Depledge named as one of just 16 top-rated financial advice firms in the UK

It
has been another busy few months at Depledge and, as we head into the spring,
we have several important pieces of news to share with you.

Not
only have we been included in a list of just 16 top-rated financial advice
firms in the UK, but we’ve also been nominated for an award and recognised for
the quality of our pension advice. Keep reading to find out more.

Named one of the top-rated financial advice firms in the UK

The VouchedFor top-rated firm accreditation aims to
identify and celebrate the UK’s best financial advice firms, all based on
client feedback.

While the complete list of top-rated advisers was
published in The Times on 8 February, just 16 financial advice firms in
the UK achieved this top-rated status – and we were amongst them.

We invited all our clients to review our services and to
give honest feedback about their experience with Depledge. A huge thanks to
everyone who provided feedback, and many thanks for taking part.

Becoming one of just 16 firms nationally to be granted
top-rated status is an acknowledgement of the exceptional service we provide to
clients, and testament to the hard work of everyone in the business.

Nominated for Federation of Small Businesses award

The Federation of Small Business (FSB) Celebrating Small Business Awards
recognise the hard work, creativity, innovation and all the other things which
go into making a small business work.

The North West FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards
will be held in Manchester later this month, and Depledge have been nominated
in the ‘Micro Business of the Year’ category.

We’ve been nominated alongside artisan food producers,
the manufacturers of vegan confectionery and vodka spirits, and even an animal
talent agency!

The winners from the North West will go through to the
UK finals to be held in London on 21 May 2020, so we’ll let you know if we make
it through the regional finals. Wish us luck!

Achieved the Pension Transfer Gold Standard

In recent years, there have been several negative
headlines with regard to financial advice firms providing Defined Benefit (DB)
pension transfer advice.

In order to help consumers to identify those firms who
provide good quality advice, the Personal Finance Society introduced the
‘Pension Transfer Gold Standard’.

The Gold Standard is a voluntary code of good practice
for safeguarded and Defined Benefit pension transfer advice, based around 9 key
principles:

1. Helping
   clients understand when advice is appropriate
2. Ensuring the
   advice given supports the client’s overall wellbeing in the context of their
   stated objectives
3. Ensuring that
   clients understand and accept all charges
4. Ensuring the
   most appropriate and updated technical skills are applied
5. Transparent
   management of conflicts of interest
6. Helping
   clients to understand the cost of transferring benefits
7. Avoiding
   unregulated investments and introducers
8. Transparency
   in advice processes and outcomes
9. Promoting the
   Consumer Guide to the Pension Transfer Gold Standard

We’re delighted to have achieved the Gold Standard,
giving our clients the confidence that they are dealing with a trusted and
ethical firm who goes beyond the minimum requirements when providing financial
advice.

Achieved ISO 22222 and BS 8577 standards

Reaching recognised British and international standards helps us to
demonstrate that we offer the highest possible level of service and care to
clients.

To reinforce the high quality of service we offer, we have recently been
recognised for achieving two important standards:

• ISO 22222 – The only international quality standard for
  providing personal financial planning, ISO 22222is
  the global benchmark for professional excellence. It provides a recognised
  framework for best practice, helping us to increase client confidence in our
  business
• BS 8577 – The only British Standard for financial advice
  and planning businesses, BS 8577 specifies best practice for embedding an
  effective operational management system. It enables our entire team to perform
  at their highest operational level, further increasing our clients’ confidence
  in us.

Named one of the UK’s Top 100 UK firms for fifth year running

Each year,
Citywire and New Model Adviser team up to produce their Top 100 list of
the best financial planning businesses in the country. We’re delighted that we
appear on this list once again, for the fifth year in succession.

The Top 100
list highlights those firms who New Model Adviser believe are doing a
great job for clients as well as contributing to the profession as a whole.
Factors they consider range from fees to training, and from client education to
diversity.

We’re
thrilled that we have once again been included amongst the best firms in the
UK; somewhere we’re proud to have been since 2015.

Get in touch

If you want to find out more about our services, and how our accreditations
can benefit you, please get in touch.  Email info@depledgeswm.com or call (0161) 8080200.