As time has passed, new clients joined EBP mainly through word of mouth or referrals from professional services firms. The demands placed upon employers to meet their Pension Automatic Enrolment obligations fuelled further expansion and in 2013, EBP engaged Vikki Warburton as a specialist report writer to ensure we had sufficient capacity to service the growing client numbers.
In 2015, following the Governments expansion of options for those taking retirement benefits, it became clear that offering a more focussed service for staff members requiring advice would be important. As a result we expanded our service to include bespoke individual financial planning with Jonathan and Karen Walsh joining the team, to whom we had been referring clients seeking personal financial advice since 2012, bringing that expertise in-house.
Under the trading name ‘EBP Financial Planning’ we provide financial advice to both individuals working at our corporate clients and those previously unconnected with EBP.
Jonathan Walsh
FPFS Chartered Financial Planner
Financial Planning Director & Consultant
Jonathan (also known as Joe) specialises in personal financial planning and is QCA level 6 qualified as a Chartered Financial Planner and Fellow of the Personal Finance Society. He is one of the UK’s Top 250 rated advisers on the specialist website Vouched For and has worked in financial services since 1985.
Karen Walsh
Financial Planning Support
Karen joined EBP in 2015 to provide all aspects of administrative and back-office support to Jonathan Walsh. Having been in the industry since 1994 she has gained a wealth of experience in pensions, investments and life assurance working at another firm of Independent Financial Advisers as well as two major insurance companies.
Iain Henshall
APFS Chartered Financial Planner
Director & Employee Benefits Consultant
Iain is QCA Level 6 qualified, a Chartered Financial Planner and worked as a corporate consultant at Towry between 2000 and 2012 with a brief interlude at a competitor, Origen Limited. Prior to 2000 Iain worked as an employee benefits consultant at Advizas from 1986, which was part of the Hogg Robinson Group before Advizas was acquired by Towry.
Martin McEvoy
BA (Hons) DipPFS ProfPMI
Director & Employee Benefits Consultant
Martin has an Economics degree from Manchester University, is qualified to QCA level 4 with both the Pensions Management Institute and the Personal Finance Society. He spent 15 years working as a corporate consultant at Towry, before which he worked at Barclays Bank and Scottish Amicable (now part of Prudential).
Neil McCormack
Director & Employee Benefits Support
Neil studied Applied Science at the University of Wolverhampton and has subsequently worked in the Retail, Entertainment and Financial Services sectors. Between 2004 and 2012 he worked at Towry providing back office client service and IT support.
Vikki Warburton
Paraplanner & Employee Benefits Support
Vikki is qualified to QCA Level 4 and is the primary researcher and report writer for EBP. Prior to joining in 2013, Vikki was a paraplanner at Towry having worked there for 12 years. She started her career at the Prudential as a project administrator.
Our Independence
Our Regulation
Our Philosophy
Our Team Based Approach
Our Communication Skills
Our Approach to Remuneration
We charge a fixed fee for all advisory service projects, the amount is disclosed before undertaking work on your behalf and will depend on the expected complexity and time taken to satisfy your requirements. We will prepare an Engagement Letter which discloses the work to be undertaken and the fee. No work will be undertaken without a signed Engagement Letter. We will invoice you on completion of the advice services described in your Engagement Letter. Advisory only work is subject to VAT.
If we recommend a product, we charge an implementation fee. This fee will vary depending on the investment and is disclosed before any implementation work is carried out. This fee can be deducted from your investment or paid separately.
We also offer an ongoing review service.
Full details of our fee structure and our investment process are available on request.
