Our fees

We feel it’s important to set out our fees in a way that is transparent and easy to understand.

The value of advice

When we were founded in 2005, most firms earned their income from commission. This didn’t feel right to us, so we became one of the first fee-based advisers in the country.

Today, only 1 in 20 advisers disclose their fees online; we feel it’s important to be part of the small number who do. By setting out our stall transparently, we hope you’ll be able to get a clear picture of how working with us might look.

We believe the fees we charge are fair and justified for the value we add to your situation. Our clients can vouch for that; 97% of them have left a review on VouchedFor and rated us 5 out of 5 for value for money. You can get to know some of our clients here.

Reviews and Ratings for Financial adviser Ray Martin, Kingston-upon-Thames

What’s more, research shows the value of financial advice and planning.

A 2017 report by Royal London and the International Longevity Centre showed that, on average, people who work with a financial adviser boost their assets by up to £43,245.
A study by Vanguard identified seven key areas where advisers can add value, estimating values for each area. The total sum was discovered to be around 3% per annum.

Initial meeting

Our first meeting is all about getting to know you and helping you decide what you want from life. We never charge for this meeting.

Cost: Free

Financial strategy service

Our financial strategy service is the process we follow to get to know you and your goals, review your existing financial arrangements and put a financial plan in place. This service includes 2-3 meetings.

Cost: Under Review - Please contact us

Research and recommendations

We then charge to review your existing pensions and investments, and to recommend any new products that will benefit your financial situation.

Research and improvement

  • Existing pension:
  • Existing investment:

Recommendation of new products

  • New pension:
  • New investment:

We then detail our recommendations in a tactics report.

Cost: Under Review

Ongoing

We offer ongoing guidance, which is tuned and adjusted to meet financial strategy and retirement wellbeing plan.

This fee generally comes out of investments, and therefore when we report a growth rate at our review, it is after all charges.

Cost: Under Review

Our guarantee

If you are not happy with the advice that you have been given for a particular service, we will fully refund the fee paid for that advice.

Yes, really. It keeps us on our toes! This includes:

  • If at any time you feel we have NOT delivered on our promises, we will refund our fee for this service.
  • If you are dissatisfied after our review, again we will partly or fully refund our fee.

We guarantee our fees are good value for money, and if you find anyone offering a comparable service, we will match that price. The only conditions are:

  • The adviser must have at least a 4.5 rating from VouchedFor
  • Be a at retirement specialist
  • And offer a comparable face to face financial planning service

Examples

George and Mary - Pre-retirement

George and Mary want to check if they are on track to meet their retirement goals in five years’ time.

Between them they have three money purchase pensions and one investment account with Hargreaves Lansdown.

  • We produced a comprehensive strategy for the future and provided our written advice on what to do now next.
  • We recommended that the couple save money by moving to one new pension each.
  • However, due to exit charges, we recommended that they stayed with Hargreaves Lansdown for their ISA.

Costs:

- Financial strategy - TBC

- Research on three pensions - TBC

- Two new pensions - TBC

- Tactics report detailing our advice - TBC

Total: TBC

Sally – About to retire

Sally has two existing pensions and is about to retire.

She requires advice on making her pending retirement as happy and stress free as possible.

  • We recommended a UFPLS withdrawal plan with higher withdrawals for the first 10 years.
  • This saved sally over £1000 in tax per annum compared to a conventional drawdown scheme.
  • Using our probability test based on history, Sally could take a higher income in the early years, which provided Sally with peace of mind and a potentially happier retirement.

Costs:

- Financial strategy - TBC

- Research on two pensions - TBC

- New drawdown scheme - TBC

- Probability test - TBC

- Tactics report - TBC

Total: TBC

Learn about how we work

Learn more about how we work and the financial planning process we’ll walk you through.

Read more

Learn about our investment philosophy

We know that ongoing advice, monitoring and reviews are key to investment success. We’re guided by five key investment principles.

