Why choose Combined Financial Strategies?

Financially secure family on hillside

CFS is one of the UK’s leading independent financial advisers, founded more than 10 years ago and based in Bath. But we don’t want you to take this statement purely on trust. We are completely clear and transparent about our qualifications, fees, approach and ethics.

Choosing a financial adviser can be a daunting process. That’s why we offer our ‘five Cs’ – to provide evidence of the quality of our service and to explain our fees, approach and the ethics that underpin our relationship with you.

Chartered status

CII Chartered Financial Planner black logo

Our founder Jonothan McColgan is a Chartered Financial Planner – the gold standard in the Financial Services Industry and the benchmark for professional excellence and integrity. Chartered Financial Planners must abide by a standard Code of Ethics (see www.cii.co.uk/code). This means that you can be confident that you’re dealing with one of the UK’s leading financial advisers.

Credibility

The awards we’ve won, our presence in the media as a highly regarded financial expert, and what our clients say about us all provide evidence of our credibility. Jonothan McColgan is publicly recognised for his skill as a financial adviser and his high levels of technical knowledge. He has won the coveted UK-wide Financial Adviser of the Year award and writes frequently on financial issues for publications including The Times, Daily Telegraph, Mail on Sunday and Money Marketing. For example, see:

Knows his investment onions

Mr McColgan is someone I hugely respect – he knows his investment onions inside out as proven by the numerous awards he has won for the sage advice he hands out on a daily basis.

- Personal Finance Editor, Mail on Sunday

Combined Financial Strategies

2020-10-07T10:44:54+01:00

- Personal Finance Editor, Mail on Sunday

Mr McColgan is someone I hugely respect – he knows his investment onions inside out as proven by the numerous awards he has won for the sage advice he hands out on a daily basis.

https://cfsorg.com/testimonials/knows-his-investment-onions/

Combined Financial Strategies

In your 40s with “peak” earnings? Here’s your perfect financial plan
Daily Telegraph

ISA v pension: which is best for you? The Times

But in the end, it’s what we deliver for our clients that matters. Here are a few examples of what they say about our services:

For several years now Jonothan has helped me with the complexities of a multiple pensions portfolio and other financial challenges both personally and in my business. He has gone out of his way to not only offer excellent advice and solutions but to never let go of our changing personal and business needs. Bottom line – I rely on his advice and trust him implicitly.

– JS, Bath

Jonothan’s character is what clinched the deal for me – working with him is a joy and an inspiration. I am pleased and proud to count him as a pillar of my team.

– CW, US

For many years now our financial adviser for both our personal affairs and our business matters has been Combined Financial Strategies. Jonothan has our complete trust and respect, which he has earned over the years in many ways. His areas of knowledge are vast and we can move from pensions to investments, or savings to tax advice with complete ease as his understanding of all topics is so up-to date and invaluable. We have also, with no hesitation, recommended CFS to many friends who have reported back to us that they too have been impressed and now use him exclusively.

– BW, Wiltshire

Clear fees

Understanding the fees you can expect to pay your financial adviser can sometimes prove difficult. We’ve developed a clear fee structure so you know exactly what to expect.

Initial fee

£1,500 / or 1.5%

To determine your objectives, create a financial plan, review your existing investments/pensions/policies and implement our recommendations. We charge a minimum fee of £1,500 or 1.5% of the funds you are placing under management if greater, capped at a maximum of £15,000. For example:

Investing £0 to £100,000 our minimum fee is £1,500
Investing £100,001 to £1m our fee is 1.5% of your investments
Investing £1m+ our capped fee is £15,000

Annual adviser fee

£1,000 / or 1.0%

Our annual fee for providing you with our ongoing advice to help you to achieve your financial objectives is a minimum of £1,000 or 1.0% of the funds under our management if greater, capped at a maximum of £10,000. For example:

Investing £0 to £100,000 our minimum fee is £1,000 pa
Investing £100,001 to £1m our fee is 1.0% pa of your investment
Investing £1m+ our capped fee is £10,000 pa

You can pay these fees either directly from your bank account or from your financial products (where possible). Some of the services we provide may include elements that are liable for VAT. We will clearly identify what proportion of our service is liable for VAT and how much VAT is to be paid.

Corporate purpose

We are guided in our work by five central principles:

We only work with clients to whom we can make a real and positive difference.
We put our clients’ needs and objectives at the heart of what we do.
We consider our clients’ hopes and fears.
We are independent in everything we do.
We always do the right thing for our clients.

Collaboration

Helping our clients safeguard their finances for future generations often requires a collaborative approach: your financial adviser, accountant and solicitor all working together. We are happy to liaise with any professionals you currently work with. Alternatively, we can help you to put together a team of professionals that would be best placed to meet the needs of you and your family through the ages.

Here are a few comments from professionals we have collaborated with:

Jonothan McColgan is extremely knowledgeable and delivered an excellent training session to our private client solicitor members. Jonothan is a pleasure to work with, professional and an expert in this field.

- AJ The Law Society

We think that Combined Financial Strategies are wonderful. They always take time to meet any of our clients; listen to them and thoughtfully give them advice.

– SG, chartered accountant, Gloucestershire

Jonothan McColgan is that rare pleasure – a chartered financial planner who combines technical excellence with an engaging personality and an entrepreneurial approach to practice development.

– JM, private client partner, Bath

I have referred a number of Trust clients to Jonothan since 2005 and have always found him to be very knowledgeable in his area of expertise. The feedback I have received from the clients referred has been exceptional.

– RA, private client solicitor, Bristol