How we help

We think of good financial planning as a shared journey. We’re here to plan and signpost, and we’ll even come along with you – but ultimately, it’s your destination we’re heading towards, and an equal amount of effort and energy will come from you.

Our work is a process, not a transaction. It’s interactive, engaging, challenging and empowering. We strive to make the process feel comfortable, natural, and even fun; where we can, we’ll always choose a conversation over tick-box exercises. 

For us, collaboration is less about how much money you have, and far more about how much we think you’ll get out of it. You don’t need to be conventionally “wealthy”; if you have goals for your future, we’re interested in helping you get there.

The Jacksons journey can be divided into three main stages: planning, actioning and reviewing. At some points, you’ll be heavily involved and helping to move things forward. At other times, we’ll take the lead. But it’s worth remembering that both life and finance never really stand still: elements are always in motion. As things change, we’ll be here to check, guide and flex as you do.

Before you become a client, we’ll get in touch to talk about your needs and consider how we can add value for you.

After this, we’ll pair you with an adviser who’ll book an introduction call or meeting. They’ll work with you to dig deeper into what you’re looking for in the planning and explain what happens at each stage.

We’ll then follow up with an email summarising the scope of the work and setting out initial costs, so that you can decide if you’d like to go ahead.

If you’re keen to get started, we’ll begin exploring your world. This is one of the most important elements of what we do, as we begin understanding you, your motivations, and your aspirations.

And because you’re always too close to your own situation, we’ll lightly challenge and question to achieve perspective and focus on what really matters. We’ll get to grips with your goals, fears, hopes and hang-ups. Together, we’ll consider both the uncomfortable (what happens when I die?) and the exciting (what could I do when I retire?).

Alongside this, there’s the fact-finding. We’ll introduce you to our portal so that you can input all the facts and figures we need in order to give you the best advice. We’ll also get the paperwork sorted, obtaining ID and signing agreements and letters of authority.

This step is dedicated to research, planning and cashflow modelling. It’s the point at which our team takes a step away to talk to pension and investment providers at great depth. We’ll find out about the current policies you have, and what these mean for your life plans. Getting responses can often take a while (as much as eight weeks) – but rest assured, it’s all in motion behind the scenes.  

We’ll also take this time to build and test different scenarios. For example, what happens if you choose to retire five years early, or if you need to stop working? This provides a framework for good financial decision-making and allows us to see if you’re on track to meet your goals.

We’ll deliver this cashflow planning live, either face-to-face or over video call for remote clients. It’s often a lightbulb moment, bringing reassurance if all is well or clear action steps if you’re not quite on target. If you’ve never seen your financial situation visualised, this is the point where it stops being abstract and gets very real.

Then, we’ll present any action steps that underpin our recommendations. We’ll have a conversation that’s honest and genuinely exciting; often, we can tell clients they can spend more or retire earlier. It’s where everything drops into place and you can see – literally – where all your hard work has led you. It’s what the process is all about, and for this reason, it’s one of our favourite moments.

Once we’ve agreed on a way forward, we’ll move on to the final stage of the planning: a recommendation report.

This is a true group effort, drawing together the individual and collective expertise of our team. We’ll work together on the best approach, creating a personalised report that plays back everything we’ve already learned and explored with you.

This will confirm your objectives, meet your specific needs, and ultimately give you all the power. From here, you’ll be on the path to financial freedom. Perhaps for the first time, you’ll be able to see clearly; something that’s often tricky to achieve where the many threads of finance and maths such as inflation are involved. You’ll also know the direction you’re going in. Not only will the “right track” be set ahead of you, but you’ll also be able to judge when you’re on it, and how you can realign if needed.

We’ve seen this planning process have a huge impact on clients. For one couple, it meant that both could retire immediately, on the same day, rather than waiting up to five years. For another, it meant having the confidence to share money with their family, and see their enjoyment of it, while knowing they had enough kept back for their own comfort.

In a small number of cases, this is enough to make change happen. If you’re confidently in charge of your own finances, our recommendations might be all you need. We don’t tie clients in, so we’re more than happy for you to take these away and act on them independently. 

But for most, the best option is for us to implement these recommendations on your behalf. Which leads us to the next stage…

This is when we put your plan into action. For you, it’s mainly a time of rest (unless you need any life insurance medicals or contact with your doctor) as we take the lead.

Our team will be busy coordinating providers and guiding the movement of money. It’s a sensitive process, perhaps with large sums in motion, and that’s something we take very seriously. After this, your money is in place, working for you and your goals.

We like to build long-term relationships with our clients – often over many decades – meaning that our process is circular, rather than linear. 

Every year, we’ll hold a formal planning review meeting to look at how things have moved forward in line with your plan. We’ll also consider if anything has changed in your life, or in the financial world, before making any updates that might be needed.

If we do need to make changes, we’ll circle back around to exploring your needs before working through to create an evolved plan.

When we’re needed, we’re also here for those you care about most. We work with many families over multiple generations, so we’re able to provide the peace of mind that comes from knowing things will be in hand for your loved ones, even beyond your time with them. At this point, our team will be in place to help with the admin around transferring your finances, to make the process simple and straightforward.

And because things can change for you at any time, we’re always here as your first point of contact for any questions or updates you might have.

We believe in being completely open when it comes to money; even our own. You’ll always know how much work will cost before we begin.

If you’d like us to create a full planning report including cashflow modelling, costs begin at £3,495 plus VAT up to a maximum of £4,995 plus VAT.

We charge an initial fee of 1% on any money we invest for you, with a maximum of £5,000.

Ongoing fees are a maximum of 0.75% of the money we look after for you, with this figure reducing over £750,000. We also have a loyalty scheme whereby fees are reduced after seven and 14 years with us, and for family connections of existing clients.

For lighter-touch or long-term projects, prices can vary depending on your individual needs. We’ll be able to quote for our help after our initial conversations.