PerfectDay Financial Consultants

edchalk

Hi,

I've been offered the opportunity to get a 'financial healthcheck' with a company called PerfectDay financial consultancy. Does anybody know if they are any good ? the website seems ok but i'd like to know a little bit more about the company if anybody has any info they would be willing to share ?

regards

Ed

dunstonh

No reason for them not to be. They are a small firm so you wouldnt expect any positive or negative coverage.

One concern I would have is that they have changed names slightly three times as well as going to three different networks in recent years as well as being tied agents for AXA not too long before that. Obviouly you only see what has happened on the FSA register and not why. My concerns on that show a lack of stability and only 2 years experience of being IFAs. Have they adapted to the increased knowledge and skills required to being a proper IFA or are they still acting like AXA sales reps with an IFA title. i.e. a wolf in sheeps clothing.

No way for anyone here to tell but would be things that you should consider in your discussions. Is it coming across as professional advice with information given supporting the advice or is it a sales pitch.... Most IFAs, myself included, started their career as tied agents as its part of the natural career path. However, whilst some go on to improve their knowledge to a higher standard, some do not. (FSA rule changes in 2009 will make it harder for sales reps to pass themselves off as IFAs but thats 2009, not now).

bestcheck

I met Perfect Day at a 'Your Money' exhibition at Excel Centre early this year. An attractive young lady persuaded me to part with my contact details, then tried several times to contact me on mobile to set up an appointment for financial review. Eventually I responded - with 'no thanks'. It seemed to me that this new IFA had yet to shrug off their sales rep. approach, so I steered clear.

nrsql

No harm in talking to them - you can only learn.
Don 't agree to anything - they will offer you services but just say you want to think about it. If they start to put pressure on then you know to avoid them.
If they start talking about how much you will need when you retire ask them how much it would be worth today - sellers have a habit of taking inflation into account with future received amounts but not with payments.

Then you can post here about your experience and see what people think.

Techmeister

I went to see these guys about 6 months ago. They cold called me (which someone else has since told me is banned for financial stuff... not sure) and told me they did the cheapest mortgage broking in London. I thought it would be interesting to at least hear what they had to say but when I got there the guy I sat down with wasn't even an IFA but a 'Consultant', and was about 18 years old, with no financial qualifications.

Turns out you need to pay him a fee to 'join' before you even speak to an IFA or broker and there are costs / commissions on top as well. This guy immediately started asking me about giving him referrals to my friends and family, which was a bit odd as I hadn't even managed to discuss my mortgage yet. I think they also do some sort of off plan property sales from what this guy said, but I took fright when he asked me to pay up front, and it became clear I knew more about mortgages etc than the 'Consultant' did. I said I'd think about it and left, but got the sense he was pretty desperate to make a sale. Some weeks later someone else from there called me again to try to get me to come back- the first bloke had left already and given this other person my details but with no clue about what I actually wanted! Tread carefully.