Read more
Reviews and Ratings for Financial adviser Ray Martin, Kingston-upon-Thames

We’re highly rated

We retain a 5-star rating on VouchedFor, an independent service that enables clients to review their professional advisers. VouchedFor verifies the reviews and testimonials we receive, so you can be confident that they are authentic. 2018, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 Top Rated Adviser, as listed in The Times

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Our former financial adviser was retiring and recommended Ray to us. He alleviated the constant worry of where to best invest our savings without too much risk. We’re very pleased with the results over the last 10 years. He explains things in layman's language, which we appreciate, and gives us the confidence we have made the right choices. What more can people expect?

Kathleen

We had pension policies and investments that needed sorting out ready for retirement. We didn't know what to expect from a financial adviser. We assumed that he would simply advise us where to get the best deals. How wrong we were. Ray took us right back to basics. He made us carefully consider what we really wanted to achieve. He has allowed us to start to really enjoy our retirement.

Michael

I needed financial advice about pensions and investments as I approached retirement. My wife was in the same position. Ray Martin worked out a comprehensive plan for putting my pension provision and savings into proper order. He did the same for my wife. He has continued to provide us with advice ever since. Ray is always straightforward, open and proactive.

Laurence

I was approaching retirement and wanting to look into limiting taxation and Inheritance Tax, as well as providing for my wife. Ray provided sound advice to switch from my current arrangement to a Drawdown Pension and ISA investments. I have now retired and have started seeing the benefits of his advice. The returns on my portfolio have increased beyond expectation. Ray performed extremely well.

Demetri

I had sold my house and didn't know how to invest the money. Ray invested very wisely and there has been about a 5% increase every year. He listened to our queries, gave answers that we fully understood and followed any requests. He always had time for us, and never rushed us. We would have been financially at a loss without his help.

Brian

Ray has been advising my wife and me for about 20 years. He is everything one could hope for in a financial adviser: wonderfully enthusiastic, extremely well informed, completely trustworthy and scrupulously observant of the regulatory requirements. He is able to explain complex matters very clearly, and so far, his advice has always been first class.

Oliver

I had money to invest and had no idea how to go about investing it and hopefully making a gain. I have three children and wanted advice about inheritance planning. Ray is very patient, very clear when he explains things, he is very interested in me as a person, totally trustworthy and is an excellent listener. We have never been disappointed! He`s been brilliant.

Rosie

I had just been widowed. Ray sorted out and simplified what was a very complex set of investments into a much less confusing portfolio. I have been extremely happy with everything Ray has advised over the last 12 years. Whilst moving with the times, he has dealt with all aspects of my investments wisely and given me all the guidance and help I have needed.

Pat

As the financial director of a company, I was seeking to get advice on how to plan and invest for retirement. Without a doubt, Ray Martin helped me understand and plan how to fund my retirement. Ray has been with me every step of the way. His advice has been invaluable. I retired and achieved my annual income goal. His continued advice is helping me in the next stage of my life.

Mike

I needed some advice regarding my late mother’s estate. I had also retired and required advice on how to manage my private pension. Ray was extremely helpful, and his advice was very clear and easy to understand. I came away from our initial meeting feeling very relieved and less stressed. We have just had our first yearly review and I was surprised how well my investments had done.

Jane

In the last 10 years, my circumstances have changed with the passage of time. Ray has guided me on how to protect and make my money grow. He listens carefully to my needs and gives clear, concise advice in a professional manner. He and his team are always accessible and patient with my questions and their approach gives me confidence that my finances are securely looked after.

Glenys

Client stories

Mike

Planning for retirement

An accountant by trade, Mike knew the value of seeking the help of a financial professional when it came to planning for his eventual retirement. Here’s his story.

Read More

Oliver & Rosie

Peace of mind in retirement

Oliver and Rosie have found the financial peace of mind they needed to enjoy retirement to the full. Here’s their story.

Read More