, interest and dividends received, fees deducted, and capital gains and losses.

Portfolio monitoring and measurement

We will continuously monitor the asset allocation of your portfolio, and the investments in it, and re-balance the portfolio when necessary. At your annual review we will use graphs to show you its performance against designated benchmarks.

Access to your planner

You have unlimited, free access to us at any time during business hours by phone or email. One free meeting each year is included in the service. Additional meetings are charged at normal rates.

Remove the hassle service

You are welcome at any time to ask us to deal with life's financial hassles that originate in financial institutions and government departments.

Investment and taxation opportunity service

We may contact you from time to time to advise you of investment and taxation opportunities if we think they may be to your advantage. We will provide you with all the information you require to make a decision as to whether to invest in these opportunities and the decision, as usual, is entirely up to you.

Self-assessment

Shortly after the end of the financial year you will receive a consolidated tax certificate for all taxable investments held through us. You can use these to complete your self-assessment form or pass them to your accountant.

Update service

Regular (bi-monthly) newsletters or occasional e-mails are delivered to advise you of important legislative or technical changes or other information that may be to your benefit.

Is the Pathfinder Programme right for me?

The Pathfinder Programme will be appropriate for you if you wish to become financially well organised and start taking control of your life and money through a structured financial planning process that will set you on the path to achieving your life goals. You will probably have had little experience of financial planning to date, although you are likely to own some financial products. You will probably have some surplus income and a modest investment or pension portfolio.

How much does it cost?

Our Pathfinder Programme covers the full range of services set out in this document and provides you with access to us so that, whenever you have a concern or query, you can be sure of rapid, professional help.

Clients pay just £70 per month (from 1 Jan 2011, including VAT at 20%). This fee is fixed for one year, and reviewed at the end of this period, although this does not stop you from terminating our agreement at any time by providing one month's notice in writing.

Fees can be deducted from your current account or any combination of facilities in your portfolio, and we would be pleased to discuss the most suitable way for you.

Client agreement

Clients are asked to sign the Pathfinder Service Client Agreement, which you should read carefully. You can also download a copy of the Pathfinder service standard.