James and Sarah

Our client was recently coming up to retirement, which prompted a review of their investments and retirement provision.

After being introduced to Wealth Experts by an existing client, Jack Farmer, one of our financial planners, arranged a meeting to discuss James and Sarah’s concerns and also their goals for retirement, to help build a clear financial picture. Sarah wanted a complete re-evaluation of her finances to give her peace of mind she was making the right decision when it came to finalising her retirement.

A primary concern for them was the cash they had in their ISAs and how the effect of inflation was impacting their purchasing power. They also wanted to see what their retirement might look like, and if the goals they had in mind such as financial freedom to enjoy holidays, as well as helping their favourite charities, was achievable.

Ultimately, the best outcome for James and Sarah would be that their retirement was kept simple, allowing them to use their newly found free time to focus on their passions and enjoy their hobbies. They wanted to have the confidence that they were making the very best decisions, and that their money and wealth, which they had built up over their working life, was protected and working hard for them.

Our approach

During the initial chat, which we like to call the “discovery meeting,” we were able to establish that James and Sarah already had some investments, at which point Jack was happy to review, to ensure they were suitable.

After taking a deeper dive, Jack discovered that one of their current investments was not suitable for them, as they weren’t being rewarded for the level of risk they were taking, and were overpaying on charges. This was learnt during the initial meeting, by using our system to do an “under the bonnet” analysis on the risk they were taking, and what their investments were actually invested in. Jack compared one of their investment funds to our equivalent risk portfolio, which highlighted the performance that they were missing out on, due to the high charges and investment approach of the fund.

After this meeting, we went away to gather all the information from their existing investment providers, so that we could review their finances in full. During this review, Jack was able to establish that James and Sarah were not benefitting from the current plans they had in place, and clarified that consolidating their investments would not only save them money, but would ensure that they’re invested suitably. This would bring their risk level down to something that they were both more comfortable with.

We built a tailored cash flow plan, to show the client how their lifestyle could be funded throughout retirement, whilst also highlighting different scenarios should there be any unexpected future events.

The result

Consolidating their investments helped to keep their planning simple, so they can enjoy an admin free retirement, and can focus on enjoying their time and making valuable memories.

A clear investment strategy was created, whereby their money is invested and structured in a comfortable manner for the client, that is also tax efficient. We made sure that the investments will target a return that will protect their money from inflation, but ensuring that the risk involved won’t keep them up at night.

Above all else, we have managed to provide our clients with peace of mind. Due to plans put in place, they can rest assure that their money is working hard for them, and not being eroded by inflation, as we invested their surplus cash.

The cash flow plan created demonstrates that there should be no concerns about their retirement, as they are in a secure position, whatever happens.