Frequently asked questions
Planning your financial future is an important journey, and naturally, questions arise along the way. Our FAQ section is here to provide clear answers to the things clients ask most, helping you feel informed and confident about every step.
If you do not see your question listed below, please reach out and our friendly team will always be happy to help.
Getting Started & Initial Consultation
Yes, we provide a complimentary no-obligation consultation where we discuss your financial situation, goals, and how our services might benefit you. This meeting typically lasts 45-60 minutes and can be held at either our Preston or Thornton office, or via video call. Should you require an initial meeting at your home, a charge will apply to cover travelling time and associated expense.
Please bring recent statements for all investments, pensions, savings accounts, and any existing life insurance policies. The more comprehensive the information you share with us about your financial situation, including income, expenditures, assets, liabilities and existing policies, the better we can understand your unique circumstances.
This allows us to tailor our advice precisely to your needs and help you achieve your financial goals more effectively. If you don’t have all the documents to hand, don’t worry. We’ll work with what you have and can request additional details as needed.While we work with clients across various wealth levels, our comprehensive planning services are typically most beneficial for clients with investable assets of £50,000 or more. However, we understand everyone's situation is unique - if you're committed to building your wealth and believe our services could help, please contact us to discuss your specific needs.
Our Services & Approach
As independent financial advisers, we can recommend products from across the entire market without any restrictions. This means we're not tied to any particular product providers and can truly recommend what's best for your specific circumstances, not what pays us the highest commission.
We offer comprehensive financial planning including retirement planning, pension consolidation, investment management, inheritance tax planning, and protection planning. We also provide ongoing portfolio management and regular reviews to ensure your plan stays on track.
Our process begins with understanding your current financial position, your goals, and your attitude to risk. We can then use cashflow modelling to show how different strategies might work for your situation. This helps us create a personalised plan designed to achieve your specific objectives.
Yes, we often coordinate with your accountant, solicitor, or other professionals to ensure all aspects of your financial planning work together effectively. We believe this collaborative approach provides the best outcomes for our clients.
Fees & Costs
Our fee structure is completely transparent. For ongoing investment management, we typically charge an annual percentage of assets under management. For financial planning advice, we may charge a fixed project fee or hourly rate depending on complexity. We'll provide a cost before you commit to anything.
We operate on a fee-only basis, which means we don't receive any commissions from product providers with the exception of protection products. This ensures our advice is completely independent and in your best interests. You pay us directly for our advice and ongoing services either via invoice or through your investment product.
We'll provide you with a complete breakdown of all costs including our advice fees, ongoing portfolio management charges, and any underlying investment costs. We believe in full transparency, so you know exactly what you're paying and why.
Investment & Risk Management
We use a comprehensive risk profiling process that looks at your capacity for loss (what you can afford to lose), your need to take risk (to achieve your goals), and your appetite for risk (how comfortable you are with ups and downs). This ensures investments are suitable for your circumstances. This will be discussed during your meetings/reviews to make sure your investments are suitable for you.
All investments carry risk and values can fall as well as rise. We'll help you understand the level of risk you are taking and ensure it's appropriate for your goals and circumstances. Our ongoing monitoring helps us make adjustments if needed to keep you on track.
The frequency of contact can be adjusted to suit your preferences in relation to formal reviews, but we monitor portfolios continuously and make changes when required.
Regulation & Protection
Yes, we are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
We have professional indemnity insurance and robust succession planning in place. In the unlikely event we cannot continue, arrangements would be made to transfer your care to another qualified adviser, or you would have full control of your investments.
We take data protection very seriously and comply with all GDPR requirements. We use secure systems for storing and transmitting your information and will never share your personal details with third parties without your explicit consent.
Working Relationship
You will have a dedicated adviser as your main point of contact throughout our relationship that will be supported by our Client Relationship Team. While we may involve specialists for certain areas of planning, you'll always know who you are working with and can contact your adviser directly.
This depends on your preferences. Ongoing client reviews can be held face-to-face with portal updates in between. We can meet in person at either of our offices, your home/office, via video call, or by phone - whatever works best for you.
We will review your portfolio performance, assess progress towards your goals, discuss any changes in your circumstances, and make any necessary adjustments to your plan. We will also update you on any regulatory changes that might affect you.
Technology & Access
Yes, we provide secure online access through our Personal Finance Portal where you can view your portfolio values, transaction history, and key documents 24/7. We will show you how to use this during your onboarding process.
While investment transactions need to be processed during market hours, you can view your portfolio values, documents and secure messages anytime through our secure client portal.
Specialist Areas
With over 70 years of combined experience, we have helped clients through many different life events and financial situations. During our initial consultation, we will discuss our relevant experience and how we can help with your specific circumstances.
Complaints
We always aim to provide the highest standards of service, but if you are unhappy with any part of our advice or support, please let us know so we can put things right.
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In the first instance, you can raise your concerns directly with us by phone, email, or in writing.
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We will acknowledge your complaint promptly and investigate fully in line with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requirements.
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If we cannot resolve your complaint within 8 weeks, or if you are not satisfied with our final response, you have the right to refer your case to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), which is an independent and free service for consumers.
Clear details on how to contact us and the FOS will be provided as part of our complaint handling process.
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Preston Office:
71 Liverpool Old Road,
Walmer Bridge, Preston
PR4 5QE
office@ainv.co.uk
01772 610 930
Thornton Office:
37 Victoria Road East,
Thornton-Cleveleys
FY5 5BU
office@ainv.co.uk
01253 863 296
Arena Investment Management Ltd is registered in England, Company No. 00666518
Almond & Jenkinson is a trading name of Arena Investment Management Ltd
Registered Address: 71 Liverpool Old Road, Walmer Bridge, Preston, PR4 5QE
Arena Investment Management Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority – FCA Number 228591