How we are paid
Full Advice Client
There are several possible steps to the advisory process.
On receiving an enquiry, we will contact the prospective client for a preliminary discussion and to arrange where appropriate a first meeting.
Unless specific advice needs were identified to be resolved at that first meeting there would normally be no charge. After all, it is an opportunity for us to get to know each other.
If, as a result of the first meeting the client required us to report on specific advice issues, then the appropriate research would be conducted and a report made in writing. Such project work would attract a one off project fee. This would likely be a sum of between £250 and £750 depending on the work to be carried out. The project fee agreed may be reduced by an offset of initial commission received from immediate transactions the client requires us to make.
In general our remuneration is by combination of fees and commissions although some clients prefer to be invoiced for the total of the costs incurred.
Provision of an ongoing service is essential in order to see the clients objectives achieved. A retainer fee would therefore normally be charged which would usually not be less than £500 per annum. This can be paid on a monthly, quarterly, half yearly or annual basis.
If you ask us to arrange a mortgage for you, we can be paid by either commission or a fee. If you choose to pay us a fee, this will usually be up to 1% of the loan amount to a maximum of £2,000 payable on completion; we will also retain any commision paid to us by the lender.
Transaction Only Client
For those who do not require full advice and wish to carryout their own transactions, but wish to access our research and publications a non-advisory or Transaction Only service is available. Our charges would normally be based solely on the value of funds under direction and would be recompensed either by an invoiced fee or by a fund based commission paid to us by institution involved.
This is agreed on a case-by-case basis .with primarily the size of the fund determining the cost. although we offer special rates for charitable investments. Our business model is based upon a 1% fund based fee with reductions for fund values over £100,000 down to a minimum level of 0.25%.