OUR FEES

Transparent Fees, Trusted Advice

We believe in building trust through transparency, ensuring you know exactly what to expect from us. Independent research reveals that just a small percentage of financial advisers – only 5% – publish their fees online (Yardstick Agency). We’ve made the conscious decision to be part of this group to demonstrate our commitment to openness. This transparency is something that both our new and existing clients truly value, and it reflects the clarity we strive to bring to their financial planning. If you’d like to learn more about our services or fee structure, please feel free to get in touch. We’re here to help you make informed, confident financial decisions, personalised to your unique situation.

On average, individuals receiving ongoing advice are £47,706 better off in retirement than those who go without.
— Royal London & International Longevity Centre (ILC)

We take a hybrid approach to fees, combining fixed fees for creating your financial plan with lower percentage-based charges for arranging any new investments or products, if required.

STAGE 1 - Discovery meeting Initial Meeting

Our initial meeting is provided free of charge. This provides an opportunity for you to understand more about the services that we offer and allows us to understand your financial goals and provide insight into how our services could help.

Following our meeting, we will confirm in writing what fees will apply should you wish to move forward, through an engagement letter. Payment options include direct payment from your bank account or, where applicable, from the plans being reviewed or recommended.

Stage 2 - Creating Your Financial Plan

We charge a fixed fee tailored to the complexity of your situation. This reflects the time and effort required to thoroughly research, prepare, and deliver our recommendations. Our approach enables us to provide advice which you can be sure is not influenced by any bias. We will work closely with you to explore your current and future objectives, assess your attitude to investment risk, and determine your capacity for loss. Based on this, we’ll create a bespoke financial plan tailored to your unique needs and goals.

Your financial plan will give you a clear and detailed picture of your current financial situation, along with a bespoke advice report containing our recommendations to help you achieve your personal goals. It will include a full review of your existing arrangements using advanced tools such as cashflow modelling and stress-testing, to show how different scenarios could impact your finances, giving you confidence and clarity.

If you’re uncertain which category best reflects your personal financial circumstances, we would be happy to discuss this with you further and help identify the most appropriate fit.

Please be aware, you may fall outside of the above tiers and the fee payable will reflect this. On occasion, we may need to increase the charge for a particular level of service to provide clients with multiple planning needs.

STAGE 3 - MAKING IT HAPPEN

Your financial plan may include a range of recommendations tailored to your goals and circumstances. Should you choose to proceed with implementing our advice, this could involve making changes to your existing arrangements or setting up new financial plans.

For all new investments and pensions we establish on your behalf - including the reinvestment or transfer of existing policies — a charge of 1.00% applies. We are committed to only recommending transfers or changes where there is a clear and demonstrable benefit to you after accounting for all associated costs.

All proposed costs will be made clear to you in writing before proceeding with the service and all our charges are subject to regular review and may change in the future. On occasion, we may offer discounted terms to acknowledge our ongoing relationship or services provided to you, or to account for the scale of assets we manage on your behalf.

Stage 4 - Ongoing Review Service

We provide ongoing support and management of your financial plans for an annual fee of 0.75% of the value of your investments. Your investments are kept under regular review. We make updates to your portfolio as and when required, to optimise performance. We ensure any investments remain appropriate for your objectives, aligned to your financial plan, and do not exceed the level of investment risk you are comfortable with.

Included Services:

✔ Annual suitability assessments

✔ Regular financial review meetings (at pre-agreed intervals), including a comprehensive review of your personal finances, cashflow modelling, assessing the sustainability of your personal goals with tailored recommendations

✔ Six-monthly valuations

✔ Advice on ongoing tax efficiency and withdrawals

✔ Dedicated access and support from a Chartered Financial Planner

✔ Secure client portal and messaging

✔ Liaising with providers and third-party professionals

✔ Mortgage advice free of charge (we may receive a procuration fee from the lender)

To fully benefit from our financial planning services, we require a minimum of £100,000.00 in assets under management or a clear path to reaching this level. This allows us to provide dedicated, ongoing support as your circumstances evolve.

Additional Services

For first-time investors or those starting regular contributions, we offer a targeted service for £500.00. This covers our whole-of-market research, setup, initial administration costs, and a targeted written report explaining the features of your new plan(s).

For individuals seeking mortgage advice, we charge a non-refundable fee of £295.00 for research and application. This fee is non-refundable under any circumstances including if you decide not to proceed with the mortgage after we have made a recommendation. Additional fees may apply during the mortgage application process, particularly for complex cases where this is deemed necessary. You will be informed of any additional fees before we proceed with any work.

We do not charge a fee for arranging insurance policies, as we will normally receive commission from the policy provider (this will be disclosed before any application is submitted).

  • For clients seeking a general financial review to ensure they are on track to meet their goals

    Typically have fewer than three pensions or investments that require review, or a lump sum to invest.

