Financial planning for professionals and senior executives
A pension from a previous employer somewhere. Savings sitting in cash. An investment you meant to review two years ago. You earn well, and you still have the nagging sense it could all be more joined up than it is.
The problem is rarely money. It is time and clarity
Most of the professionals we work with are not short of income. They are short of time, and of a clear picture of where they stand. Pensions from three different jobs. Savings with no particular plan attached. Investments that made sense when they were set up and have not been looked at since.
Individually none of that is a problem. Together, with no plan holding it, it usually means your money is doing considerably less than it could be, and that you have no real answer to the only question that matters: when could I stop, and on what?
Our job is to bring it together, make sense of it, and give you a plan you can understand and trust, without you having to become an expert in any of it. We work with professionals and senior executives across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire, mostly at times of day that suit people with full diaries.
How we help
Making sense of your pensions
Most professionals have picked up several along the way. We help you establish what you actually hold, what each one is invested in, what it costs, and how it fits the retirement you want. Some older arrangements carry guarantees worth keeping, so we look properly rather than assuming.
Making your money work harder
Cash in the bank feels safe, and over time inflation quietly takes the value out of it. We help you put money to work in a way that matches your goals and your attitude to risk, using ISAs, pensions and other tax-efficient allowances properly rather than by default.
Protecting your income
Your income is the engine behind everything else, and employer cover is usually thinner than people assume. We check what you already have through work, find the gap, and fill it so that illness or injury does not derail the plan at the worst possible moment.
Planning for the life you want
Stopping earlier, school fees, a second property, or simply the freedom to make a choice without checking the balance first. We turn a good income into a plan with a date and a number attached, so you know what you are working towards.
The value of an investment with St. James’s Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds you select and the value can therefore go down as well as up. You may get back less than you invested.
Three meetings, then it runs
A short call
Thirty minutes, no obligation, early or late. You do not need to find any paperwork first.
We do the digging
Chasing old providers, reading scheme documents and working out what you hold is our job, not yours.
Decisions, not homework
A written recommendation with the trade-offs set out, so you are choosing between clear options rather than researching them.
An annual review
One meeting a year, plus a call whenever something changes: a promotion, a move, a bonus, a new arrival.
A quick way to see where you stand
If you have a sense that things could be better organised but no idea where to start, the questionnaire takes a few minutes and gives you a clear view of what is working and what is not. No obligation, and no follow-up you did not ask for.
Questions professionals ask us
I have pensions from several old employers. What should I do?
Start by finding out what you actually hold, which is often the hardest part. We help you establish what each arrangement is, what it is invested in, what it costs and what benefits it carries, then explain how each one fits the retirement you want. Some older arrangements carry valuable guarantees, so the right answer is never automatic.
How much cash should I be holding?
Enough to cover the unexpected and anything you know you will spend in the next few years. Beyond that, cash steadily loses buying power to inflation. The right figure depends on your commitments and how you feel about risk, which is a conversation rather than a formula.
What should I do with my bonus or share options?
They are one of the biggest planning opportunities professionals have, and one of the most commonly wasted. Timing, tax treatment and what you do with the proceeds all matter. It is worth planning before the payment lands rather than afterwards.
Can we meet outside working hours?
Yes. Early mornings, evenings and video calls are normal for us, because they are the only times that work for most of the people we advise.
How much of my time will this take?
Less than you fear. Typically an initial call, one longer meeting to go through the detail, and then a meeting to talk through the written recommendation. After that it is an annual review and a call whenever something changes.
Let’s start with a conversation
Thirty minutes, no obligation, at a time that actually works. Bring the vague sense that something needs sorting and we will take it from there.