We are a team of independent financial advisers, whose expertise spans the breadth of the financial services industry. Our specialist advisers are highly qualified and individually they hold a range of certifications relating to financial planning, mortgage advice, lifetime mortgages, long-term care and pension transfers.
We take care to maintain high standards of service. If we are aware of client concerns or unease we give priority to resolving the matter as quickly as possible. To assist with this process we have prepared procedures to ensure that complaints are handled fairly and within reasonable timescales. These procedures are as follows;
A final response letter detailing our conclusions and resolution to the complaint. This letter will also confirm that if you remain dissatisfied with our final response that you may refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service within six months of the date of our final response letter, otherwise you would lose this referral right. A copy of the Financial Ombudsman Service leaflet ‘your complaint and the Ombudsman’ will be enclosed, if not already supplied.
A response that we are still not in a position to make a final response, giving the reasons for the further delay and indicating when we expect to be able to provide a final response;
In the event that we receive a complaint that is not about us, or our services, and assuming that we can identify the firm to whom the complaint should be addressed, we will carry out the following action:
We will write to the firm concerned, explaining that we believe the complaint to be theirs, and suggesting that they contact you, the client, directly.
We will write to you, the client, giving contact details of the firm, and invite you to get in touch with them. We will also enclose a copy of the letter we send to the firm.
We will copy the new firm in on this letter as well.
IFS have teamed up with currency specialists FAIRFX to provide international money transfer services to our customers. FAIRFX have developed an online payments platform that enables personal and business customers to make easy, low-cost, multi-currency payments. Payments can be made direct to bank accounts which is ideal for transferring money abroad for personal reasons or if your business has to pay suppliers in foreign currency. For those clients who would rather book a currency transfer over the phone, each client is assigned their own account manager, who will be able to guide you through the process and answer any questions you may have.
Financial planning shouldn’t be a stressful experience and accessing the right products and services should be simple. How we work is based on these principles.
It’s crucial that we fully understand your objectives. There is no charge for our first meeting, during which we’ll find out exactly what you need and how we can help. If you wish to act on our suggestions, we’ll assess your situation and advise you on the best way to manage your finances.
We will provide full details of costs before carrying out any chargeable work. The fee can be paid directly to us or you may have the option of having it deducted from your investment.
A fee may be applicable, in which case the method of calculating that fee will be agreed with you before we carry out any chargeable work. Alternatively, we may be paid commission on a product we arrange. We will tell you how much commission we receive.
We are able to quote a fixed fee for a specific project, so please ask us for more information. We will confirm the rate we will charge in writing before starting work. Where no recommendations are made for a financial product, this may be subject to VAT and we will inform you if this is the case.
Independent Financial Solutions is a leading provider of independent financial advice and we work hard to maintain our expert reputation. Here are some words of thanks from our clients.
'I sought mortgage advice from James recently who not only found the best deal to suit my complex situation but took the time to go through anything in detail. James is very efficient,helpful and quick to respond to my many enquiries. I cannot recommend James enough .' - Lee Robinson
'I am writing to express how happy I was with James Grant and his team at IFS who helped with my mortgage and protection planning.
'I was very happy with the service I received. James Grant was very helpful and informative and happy to explain anything I didn’t understand. If there was anything he couldn’t answer, he found out and got back to me with the answer when he said he would. Nothing was too much trouble for him.'
"I receive an exemplary service from IFS. From the start, they have been professional and friendly and their advice has been clear and easy to understand. They took the time to fully understand my needs and attitudes, and ensure that I am fully updated-–I keep track of my plans through their excellent client portal. It is this attention to detail that makes me confident in following their advice. They have helped me with the various changes to the NHS Pension Scheme and ensured that I avoided the issues raised by the Annual Allowance and Lifetime Allowance."
“I first met Matthew when I retired from the employment of a local company who are advised by IFS on a group scheme basis. I was almost 61 at that time and I wanted to know what my retirement options were and provided Matthew with details of a number of other pensions I had accrued from previous employments. After reviewing my pension arrangements he recommended I annuitise certain pensions but to retain another to age 65 because of some underlying guarantees. Some 4 ½ years later I have started drawing benefits from this arrangement but only after being awarded a 59% uplift in benefits, paid in cash, after some lengthy questioning from Matthew about the way in which this award should be paid by the life office. This demonstrated to me his professionalism and honesty and my wife and I cannot thank him enough. I would have no hesitation in recommending Matthew and his colleagues at IFS to others.”