Overview

During the past 40 years, we’ve come to understand that no two investors are alike and that’s why we listen closely to your reasons for investing, paying particular attention to your personal financial aims, priorities and concerns. Only when we fully know and understand your requirements will we start to develop a portfolio of investments to suit your individual circumstances.

How we advise you will depend on several factors. Whether, for example, you want an income from your investments or whether you are aiming for long-term growth or perhaps a combination of the two. We will also consider other factors such as your time horizon - whether you are investing for the short, medium or long-term – as well as your other assets and your existing and future taxation position.

Integrated Financial Planning

Whilst the traditional approach to Personal Financial Planning has often been to simply recommend a product that matches a client’s current needs and circumstances, we at BRI like to offer a little more.

It is our mission to make sure we fully understand your needs, as well as embrace your short, medium and longer-term goals, before we put a robust and considered financial plan in place. We want to help you realise your aspirations for today – and the future – and we’re committed to helping you achieve your dreams and ambitions, whatever they may be.

As we are what’s known as whole of market fee-based planners, we’re able to advise you on an exceptionally broad range of financial planning topics. These include key areas such as planning for your retirement, inheritance and school or university fees, as well as tax restructuring. For those individuals committed to an integrated approach to their inheritance tax planning, we can also work with your existing legal advisors to find you the most tax efficient structures such as spousal bypass and life interest trusts.

And, because we are independent, we are also able to access the entire financial market place to source the products most suited to helping you achieve your goals, be that in the short, medium or longer-term.

So, if you have not yet considered an integrated approach to your overall assets and are starting to question if now is an opportune time to do so, then do please contact a BRI Advisor to find out how integrated financial planning might benefit you. Alternatively, if you already have a mature portfolio and believe it may be beneficial to review its current performance, then we’d be delighted to talk to you too.

In some cases, however, we understand that you may have a shorter-term or less complex financial goal, in which case we can talk to you about working on a one-off fee basis. This is known as discrete advisory work and, although we may not be as involved with you on an ongoing basis as clients who select BRI as their dedicated financial planners, we welcome clients of all shapes and sizes. Investment management remains our core business which allows BRI planners to access independent, impartial investment research without compromising the principles of sound financial management.

Discretionary Services

Managing an investment portfolio with the care and professionalism it deserves is extremely demanding. The speed of economic and political change, combined with the ever increasing range of news sources makes it extremely difficult for private investors to keep fully informed and to interpret how their investments are affected. Consider too that the administration and paperwork associated with running a suitably diversified portfolio can be time-consuming and any errors or delay in administration can be costly.

BRI’s discretionary management service means that your portfolio is actively managed on your behalf, in line with your own personal objectives. As we make all the relevant investment decisions and carry out all of the necessary paperwork, on your behalf, you are free to concentrate on what’s important to you.

We are able to do this so effectively on your behalf because, from the outset, we take the care and time to understand you and your investment requirements, as well as your attitude to risk. During our initial meetings we will discuss the full range of asset classes available to you and suggest how we would tailor your very own bespoke portfolio to best meet your investment aims and attitude to risk. This information is used to provide you with your own personal, bespoke investment proposal.

Once it is agreed that our suggested approach meets your objectives, we’ll use these parameters as the basis for day-to-day investment decisions which are taken on your behalf. We will also review these parameters and recommendations regularly to ensure that your investments remain appropriate to your needs. Should change be required, we can gradually adapt the structure of your portfolio so it remains in line with these changing requirements.

This truly bespoke approach is particularly relevant to larger portfolios. Whilst collective investment options and off-the-shelf products may suit the needs of some investors, those with portfolios in excess of £100,000 require a more sophisticated and tailored approach to maximise returns. We believe that any portfolio in excess of £100,000 is able to combine a range of individual equities as well as collective investments. This is where you can benefit from BRI’s in-house stock-picking expertise as part of your uniquely tailored portfolio.

Advisory Services

We also understand that some clients prefer to remain in control of the day-to-day investment decisions concerning their portfolios, but to leave the time-consuming the administration and paperwork to someone else.

That’s why, as an Advisory client, your BRI advisor will contact you regularly to discuss individual investment ideas, and possible changes to portfolio construction. We will make no changes to your portfolio without your express agreement. Should you have investment ideas of your own, we would be pleased to discuss them with you in advance of us making a transaction on your behalf.

The day-to-day administration of your portfolio would be taken care of by BRI, leaving you free to focus on what is important to you.

The BRI SIPP

Offering one of the most tax-efficient ways to save for your retirement, the BRI SIPP (Self Invested Personal Pension) allows you the flexibility to make your own investment decisions from a wide range of asset classes, including commercial property.

Designed for clients who want the option to be in complete control of their pension planning, whilst allowing BRI to manage their underlying investments, the BRI SIPP is an appropriate pension wrapper for clients already holding a wide range of asset classes. It also suits the needs of those seeking to combine withdrawing an income whilst continuing to make investment decisions about the remaining SIPP assets.

Why choose a BRI SIPP?

Maximum flexibility

A BRI SIPP brings you maximum flexibility. Not only does it allow you to choose from a wide range of asset classes, but it also gives you the option to be involved in your retirement planning as much – or as little – as you want. That’s why a BRI SIPP can be run on either a discretionary or advisory basis, with or without the help of a trusted financial advisor.

Staying informed

Of course we recognise you’ll want to keep track of your investments on a regular basis and that’s why we promise to keep you informed, each and every step of the way.

With our advanced online system, we’re one of only a handful of SIPP providers to allow you to follow every step of the process. As well as making your SIPP far easier to run, our paper-free approach ensures maximum visibility with which comes your peace of mind.

No hidden charges

With a BRI SIPP, there are no hidden charges. Just one simple set up fee of £295 and then an ongoing annual management fee of £295 (with this increasing to £445 per annum when you go into drawdown). And that’s it for the SIPP wrapper itself. We don’t adopt a menu approach to charging for various administrative services as part of the SIPP, there’s just one fair and transparent SIPP fee to pay in addition to our standard investment management fees.

To find out more about the BRI SIPP please download our brochure or talk to your BRI advisor today.

ISAs

Here at BRI we don’t regard ISAs as a separate product, but rather as an integral part of your overall portfolio. We simply see ISAs as being a tax-efficient wrapper in which to hold your chosen investments.

You may have accumulated a number of ISAs across a variety of different managers and may now find the task of managing them increasingly time consuming and challenging. There may no longer be a cohesive asset allocation strategy in place, or you may find it difficult to establish your overall portfolio value at any given point due to variations in valuation dates.

We can help you consolidate these investments into just one account with the BRI ISA. As well as making life easier for you, it will also ensure your portfolio is both actively managed and appropriately diversified. It can also widen your investment options: the BRI ISA allows you to select any ISA-eligible investment allowing you to align it with your underlying investment strategy.

Another key advantage of the BRI ISA is its competitive pricing structure. We’re able to transfer your existing ISA portfolio, either In-Specie or in cash. And, once you’ve moved your ISAs to us your investments will be summarised in just one report, making it simpler and easier for you to stay informed about your investments and also reduce the amount of paperwork you receive.

To find out more about the BRI ISA please call us to find out more and we can offer you a no-fee review of your existing ISA arrangements.