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  • Investments

    Metcalf Moat has been advising clients during the ever changing investment and economic landscape since 1989.

    We begin our relationship with a new client by firstly establishing their current financial situation. We achieve this by obtaining details of any investments they currently hold, while also assisting them in assessing their current income and expenditure.

    Along with a clear financial picture of our client, we also want to identify their goals – be they short, medium or long term; achieving capital growth; investing for income and so on.

    Attitude to risk and capacity for loss are also fundamental pieces of the client jigsaw, which we aim to ensemble in order that we can provide what we consider to be the best advice approach for Investment factoring in tax efficiency of the investment products, suitable to work towards achieving the goals we have previously established with them.

    Once we have laid the foundations of what we hope will be a long-term adviser/client relationship, we will aim to ensure that the journey to our client’s goals remains on-track, by offering regular, annual reviews.

    So if you are looking to invest for the first time or seeking a review of your current holdings, please contact us.

    Your guide awaits...

  • Isas

    Individual Savings Accounts or ISAs, are without doubt one of the most popular ways of investing and appeal to clients with all manner of goals and levels of savings/investments.

    Their appeal is based upon two fundamental features – tax efficiency, as no capital gains or income tax liability is incurred and flexibility, the ability to access some or the full value of an ISA quickly (we would suggest consideration should always be given to the timing of a withdrawal in respect of the investment market).

    As an indication of an ISA’s obvious appeal, annual investment into ISAs now rivals that of Personal Pensions.

    Although investing into ISAs to build a fund which can provide regular withdrawals for income or to meet capital expenditure needs is very popular, ISAs are also used to achieve other goals, such as to provide future funds for school fees or the repayment of a mortgage.

    The approach we adopt to advising a new client on their first ISA investment or during a review of their current ISA holdings is the same approach we would take when providing any investment advise (please see Investments section).

  • Risk Rated Portfolio

    Following Investment Fundamentals

    However you are investing and whether you have a cautious, balanced or adventurous attitude towards investment risk, it is our belief that following certain fundamentals will increase the likelihood of satisfactory results.

    Diversification

    The first key element is the importance of Diversification. Not placing all of your eggs into one basket is a term often used and one we believe to be appropriate when considering active investment. Diversification amongst asset classes (Equities/Shares, Fixed Interest Assets, Gilts, Property and Cash) and geographical location (UK, US, Europe, Far East, Japan and Emerging Markets), are key to constructing suitable investment portfolios, regardless of your risk appetite.

    Regular Reviews

    The second key element is regular reviews. What is the right approach today is not necessarily the right approach tomorrow; this could be as a result of changes to personal circumstances or driven more by investment fundamentals. As an example, in our ever changing world, at what point does an emerging market become a developed one and how does that affect how it should be viewed, from the perspective of investing in the region?

    Risk Rated Portfolios

    In an effort to follow these key investment fundamentals we have created our own risk rated portfolios, which are constructed from a combination of some well known and respected investment houses, including the likes of Invesco Perpetual, Jupiter, Fidelity and M&G, as well as some smaller more specialist investment providers.

    By combining the individual funds against a targeted backdrop of both asset class and geographical investment location, we have put together 5 portfolios: Cautious, Cautious-Balanced, Balanced, Balanced-Adventurous, Adventurous.

    On a quarterly basis we consider the underlying funds within each portfolio, making recommendations to our portfolio clients where we consider adjustments are appropriate. These recommendations could be for a number of reasons, be they a change to the relative performance of the fund itself, personnel or a directional change by the fund management team, or simply that an alternative fund may be more suitable.

    Consistency of appropriate risk exposure is another important aim and to achieve this we undertake periodic rebalancing. This shifts the invested assets back to the original portfolio mix and aims to avoid the drift of investment assets over time. Failure to do this can lead to a potential change in the underlying risk and rebalancing is therefore in place to address it.

    Our portfolios are not appropriate in every situation; however they do meet the needs of many of our investment clients.

  • Pensions

    Saving For Reirement

    Whether you have existing Personal Pensions, Retirement Annuity Contracts, GPP’s or Free Standing AVC’s, either current or paid up, or even no arrangement in place at all, Metcalf Moat can help you to find the right path when saving for retirement.

