What We Do


  • Financial Reviews
  • Investments
  • Pension Planning
  • Pension Options At Retirement
  • Long Term Care Planning
  • Inheritance Tax Planning

Financial Reviews


Often one area of financial advice impacts upon another and therefore it is usually prudent to conduct a full financial review, which covers all aspects of financial planning.

This approach will identify any shortfalls and omissions in relation to finances and clients can then be sure that they are on track to achieve their financial goals.

A review will ascertain whether any existing investments or pensions have uncompetitive charges or are not performing well.

By pulling together all current financial information and finding out about plans for the future we can advise clients on what action is required to achieve their goals.

We do offer a free no obligation half-hour consultation during which we will give an initial appraisal of a client’s current situation and options going forward.

Investments


Choosing where to invest your hard earned money may be one of the most challenging decisions you will ever make. You want the best possible return from your investment but knowing where to invest and how to best manage the risks and resultant paperwork can be a daunting prospect.

At Carlton Financial Planning we believe we can help you achieve your financial goals by applying a personalised wealth management strategy which removes much of this burden.

Our solution is underpinned by the use of the latest technology which, together with rigorous investment research, we apply in a highly effective manner in order to successfully manage our clients’ investment portfolios.

We can help guide you through the many types of investments that are available today, from Building Society accounts to investments linked directly to the value of shares.

Of course, between these two ends of the spectrum there are many other investments which have different aims and objectives or are suitable for clients with a particular appetite for risk.

Investments, which offer real growth potential, are sometimes viewed as very risky but there are ways that risk can be reduced and we will explore and explain these alternatives in order to arrive at a suitable solution.

We also offer a review service for any existing investments that you may hold. A review can uncover poor performing investments which may attract high annual management charges and are no longer appropriate or could benefit from re-structuring.

If you would like to check how your investments are performing then please contact us for further information.

Our overriding aim is to develop long term relationships with our clients by tailoring our professional investment advice to meet their own particular needs.

Pension Planning


We know pensions can be both complicated and confusing so we will take you through a structured approach to help you understand your pension planning and options going forward.

Quite often pensions have been built up in a haphazard and ad hoc manner with pots of money being accrued from previous employer schemes or personal pension arrangements.

We can review these plans and put them into context as to how they can be used as a foundation for future pension planning to help provide a realistic pension at retirement.

It may be decades before the benefits of pension planning come to fruition but in other cases it could be only a matter of a few years before pension benefits are drawn. Different timescales demand different approaches and we can help to explain the most appropriate investment strategy.

Pension Options At Retirement


Having paid into a pension plan for many years the hope is that eventually benefits will be drawn to provide income in retirement.

At this stage decisions will have to be made which, in some circumstances, cannot be reversed. Therefore it is most important to make the correct choices to ensure the maximum pension is purchased which is consistent with your needs.

Some clients only visit us to find out whether they can improve on the pension offered by their existing provider and we are happy to offer this service.

We can provide comparisons of the most competitive pension providers together with examples as to the costs of providing such options as a widow(ers) pension or an increasing pension to help counter inflation.

In short we will guide you through your options to make sure you understand the alternatives before committing to any particular course of action. For the larger pension funds the Income Drawdown option may be appropriate. This type of plan not only requires advice at outset but also on-going meetings to ensure the underlying funds are performing as expected.

As you would expect we are also qualified and experienced to advise on this area of pension benefits.

Long Term Care Planning


This is a growing area of financial planning due to increasing life expectancy and we can offer advice that may help protect assets which have been built up over a lifetime.

Whether it is yourself or a relative that requires advice you can be sure that we are qualified and experienced on this subject.

We can provide a comprehensive review of your options together with a suitable strategy to maximise and retain assets whilst providing the appropriate care package.

Inheritance Tax Planning


If tackled early enough it is possible to reduce or even eliminate the burden of Inheritance Tax.

We can look at your current situation and advise you on the most suitable course of action to ensure the main beneficiary of your estate is not HM Revenue and Customs and more is left for the chosen beneficiaries named in your Will.