FAQs

Yes. We provide independent financial advice, which means we are not tied to any particular provider or investment company and can research the whole of the market where appropriate. This allows us to recommend solutions that we believe are suitable for your circumstances and objectives.

Yes. We are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and you can confirm this on the Financial Services Register using our FCA reference number, 924765. This lets you check our regulatory status and permitted activities independently.

Yes. We offer video, telephone and face-to-face meetings, with most new enquiries starting with a short video call so we can understand your circumstances, answer your initial questions and decide whether we are the right fit for each other.

We usually meet you in the comfort of your own home or, where appropriate, at your workplace or a local coffee shop. Occasionally, we may invite you to our office when access to particular resources or technology would be useful, but we generally aim to meet wherever is most convenient for you.

Yes. We provide free parking for clients visiting our office.

We were established in 2016, and our practising financial planners each have between 20 and 30 years of experience helping individuals, families and business owners make confident financial decisions. Our experience spans high street banks, private banking, national advice firms, consumer organisations and independent financial planning practices.

Our financial planners are based in South Wales and Buckinghamshire, but we work with clients throughout the UK. Many clients choose to work with us remotely through secure video meetings and online technology, so location does not need to be a barrier.

Yes. Daniel Ross is a Chartered financial planner, so we can provide access to Chartered-level financial planning where appropriate.

No. We do not currently hold Chartered firm status as awarded by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII).

No. We do not hold Accredited firm status as awarded by the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI).

Yes. We receive regular feedback through Google and VouchedFor, one of the UK’s leading independent review platforms for financial advisers. You can read more feedback on our testimonials page.

We believe great financial planning is not about picking the perfect investment or trying to predict the markets. We build long-term relationships, combining straightforward advice, transparent fees and evidence-based financial planning to help you make confident decisions throughout your life. You can learn more on our Why choose us page.

Our FCA reference number is 924765, which you can use on the Financial Services Register alongside our firm name to check our authorisation and permitted activities.

We work with clients throughout the UK, with offices in Cardiff, Newport and Buckinghamshire. Most of our clients are comfortable using video calls for regular meetings, with face-to-face meetings arranged when they are helpful or mutually convenient.

Yes. We provide mortgage advice and have dedicated in-house mortgage specialists who can help you consider your mortgage alongside your wider financial plans. You can find out more about how we help on our Looking for a mortgage page.

Yes. We can provide advice on equity release and help you consider whether it is appropriate for your circumstances.

Yes. We can advise on personal pensions as part of your wider financial and retirement planning, helping you consider how your arrangements support the future you want.

Yes. We can advise on occupational pensions and consider how they fit alongside the other elements of your retirement plan.

Yes. Pension consolidation is one of the most common areas we advise on, but we do not assume that combining pensions is always the right answer. We will help you understand what you could gain, what benefits or guarantees you might give up and whether consolidation is genuinely in your best interests.

Yes. We specialise in helping clients create sustainable, tax-efficient retirement income strategies, balancing the tax you pay with the need to maintain the income you want throughout retirement. Our focus is not simply on reducing this year’s tax bill, but on helping your wealth support your lifestyle over the longer term.

Yes. We can recommend responsible investment solutions and consider them as part of your wider financial plan.

Yes. We will help you consider how best to use your inheritance in a way that reflects your goals and tax position.

Yes. We can advise on self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) and consider how they fit into your wider pension and retirement planning.

Yes. Where specialist defined benefit transfer advice is required, we work alongside regulated pension transfer specialists. We will consider your wider financial circumstances together, with the pension transfer specialist providing the regulated transfer advice.

Yes, where it forms part of your wider retirement and financial planning. We can help you consider how potential care costs fit into your future finances, as part of the support outlined on our Enjoying retirement page.

Yes. Estate planning forms an important part of many of our clients’ financial plans, and we can help you consider how to pass wealth to the people you intend while managing your potential Inheritance Tax position.

Yes. We can advise on Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and consider how they can work alongside pensions and other investments to support your financial goals.

