Our starting point is you

Our business revolves around our clients: everything we do is with a view to enhancing the service offering to you. To do our job well, your investment manager will want ongoing dialogue with you and your other professional advisers, at a frequency determined by you. From the outset, you will be looked after by a qualified investment manager, supported by a shadow manager and an investment assistant in a backup role. We do not employ relationship managers, who in our opinion are often little more than a link between you and the person with the technical knowledge and expertise.

At the outset, these are some of the key issues your investment manager will wish to discuss with you:

• What you want to achieve
  It may be preservation of your existing capital in real terms, or you may be seeking to grow your capital into a larger amount for a specific target
• How much risk you are prepared to take
  Nobody likes risk, but we will work with you to understand how much you can afford and want to take
• Your investment time frame
  Many investors have virtually indefinite horizons, whilst others have a retirement date in mind
• How the portfolio fits into your overall wealth
  We typically manage a large part of a client's wealth excluding their property, but others like to maintain large cash deposits or have more than one investment manager. We may be inheriting an existing portfolio which needs a fresh approach
• How much income you may need
  Managing income flows is a crucial part of our job for those drawing income on a regular basis
• Tax considerations
  You may have a complex personal tax position, or you may have CGT considerations which we must take into account