    Designed to address key priorities through clear, actionable steps for those with core financial needs

    Who May Fall Into This Category

    • Those a number of years from retirement, seeking to understand if they are on track to meet their retirement goals

    • Seeking to review a limited number of pension plans to understand their suitability

    • Considering a lump-sum investment following an inheritance/sale of property

  • For clients with more complex financial arrangements or immediate planning needs, such as seeking regular income in retirement or inheritance tax planning

    Likely to include several plans that require review and tailored advice for specific goals

    Addresses advanced tax planning requirements to optimise financial outcomes

    Who May Fall Into This Category

    • Those approaching retirement who need advice on accessing pensions for regular income

    • Someone seeking tailored advice for an immediate planning need, such as inheritance tax mitigation or transitioning into retirement

    • A couple with several pension plans and other investments seeking a multi-wrapper reviews

  • Tailored for clients with intricate tax positions or complex financial assets

    Expected to have multiple existing plans and income streams, requiring an intricate planning solution to maximise all available allowances.

    Likely to require interconnected, specialist advice on pensions, estate planning, trusts, and investments

    Who May Fall Into This Category

    • A business owner seeking review of their complex financial arrangements, including trusts and investments

    • A client with significant assets seeking advanced planning, including estate planning and intergenerational wealth transfer

  • The Best Financial Advice

    We used Chris at ACJ Financial and cannot recommend him enough. One of the first questions was about what we wanted to achieve, for us a life abroad having retired early was our dream . He dealt with our mortgage and organised our pensions, providing options of the best way to invest with forecasts of our future finances also allowing for the difference in taxation. Nothing was too much trouble and we always had full confidence in everything he did for us. We are now living our dream and in no uncertain terms it is only as a result of the help and advice we received from Chris at ACJ. If you are looking for financial advice we can’t recommend them highly enough.

    MR AND MRS H, WARWICKSHIRE

  • A Very Good Service and So Very Happy I Found ACJ

    After many years of worry around receiving financial advice after a series of bad outcomes and experiences I have found a safe home for my investments with Chris at ACJ. It's a journey and I feel looked after and kept in mind. Chris is professional and supportive and a pleasure to do business with. I trust him and this is vital for me. I look forward to many years of financial advice with Chris and his company.

    CHRIS L, LONDON

  • World Class Advice and Service

    We had a situation where all the advisers that we spoke to shied away from what was a challenging situation. Most knew that it would be hard work to find a solution to our remortgage situation. From our first interaction with Chris and the team we were told not to worry and they would find a solution.

    Chris - We can’t thank you and the team enough and I recommend everyone to speak to you as you are a true professional with natural people skills- something that is often lacking these days.

    MIKE M, WARWICKSHIRE

  • Excellent and Professional Service

    We would highly recommend using ACJ Financial Planning for all of your financial requirements; investment funds, mortgages, wills and insurances. Chris has been an exceptional help with all of the above for us & we wouldn’t go anywhere else. Chris is an expert in his field, knowledgeable, professional and always going the extra mile for his customers to make sure you have the best advice and rates at every opportunity.

    NIAMH J, LONDON

  • Experts in Retirement planning

    ACJ recently supported my and my wife in understanding our retirement options. Chris was very friendly, immediately put us at ease and produced a comprehensive retirement plan giving us the confidence to know that we could afford to retire on the income we expected. Highly recommend Chris to anybody who is approaching retirement. Their ongoing advice and regular updates since have been invaluable and I am sure we will be working together for a long time to come.

    MR & MRS K, WEST MIDLANDS

  • Excellent service

    Amazing service from ACJ. They helped me to understand my pensions in a simple language that I could understand. I now feel I have total control over my retirement, savings and other money matters.

    Nothing is too much bother and I feel I can talk to them about any doubts or issues I have. Thank you Chris.

    COLIN A, WARWICKSHIRE

  • Straightforward, Knowledgeable and Professional

    Chris has looked after us for a while now replacing a longstanding and reliable professional, who I had used for a very long time. Someone who I had total trust and confidence in, who decided to retire.

    Personal relationships, trust and confidence are so important in financial matters, so such a change can be daunting.

    Chris made the switch very easy, it quickly became apparent that he knows what he is doing, is professional, trustworthy and a thoroughly nice guy to boot. I couldn’t recommend him highly enough and from this sceptic that’s a big vote of confidence!

    MARTIN H, WEST MIDLANDS

  • Knowledgeable and professional. Fantastic service!

    Chris has been fantastic throughout his service Given myself and my partner were looking at our first home he has been nothing but helpful and professional the whole time. The amount of detail he provided totally put at ease and explained everything whenever we had questions. Nothing was ever too much trouble. Would highly recommend! Thank you for everything!!

    HANNAH J, WEST MIDLANDS

  • Great communicators, Concise advice, Reliable and Trustworthy

    Used for mortgage and pension planning. Very patient and happy to explore and explain situations, multiple times if necessary. Excellent communicator via telephone and email. Highly recommended.

    LESLEY M, WARWICKSHIRE

  • Amazing Service

    We used ACJ for finance guidance acquiring our first mortgage. Chris was always there for us. Amazing support and guidance throughout. Till last minute was guiding us and he was helping to find the best price.

    ATHANASIOS Z, WEST MIDLANDS

We’d Love to hear from you

A conversation costs nothing. Our initial meeting is completely free of charge, giving you the chance to learn more about how we can help you with your financial goals and what services we offer.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss how we can assist you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can use the contact form below, or call our office on 01788 648108 or info@acjfinancialplanning.co.uk