What our clients say

David advised me on consolidating my defined benefit and defined contribution pensions into one fund. It was a very complicated technical exercise which David guided me through with the utmost professionalism and integrity. He dealt with all the parties and kept me informed along the way including explaining deeply technical issues in a straightforward, understandable manner. I have no hesitation in recommending David.

Mark H

David manages my investments in a pension fund which is not my area of expertise, it's extremely reassuring to have found a financial advisor I can trust implicitly. I find David extremely approachable, knowledgeable and completely up to date with all the complexities that surround pensions and investments. As he says, 'no question is a stupid question', I feel completely at ease to ask him anything or express any concerns I might have. I always come away from my annual review feeling informed and reassured that my investments are in the best possible hands. David's office is a welcome beacon, relaxing and he makes a great cup of coffee!

Janey G

David has managed our financial affairs and investments for many years and we could not have chosen a better independent financial advisor. He is always available to answer our questions or give advice and we come away from our annual meeting knowing our investments are in safe hands. We cannot recommend Ferry Financial highly enough.

Mick M

David has been our financial advisor for 15 years and we have always been very pleased with his handling of our finances. He is always at the other end of the phone when we need him. I have no hesitation in recommending Ferry Financial.

Denise M

David has managed my investments for a number of years. The advice given by David is always clear, concise and understandable. He has a in-depth knowledge around the complexities of pension management and is happy to spend time talking through different scenarios. David is always available to answer any questions I may have and I come away from our discussions with a clear understanding of my options moving forward. As well as his technical expertise David is just a nice person to do business with and that makes a big difference in my book. I would be certainly be happy to recommend David to any of my friends or colleagues.

Kevin L

David helped us to consolidate our various pensions into SIPPs so we now have a greater understanding of how much we have in our retirement funds. David offers a first class service – he is always readily available to talk and deals with our requirements promptly and efficiency. It is very refreshing to have a personal service which is sadly lacking in the current culture of call centres. We have known David for over 12 years and we highly recommend him as a trusted Advisor.

Brendan and Jayne B

Is Yours Big Enough?

Date Published:19/03/2008
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Recently, Sir Fred Goodwin the former Chief Executive of RBS and his pension have filled many column inches in the press.

I don’t propose to repeat the many comments that have been made previously and of which everyone must be aware.

However, the fact that Sir Fred is in possession of a pension fund with a value of around £16,000,000 and that this fund is paying this 50 year old an annual pension of something in the region of £703,000, is quite notable.

Whilst most people cannot expect to have such an income from their pension, perhaps now is the time to consider how much income you will need in the future from your pensions and investments.

Investors, with the help of their Certified Financial Planner, should calculate how much income they will need in the future and then consider all existing investments and pensions, establishing if these will be sufficient to meet the income requirements.

Everyone will have differing personal circumstances, which means that there will never be a ‘one answer fits all’ solution. Bespoke solutions will always be required.

In spite of the current economic turmoil and particularly volatile investment markets now may be a really good time to seek advice and do something to improve your own personal position.

Investors really should be taking advantage of the current markets. All need not necessarily be doom and gloom. Surprising as it may seem, but some investors are still making money.

There are many occasions where, with a few small amendments to current arrangements, significant improvements could be made to investment returns or income and capital.

The key is knowing exactly what you will need and what you already have. It’s then down to your financial planner to ensure that you take the best possible advantage of whatever is available in the investment marketplace, whilst ensuring that you take advantage of all favourable legislation and that you also take action to meet your objectives.

It’s a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. If even one small piece of the puzzle is missing, the picture will never be complete, or look as good as it should.

It may come as a surprise to many who intend to rely on their pension fund to generate their future income that in the UK, the average size of a pension fund, as reported by The Pension Policy Institute, is only £25,000. The level of annual income that this could generate would be in the region of £1,500.

Could you live on this level of income in addition to the annual basic state pension of £4,716.40?

Less than 50% of the UK population will be in receipt of a pension other than the basic state pension.

Perhaps the current state of the finances of UK PLC leaves those individuals with no additional pension provision somewhat vulnerable.

Individuals needing an annual income of £30,000 from their pension fund will need to have a fund of around £500,000 at retirement. This level of fund value is not going to appear overnight, unless you are very lucky indeed!

With the low level of stockmarkets and current tax advantages available, perhaps now is the time to take action.

Who knows if stockmarkets will go lower, or if the tax advantages will remain in the future.