Yes. We can advise on protection including life insurance, critical illness cover and income protection, helping you safeguard your family, income and lifestyle against unexpected events.

Yes. We offer an initial meeting at no cost to you, giving us both an opportunity to understand your circumstances and decide whether we are a good fit.

We charge a fixed fee for our initial advice, which we will always agree with you in advance. If you choose ongoing financial planning and advice, we generally charge an ongoing fee based on a percentage of the investments we manage.

Our fixed planning fees typically range from £2,500 to £6,500, depending on the complexity of your circumstances. We will agree the appropriate fee with you before undertaking the work.

We use both, depending on the service you receive. Initial planning is usually charged on a fixed-fee basis, while ongoing advice is generally charged as a percentage of the assets we manage.

Our pension and investment advice is fee-based, so we do not receive commission on these products. An insurance provider may pay us commission when we arrange protection such as life insurance, critical illness cover or income protection, and we will explain this to you before you proceed.

Most regulated financial advice we provide is exempt from VAT. We will make the position clear as part of the fees agreed with you.

We keep a close eye on the wider financial advice market and periodically compare our charges with those of other independent financial planners providing comparable services. We also encourage you to consider the experience, qualifications, independence and ongoing service you receive, rather than looking at price in isolation.

Independent research indicates that our initial advice fees are typically lower than the industry average, while our ongoing charges are broadly in line with the average. We believe our fees offer good value for comprehensive ongoing advice, backed by our experience, qualifications and long-term approach to financial planning.

We will explain our fees during your initial meeting and set them out in your Client Agreement, so you know what you will pay before proceeding. You can also find more information about the way we structure our charges on our fees page.

Yes. The level of protection depends on the provider and the type of investment you hold, and we will explain how this applies to your circumstances.

We take complaints seriously and operate a formal complaints procedure. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may be able to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

We use secure systems, encrypted communications where appropriate and secure client portals to protect your personal information. We handle your data in accordance with UK data protection legislation.

Yes. We maintain the professional indemnity insurance required by the FCA, and you can check our authorisation on the Financial Services Register using our FCA reference number, 924765. This gives you an independent way to confirm our regulatory status.

You can check our FCA authorisation on the Financial Services Register using either our firm name or our FCA reference number, 924765, to confirm our regulatory status and permitted activities independently.

Yes. We can provide details of client stories or case studies if you ask us. You can also find client feedback through our testimonials page.

We actively seek feedback from our clients through independent reviews on VouchedFor and through regular conversations with our ongoing clients. This helps us understand how clients feel about the service and support they receive. You can also find client feedback through our testimonials page.

Yes. We have been named in Citywire’s New Model Adviser Top 100 list, which recognises leading financial planning firms in the UK.

Yes. We are featured on VouchedFor, where you can read independent feedback from clients about their experience of working with us. You can also find client feedback throughout our testimonials page.

Yes. We can use cashflow planning to explore whether retiring earlier could be affordable based on your savings, desired lifestyle, future guaranteed income, family plans and how long your retirement may last. This allows us to model different scenarios before you make a major decision.

Yes. Retirement planning is one of our core specialisms, and we can help you understand what you want your retirement to look like before organising your finances around those goals. You can find out more about our approach on our Planning for retirement page.

We typically work with individuals, couples, professionals and business owners who value ongoing financial planning rather than one-off product advice. Our aim is to build long-term relationships that help you make confident financial decisions as your life and circumstances change.

Yes. We can work with younger clients who are building their wealth, although our ongoing financial planning service is generally best suited to people with more established assets.

Yes. We work with company directors and self-employed clients, helping them consider their personal and business finances together where appropriate. You can see more about this area of our work on our Running a business page.

Yes. Helping people who are approaching retirement or already enjoying retirement is one of our main areas of expertise, including retirement income, pensions, investments and wider financial planning.

Yes. We can help you decide how best to use an inheritance in line with your goals and tax position, whether your priorities involve investing, retirement planning or supporting your family.

