Retirement Planning

 

Our aim is to provide our clients with flexible strategies to ensure a comfortable retirement. We try to avoid all the pension jargon which puts people off and instead see pensions as cash but with valuable tax breaks. We will review any current and previous pensions that you hold and, where appropriate, consolidate them to more suitable and/or competitive contracts. We particularly like using self invested personal pensions (SIPPs) as these do not limit clients to traditional provider funds but can enable investment into commercial property, direct share holdings, deposit based accounts and a range of other permitted investments. This allows the client to have a diversified and flexible pension portfolio under one umbrella. However, each client is unique and a full pension review will ensure that the client attains the most appropriate strategy for their retirement needs.

 

Wealth Management

 

Our aim is to ensure that where clients have built up assets, they are managed tax efficiently. This might mean anything from utilising annual Capital Gains Tax allowances, to Inheritance Tax planning. Wealth will also often involve pension assets which we see as cash, albeit in a pension 'wrapper'. Having devised a tax and risk strategy, we will then often employ a third party discretionary fund manager who, in simple terms , will manage the day to day running of your account under our supervision. This means that clients of Optimum Financial Solutions get a personal local service alongside access to the best wealth managers in the City.

 

Inheritance Tax Mitigation

 

Fueled in part by rising house prices, IHT is no longer a 'rich man's tax'. Our aim is to guide clients through the issues and provide solutions. We will often recommend that your will is updated and liaise with local solicitors where appropriate.

 

Shareholder/Partnership Protection

 

We advise limited companies and partnerships ensuring the business can continue to operate and that all parties are treated fairly and promptly if a shareholder or partner was to die prematurely. If this is not carried out correctly and a share of the business passes to beneficiaries of the deceased a number of problems can arise. Loved ones will be dependent on the other shareholders or partners and hope they are treated well or they may have to find their own buyer and may not be able to realise the true value. In addition, from the surviving shareholders' point of view, control of the company could be lost as they may be in partnership with people who know little about the business. We can help establish agreements and policies using effective trusts to safeguard all concerned.

 

Key Person Insurance

 

Enables employers to insure profits from the death or illness of a key employee. This could be anyone from the MD to the key sales person to a product developer. It provides for funds to be available to a company to recruit and train replacement personnel which could well safeguard the livelihoods of others. In business we acknowledge that the most valuable assets of the company are the staff. We ensure everything else is insured so why not the staff which generate the profits?

 

Life & Critical Illness Protection

 

We can advise and arrange suitable insurance against the premature death of people to provide for loved ones and to maintain lifestyles, whether family protection, mortgage/loan protection or business protection. We insure people against illness enabling commitments to be met if you are unwell. We insure people against loss of income. If you are unable to work due to ill health or an accident, mortgages still need to be paid and food bought. Being independent allows us to get the best possible cover for the lowest possible premium.

 

Residential & Commercial Mortgages

 

We offer totally independent advice concerning mortgages - both residential and commercial, including buy to let (we have several clients who have built portfolios of property with our assistance, some of them are now full time landlords). We have a good working relationship with local bank managers and specialist lenders in the commercial lending sector and we are experienced in arranging mortgages for self-investment pension plans.