Depledge named as one of just 16 top-rated financial advice firms in the UK

It has been another busy few months at Depledge and, as we head into the spring, we have several important pieces of news to share with you.

Not only have we been included in a list of just 16 top-rated financial advice firms in the UK, but we’ve also been nominated for an award and recognised for the quality of our pension advice. Keep reading to find out more.

Named one of the top-rated financial advice firms in the UK

The VouchedFor top-rated firm accreditation aims to identify and celebrate the UK’s best financial advice firms, all based on client feedback.

While the complete list of top-rated advisers was published in The Times on 8 February, just 16 financial advice firms in the UK achieved this top-rated status – and we were amongst them.

We invited all our clients to review our services and to give honest feedback about their experience with Depledge. A huge thanks to everyone who provided feedback, and many thanks for taking part.

Becoming one of just 16 firms nationally to be granted top-rated status is an acknowledgement of the exceptional service we provide to clients, and testament to the hard work of everyone in the business.

Nominated for Federation of Small Businesses award

The Federation of Small Business (FSB) Celebrating Small Business Awards recognise the hard work, creativity, innovation and all the other things which go into making a small business work.

The North West FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards will be held in Manchester later this month, and Depledge have been nominated in the ‘Micro Business of the Year’ category.

We’ve been nominated alongside artisan food producers, the manufacturers of vegan confectionery and vodka spirits, and even an animal talent agency!

The winners from the North West will go through to the UK finals to be held in London on 21 May 2020, so we’ll let you know if we make it through the regional finals. Wish us luck!

Achieved the Pension Transfer Gold Standard

In recent years, there have been several negative headlines with regard to financial advice firms providing Defined Benefit (DB) pension transfer advice.

In order to help consumers to identify those firms who provide good quality advice, the Personal Finance Society introduced the ‘Pension Transfer Gold Standard’.

The Gold Standard is a voluntary code of good practice for safeguarded and Defined Benefit pension transfer advice, based around 9 key principles:

1. Helping clients understand when advice is appropriate
2. Ensuring the advice given supports the client’s overall wellbeing in the context of their stated objectives
3. Ensuring that clients understand and accept all charges
4. Ensuring the most appropriate and updated technical skills are applied
5. Transparent management of conflicts of interest
6. Helping clients to understand the cost of transferring benefits
7. Avoiding unregulated investments and introducers
8. Transparency in advice processes and outcomes
9. Promoting the Consumer Guide to the Pension Transfer Gold Standard

We’re delighted to have achieved the Gold Standard, giving our clients the confidence that they are dealing with a trusted and ethical firm who goes beyond the minimum requirements when providing financial advice.

Achieved ISO 22222 and BS 8577 standards

Reaching recognised British and international standards helps us to demonstrate that we offer the highest possible level of service and care to clients.

To reinforce the high quality of service we offer, we have recently been recognised for achieving two important standards:

• ISO 22222 – The only international quality standard for providing personal financial planning, ISO 22222is the global benchmark for professional excellence. It provides a recognised framework for best practice, helping us to increase client confidence in our business
• BS 8577 – The only British Standard for financial advice and planning businesses, BS 8577 specifies best practice for embedding an effective operational management system. It enables our entire team to perform at their highest operational level, further increasing our clients’ confidence in us.

Named one of the UK’s Top 100 UK firms for fifth year running

Each year, Citywire and New Model Adviser team up to produce their Top 100 list of the best financial planning businesses in the country. We’re delighted that we appear on this list once again, for the fifth year in succession.

The Top 100 list highlights those firms who New Model Adviser believe are doing a great job for clients as well as contributing to the profession as a whole. Factors they consider range from fees to training, and from client education to diversity.

We’re thrilled that we have once again been included amongst the best firms in the UK; somewhere we’re proud to have been since 2015.

Get in touch

If you want to find out more about our services, and how our accreditations can benefit you, please get in touch.  Email info@depledgeswm.com or call (0161) 8080200.