    You may be looking forward to your retirement as a time when you can have the freedom to do what you want, or a time when you will be rewarded for working all of your life; but to ensure you can afford to retire and have that freedom, planning your finances is essential.

    You should consider the Pension you are likely to receive in retirement in plenty of time (and there is no such thing as too soon), so you need to take the appropriate action now if you think you will not have enough to live on when you retire. There could be a significant cost to you in terms of the achievable income in retirement by delaying this assessment.

    Payments into Pensions receive tax relief at a rate equivalent to your current rate of tax, even non tax payers (for example a house person) can benefit from tax relief at basic rate.

    High and Additional Rate Tax Payers potentially get the greatest level of benefit, assuming they will pay tax at a lower level in retirement, however advice should be considered when making pension contributions as they are subject to certain limits which if breached can generate potentially unexpected tax consequences.

    The changing world of Pensions is demanding more from us as individuals. With major employers changing how pension benefits are calculated or closing Final Salary based schemes, in favour of far less certain money purchase arrangements, it is our belief that future retirement incomes will have to come from more than just State and Company/Private Pensions. In fact, being able to afford a comfortable retirement will depend on the success of the strategies you adopt for all of your individual savings and Pension holdings combined.

    We firmly believe we can add value and give guidance in helping you to plan for your retirement.

    Options In Retirement

    When it comes to taking Pension benefits, choosing from Full Annuity, Deferred/Temporary Annuity, Index-linked or With Profit Annuities, Impaired Annuities, Income Withdrawal, Phased Retirement or 3rd Way Guaranteed Products can be a minefield for some (in fact most) people, but without understanding what the options are, it is not possible to make a fully informed decision.

    Choices in retirement have broadened significantly in recent years and whilst we know choice is good, making the right choice is essential. This is particularly so for pension benefits, as in lots of instances the first decision is the final decision, and a poor first choice often cannot be undone.

    We firmly believe we can help you in arriving at the decision that is right for you. Educating you in what the options are and what they mean to you, is a fundamental part of being able to make the right choice.

    If you are at, or approaching, the time to consider your retirement options and would like support and advice in considering the choices open to you, we would like to hear from you.

  • Protection

    On all aspects of Protection Planning; from Term Assurance and Critical Illness, through to Income Protection and Whole of Life, Metcalf Moat offers you professional, friendly and independent advice.

    Good protection planning could be summed up as protecting what we have.

    Responsible motorists insure their cars, responsible home owners insure their homes and even ardent holidaymakers insure their holidays.

    However, when it comes to life or income protection often people act less responsibly. They either under insure or do not insure at all, leaving themselves and their dependants at risk of losing not only possessions, but possibly a whole way of life, should anything happen to them.

    Our approach to protection planning is the same as all other forms of financial planning. We ask questions and build up a picture of a client’s current situation and any plans they may have for the future, such as buying a house or starting a business.

    Calculation of the financial loss posed by death or illness is examined.

    We take account of the cover you may have and its suitability going forward.

    An explanation of how plans relevant to their situation work and recommendations are made as to how the plan should be arranged, whether in trust, joint or single life and so on.

    Illustrations detailing the recommended plan or plans will be produced and discussed, to ensure that the plan or plans recommended are not only appropriate, but affordable.

    It is said that the true value of an insurance policy and the advice given in conjunction with it, can only be assessed after something dreadful has occurred. Our aim is to ensure that our clients, when faced with such an event, have the appropriate plan in place to make such an assessment.

  • Inheritance Tax Plans

    We at Metcalf Moat can help with mitigation of Inheritance Tax (IHT). There are a number of tried and tested methods, including Loan Trusts and Discounted Gift Trusts, as well as Life Assurance policies written into an appropriate trust or annual gifting. All approaches are tailored to fit individual clients’ circumstances.

    Most people underestimate the value of everything they own. That may be fine now, but what happens when they die? If your total estate is valued at more than *£325,000, the "excess" over and above this threshold could be subject to Inheritance Tax. This threshold may on the face of it sound a large sum, but if you think this would include everything you own including your property and its contents - Jewellery, Investments, Savings and potentially any death benefits from Insurance or Pension Policies (if not appropriately assigned), it then starts to make sense as to why Inheritance Tax planning is now such an important area to consider.

