Continuing our series on what our clients value most about working with Jane Smith Financial Planning, this time we’re focusing on consistency and continuity. In the survey completed by our clients last year, this came third on their list, behind empathy in first place and peace of mind as the runner up.
Defining consistency and continuity
As in previous articles, I thought that dictionary definitions might prove useful:
- Consistency: “The quality of always behaving in the same way or of having the same opinions, standard, etc; the quality of being consistent”
- Continuity: “The fact that something continues to happen or exist, with no great changes or interruptions”
How does this translate through to the services we offer? We think there are a number of important ways we demonstrate both consistency and continuity to our clients.
Your financial planner
All clients work with our financial planner, Nicola Watts. When Jane Smith stepped back from giving advice and then later retired, this was a key decision. We understood that clients wanted to work with the same person. They wanted to work with someone who knew them, knew their history, understood them and their families and the reasons for the financial decision-making. So, rather than recruiting more advisers and planners, we built and strengthened the team that supports Nicola, employing well-qualified staff who share the firm’s values. This enables Nicola to continue to concentrate on client relationships, providing the consistency and continuity we know they value.
“Nicola made the process really simple and really took the time to understand us as people.” Duncan and Lindsey
Our financial planning process
Whilst each client has their own very personal needs and objectives, we have a clearly defined process when working with all clients:
- Taking time to understand their unique situation, finding out about their finances and – more importantly – their lifestyle, hopes and fears.
- Creating a ‘Life Roadmap Report’ – a detailed evaluation of current circumstances and an action plan. It’s about making sure their money is in the right place at the right time, with the right level of risk and as much tax efficiency as possible.
- Implementing that plan, providing completely independent advice regarding products and introducing clients to our network of trusted professional connections, when needed.
- Meeting with our clients regularly to check they remain on track to achieve their objectives. That might mean reviewing their investment portfolios or dealing with changes in taxation, regulation or legislation.
To ensure we’re able to deliver this continuity of service, we have numerous internal systems, processes and checklists. We’re proud that Nicola continues to hold the ISO22222 accreditation – an internationally agreed benchmark that assesses and awards financial planners who can demonstrate they have the knowledge, skills, experience and ethical values to deliver a first-class service to clients.
“Nicola has a clear organised process that embraces the client and their requirements.” Tim and Liz
Our investment philosophy
We believe that investing is about understanding the returns you need to achieve, creating an investment portfolio suited to your risk attitude and objectives, and investing in a well-diversified portfolio for the long term. This is how consistency and continuity translate to our clients’ portfolios – they find that once we recommend a portfolio, very few changes need to be made. We won’t try to second guess the markets or what the next “big thing” might be. That’s a dangerous game.
We wholeheartedly agree with our clients on the importance of consistency and continuity. These are key qualities when choosing and working with your financial planner. If you know of someone who would benefit from working with us, we’d be delighted to hear from them.
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