Independent Financial Advisor Recommendations

datadezign

Can anyone please recommend a good independent financial advisor preferably near to Burton on Trent, which is close to Derby and Lichfield?

Linton

Sorry it is against the site rules to provide personal recommendations.

Ideally talk to local friends and family.  Otherwise Google "IFA Burton on Trent ".  There are several.  Look at what they say, choose a shortlist of say 3 local ones rather than national companies and fix up an initial free 30 minute chat for you to explain what you want and them to explain what they can do for you.  You can then select the one you feel most comfortable working with.

eskbanker

Linton said:

Sorry it is against the site rules to provide personal recommendations.

I can't see which specific rule would prevent someone posting that they'd had a positive experience with company X (or perhaps even person Y), could you elaborate please?

masonic

eskbanker said:

Linton said:

Sorry it is against the site rules to provide personal recommendations.

I can't see which specific rule would prevent someone posting that they'd had a positive experience with company X (or perhaps even person Y), could you elaborate please?

It would be the rule against self-promotion, as it could not be determined that the person being recommended was not the person making the recommendation, or in the case of a company, made by a representative of the company. Quite a few years ago, the forum had a bit of problem with paid introducers, albeit not connected with IFAs but Friendly Societies. Acting on a personal recommendation from an anonymous stranger is somewhat risky.

Albermarle

eskbanker said:

Linton said:

Sorry it is against the site rules to provide personal recommendations.

I can't see which specific rule would prevent someone posting that they'd had a positive experience with company X (or perhaps even person Y), could you elaborate please?

If someone had a positive recommendation of an IFA in Burton on Trent, then I guess a PM would be better, rather than a public recommendation. 

Linton

eskbanker said:

Linton said:

Sorry it is against the site rules to provide personal recommendations.

I can't see which specific rule would prevent someone posting that they'd had a positive experience with company X (or perhaps even person Y), could you elaborate please?

I thought it had come up before but I cant see anything specific either.  I dont think discussions about whether a named individual person was good or bad at their job would be desirable nor would having someone who acted on a recommendation come back and complain.  In any case we are not likely to provide a representative review of IFAs in Burton on Trent who could be appropriate for the OP. 

dunstonh

datadezign said:

Can anyone please recommend a good independent financial advisor preferably near to Burton on Trent, which is close to Derby and Lichfield?

The board has issued ban warnings to people recommending firms before.  

In reality, most IFA firms are small localised firms operating in the locality.  A google search would likely tell you the firms near to you.   Asking here is a bit like asking for a butcher or fishmonger recommendation in your town.

datadezign

If Someone recommended a butcher or a fishmonger. At least I would have a bigger choice of fishmongers and butchers in my area to choose from, especially if some of them don’t advertise on say Google. I can then do my own due diligence by engaging in initial discussions, and correspondence to see how they compare to others. if they appear to have integrity, I would then ask them for a list of their own existing clients (after they have had their clients approval) for testimonials via direct contact. I can then, and only then make my own opinion on any one particular IFA, based on, not just my research but on my gut feeling, which IFA I believe I can trust. If you are restricted to give direct recommendation on this forum to say a particular firm. Would it not be possible to offer a list of IFA’s you may know of in my area, of around a 25 mile radius. That way you have not given a definitive recommendation.

datadezign

The searching on Google is like trying to fish for seam bream in a pond 

eskbanker

masonic said:

eskbanker said:

Linton said:

Sorry it is against the site rules to provide personal recommendations.

I can't see which specific rule would prevent someone posting that they'd had a positive experience with company X (or perhaps even person Y), could you elaborate please?

It would be the rule against self-promotion, as it could not be determined that the person being recommended was not the person making the recommendation, or in the case of a company, made by a representative of the company. Quite a few years ago, the forum had a bit of problem with paid introducers, albeit not connected with IFAs but Friendly Societies. Acting on a personal recommendation from an anonymous stranger is somewhat risky.

Yes, I seem to recall the friendly societies episode, and have also seen numerous spammers come and go after pumping real or fake products and services, so understand the prohibition of self-promotion, but don't believe that anyone posting positive comment about a company is (or at least should be) automatically assumed to be shilling?

There have been many threads on the banking board seeking recommendations for (for example) currency brokers or current accounts with good customer service, and I don't recall any purging of responses favouring specific companies?

Should the title of the Praise, Vent & Warnings board be reduced by a third?

masonic

eskbanker said:

masonic said:

eskbanker said:

Linton said:

Sorry it is against the site rules to provide personal recommendations.

I can't see which specific rule would prevent someone posting that they'd had a positive experience with company X (or perhaps even person Y), could you elaborate please?

It would be the rule against self-promotion, as it could not be determined that the person being recommended was not the person making the recommendation, or in the case of a company, made by a representative of the company. Quite a few years ago, the forum had a bit of problem with paid introducers, albeit not connected with IFAs but Friendly Societies. Acting on a personal recommendation from an anonymous stranger is somewhat risky.

Yes, I seem to recall the friendly societies episode, and have also seen numerous spammers come and go after pumping real or fake products and services, so understand the prohibition of self-promotion, but don't believe that anyone posting positive comment about a company is (or at least should be) automatically assumed to be shilling?

There have been many threads on the banking board seeking recommendations for (for example) currency brokers or current accounts with good customer service, and I don't recall any purging of responses favouring specific companies?

Should the title of the Praise, Vent & Warnings board be reduced by a third?

When someone is recommending a company with a significant presence in the both the market and on the internet, and can be readily researched by any reader, then the balance of probabilities would be shifted quite a bit, I'd have thought. The problems start to creep in when a referral is being made to a rather more obscure individual or company that could only be researched by getting in touch with them personally. MSE also has a particular sensitivity to the area of financial advice. In any case, as dunstonh mentions above, warnings were made, and so this discussion is getting quite close to criticising forum team decisions on the forum, which is itself against the rules.

On the subject of the Praise, Vent & Warnings board, I'm certainly not suggesting people cannot tell us about good customer service they have received, but when it spills over into making a referral to another forumite, the post could go the way of the Referrer's board.