    With the "excess" above the £325,000 threshold taxable at 40%, you could leave a much smaller inheritance for your family than you intended.

    Inheritance Tax is sometimes referred to as an avoidable tax and with careful planning, this could very well be the case. If you believe your estate could exceed the threshold, we would encourage you to contact us to discuss how the situation could be addressed. Like a lot of things with financial planning, time is a considerable factor - especially with Inheritance Tax planning, as not acting soon enough could mean significant opportunities could be missed.

    *£325,000 is the individual nil rate band for IHT. Current legislation (as at December 2011) denotes the rate will remain unchanged until 2015 where after it will increase in line with CPI (Consumer Price Index).

Want To Know More About Us?

  • The Team

    John Riley

    Director

    I started my Financial Services career with a national insurance company in 1987, where I worked for ten years before leaving to join Metcalf Moat. I knew and respected the team at Metcalf Moat, and wanted to be able to offer clients independent advice.

    While I worked for the insurance company, I was only able to offer their products to address a client’s needs. When considering the whole market, that plan may not have been the most suitable in terms of what it offered the client. Independence means I can now research the whole of the market before making a recommendation.

    My main objective is to fully understand a client’s current financial situation and needs. They may simply be wishing to review existing arrangements, or seeking a solution to a financial matter that is causing them concern. Once I feel confident that I understand my client’s situation, I am then in a position to research the whole market, before offering advice, and, a recommendation of the solution, or solutions, which I believe are the most suitable to meet their needs.

    Lee Taylor

    Director

    I joined one of the UK’s best known and largest life, investment and pension companies back in the mid 1990’s. My initial role was to provide administrative support to independent financial advisers. This role led to my promotion as a Telephone Account Manager, and eventually Regional Account Manager, where I was responsible for some of the largest and well known providers of financial advice in the UK.

    For a number of years, I continued in this role, supporting independent financial advisers in the preparation and delivery of advice to their clients. The experience gained from working with them instilled me with the confidence to make the natural progression to becoming an independent financial adviser.

    After several years of establishing myself within Metcalf Moat, I was delighted to be invited to become a Director of the company. Collectively, we now strive to meet our key objectives, one of which it to ensure our clients fully understand what is being recommended as we believe this builds their trust in our ability to look after their needs. With trust in place, it is our belief that a good working relationship can be formed for the journey through their working life and into retirement and on to succession planning.

  • Our History

    In 1989 following over 12 years working for a major insurance company, Colin Moat a co-founder of Metcalf Moat Independent Financial Advisers realised his ambition of having the freedom of giving his clients the benefit of independent financial advice. As with most companies which have been established for over 20 years, Metcalf Moat IFA has faced many changes (and challenges) both of an internal and external nature.

    Metcalf Moat has also seen many changes in personnel, the most significant of which was John Riley joining in 1997 and Lee Taylor in 2005. Both brought with them an extensive experience from an Insurance company background. After establishing themselves within the company, John became a Director in October 2003 and Lee in April 2010.

    Since 1989 Metcalf Moat has witnessed many new developments amongst financial institutions, insurance companies and lenders. As providers have come, gone and merged, Metcalf Moat has faced both challenges and opportunities, but, there have been two things which have remained constant throughout all these changes. Firstly, the Company has endeavoured to deliver the highest possible levels of financial advice and service standards to its clients; secondly, that Metcalf Moat has been here to help, assist and explain any changes to their clients, ensuring that they experience the minimum negative impact, or obtain the maximum positive outcome.

    Metcalf Moat believe this approach enables their clients to achieve their goals, while the Company achieves its own, which is to ‘grow by recommendation’.

  • Terms of Business

What Are Our Clients Saying?

Excellent, professional, yet friendly service. Thank you!

Dr L, Bromley

Friendly, professional and extremely approachable.

Mrs C, Orpington

Thanks for the work, effort and understanding!

Mr W, Bexleyheath

I could not ask for better service!

Mrs C, Orpington

Thank you! Would certainly recommend you to others.

Mr B, Bromley

Could not have asked for better service.

Mrs D, Petts Wood