Yes. We work with business owners and can help you consider your personal financial objectives alongside the process of selling or exiting your business.

Yes. We understand that bereavement can be an extremely difficult time, so we aim to provide clear and compassionate guidance as you make financial decisions following a loss.

Yes. Much of our work is with business owners, professionals and people who are approaching or enjoying retirement, particularly those who value ongoing planning and a long-term relationship with their financial planner.

Generally, no. We primarily provide financial advice to people living in the UK.

Yes. We regularly review existing investments and pensions and can advise you on whether making changes would be beneficial for your circumstances and goals.

Most of our ongoing clients have £500,000 or more in pensions and investments, although we consider every enquiry individually. As a general guide, we typically work with clients seeking advice on at least £300,000 of investable assets, as this is usually where our ongoing financial planning service becomes appropriate and cost-effective. We do not have a minimum income requirement, as the important consideration is whether your circumstances and the advice you need are a good fit for our service.

You can contact us by phone, email or through our website, or use our online booking system to choose a convenient time. You can also use our Find your local planner page to find the right person for the area of advice you need.

No. We cover the cost of your initial meeting, giving us both the opportunity to understand whether working together is the right fit.

We may send you a short form to complete before we meet, which will help you take stock of where you are financially and give us some useful background. This means we can spend more of the meeting talking about you, your plans and the things you would like our help with.

We use the first meeting to get to know you, understand your current financial position, discuss what you would like to achieve and explore anything that is concerning you. We will also explain how we work, our fees and what you can expect if you become a client, giving us both the chance to decide whether we are the right fit for each other.

We find that most initial meetings last around 60 to 90 minutes, although we do not work to a strict time limit. If there is more to discuss, we will give the conversation the time it needs.

No. We see the initial meeting as a two-way conversation, giving you the opportunity to decide whether we are the right financial planners for you and allowing us to decide whether we are the right firm to help. If you are comparing firms, we encourage you to consider experience, qualifications, reputation, independence, fees and, ultimately, whether you feel comfortable working together.

We do not currently have a female financial planner. However, several female colleagues across our wider team support clients throughout their relationship with Hartley Ross, including in paraplanning, administration and business support, so you may work with female members of the team as part of your overall experience with us.

We remain available by email and WhatsApp, with both monitored during periods of annual leave. Routine matters will usually be picked up when your financial planner returns, while our wider Hartley Ross team can deal with anything urgent.

We keep in touch throughout the year rather than only contacting you when your annual review comes around. All clients receive our monthly newsletter; ongoing advice clients also receive our quarterly magazine, and we remain available by phone, email or WhatsApp whenever you have a question or your circumstances change.

Yes. We use cashflow planning to help you understand whether you are on track to achieve your goals and see how different decisions could affect your future finances, making it easier to make informed choices with confidence.

We know life changes, so your financial plan needs to be able to change with it. We will review your situation and recommend any adjustments that may be needed to keep your plan aligned with your circumstances and goals.

Yes. We regularly work alongside accountants, solicitors and other professional advisers so that the different elements of your financial planning can work together.

Yes. All our financial planners are qualified in mortgage advice, and we also have dedicated in-house mortgage specialists, so our preference is generally to keep mortgage advice within Hartley Ross where this helps keep your wider planning joined up. However, there is no obligation to use our mortgage advisers, and we are happy to work alongside an existing mortgage adviser you already know and trust.

Your relationship is with Hartley Ross as well as with your individual financial planner. We maintain detailed records so another financial planner can continue supporting you if that ever becomes necessary.

We do not believe a standard example would be particularly helpful because the financial planning we undertake depends on your individual circumstances, priorities and objectives. We are happy to explain the approach and tools we use, but your financial plan will be built around you rather than a template, as outlined on the Our process page.

Yes. We make the value of your investments available to you online so you can keep track of your arrangements.

Yes. We provide a secure client portal that allows us to exchange information and documents with you safely.

We usually have at least one formal review meeting with existing clients each year. Some clients choose to meet more frequently depending on their circumstances and the level of support they need.