Our Size
Our Environment
Our Third Party Support
EBP Financial Planning
Unit 8
Millars Brook
Molly Millars Lane
Wokingham
RG41 2AD
Telephone
Address
Unit 8
Millars Brook
Molly Millars Lane
Wokingham
RG41 2AD
Usual Office Hours
Retirement Planning
Estate Planning
Wealth Management
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Pre-Retirement Planning
Research
- Assessing the level of retirement income you will need and when you will need it
- Securing up to date valuations of your existing pension plans – tracing any legacy plans from previous jobs
- Establishing the timing and amount of state benefits you should receive
- Quantifying the level of risk you feel comfortable taking with your investments
- Identifying what other assets you may have available to supplement your lifestyle in retirement
Analysis
- Establishing whether we can improve on the performance of your current schemes – charges, investment returns and access options will be considered
- Comparing the risk of your current investments to your preferred risk profile
- Assessing any potential impact of the Annual or Lifetime Allowances on your retirement benefits
Reporting
- Forecasting what capital & income your pension plans might provide in retirement
- Explaining your options for funding any forecasted shortfall in retirement income
- Recommending an investment strategy which seeks to achieve your objectives within an agreed risk profile
- Ensuring that your retirement savings would be passed on, free of inheritance tax, to your dependents in the event of your death
Arrangement
- We can arrange to make changes to your investment strategy for existing pension plans
- We can arrange the consolidation of pension plans where this is potentially advantageous
- We can arrange up to date death benefit nominations for all schemes, ensuring that your wishes will be met
Review
At Retirement Planning
Research
- Assessing the level of retirement income you will need and any immediate or future capital requirements
- Establishing the timing and amount of state benefits you should receive
- Identifying what other assets you may have available to supplement your lifestyle in retirement
- Quantifying any debts or financial commitments you will have
- Assess your state of health and anticipated life expectancy
- Discuss your attitude to taking financial risks
- Consider your desire to pass on assets to any dependents
Analysis
- Securing up to date valuations of your existing pension plans – tracing any legacy plans from previous jobs
- Establishing what options your current schemes provider: scheme pension, annuity, income drawdown
- Check for any underlying income or investment guarantees provided
- Comparing the risk of your current investments to your preferred risk profile
- Assessing any potential impact of the Annual or Lifetime Allowances on your retirement benefits
Reporting
- Forecasting what capital & income your pension plans might provide in retirement
- Create a life time cash flow forecast to illustrate your retirement strategy
- Illustrate guaranteed lifetime income and more flexible, higher risk options
- Explaining your options for funding any forecasted shortfall in retirement income
- Recommending an investment strategy which seeks to achieve your objectives within an agreed risk profile
- Ensuring that your retirement savings would be passed on, free of inheritance tax, to your dependents in the event of your death
Arrangement
- We can arrange the consolidation of your pension plans where this is potentially advantageous into an annuity or an income drawdown plan or possibly a combination of the two
- We will arrange the payment of any immediate tax-free cash withdrawals to be made and your regular income
- We can arrange up to date death benefit nominations for all schemes, ensuring that your wishes will be met
- We can implement new investments possibly funded from tax-free cash and make changes to your other investments to meet your new requirements in retirement
Review
- Our ongoing review service provides a proactive review service at which we assess progress to your objectives and consider any changes necessary
- We will review and update your cash flow forecast to ensure that you remain on track to meet your objectives
- We will review your investments and risk profile to ensure that your investments continue to meet your requirements. We may propose tactical changes to your investments.
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Lifetime Planning
Research
- Consider your current circumstances and wishes for preserving wealth in your lifetime and how you can use assets to reduce an IHT liability
- Consider your lifetime requirement for income and capital so that a capacity for making lifetime gifts can be established
Analysis
- Review the provisions of any existing will, particularly to assess whether this would benefit from the Residence Nil Rate Band
- Calculate your current Inheritance Tax liability and any reliefs to which you might be entitled
Reporting
- How Inheritance Tax is charged and its potential impact on your own estate
- The various reliefs available and the extent to which they could help you
- Mainstream financial planning options available to mitigate any tax liability
- Options for creating or updating your will (we do not write wills but can refer you to a solicitor)
- We can also include commentary on options for funding long term medical care on request
Arrangement
- We can arrange tax-efficient investments to reduce any Inheritance Tax liability
- We can arrange insurance policies to provide a settlement to your beneficiaries on your death to meet an Inheritance Tax liability
- We can suggest the basis of a tax-efficient will and refer to you a suitably qualified professional to implement this for you
Review
- Our ongoing review service will monitor the performance of your investments and keep you appraised of any changes to your expected tax liabilities and relevant legislation
- The service is designed to ensure that your plans remain up to date and fit for purpose until the time at which they are needed
Wills & Trusts
Research
- Consider your current circumstances and lifetime financial needs
- Discuss how you wish your assets to be distributed on death
Analysis
- Review the provisions of any existing will, particularly to assess whether this would benefit from the Residence Nil Rate Band
- Calculate your current Inheritance Tax liability and any reliefs to which you might be entitled
Reporting
- How Inheritance Tax is charged and its potential impact on your own estate
- The various reliefs available and the extent to which they could help you
- Mainstream financial planning options available to mitigate any tax liability
- Options for creating or updating your will (we do not write wills but can refer you to a solicitor)
- We can also include commentary on options for funding long term medical care on request
Arrangement
- We can suggest the basis of a tax-efficient will and refer to you a suitably qualified professional to implement this for you
- We can arrange insurance policies to provide a settlement to your beneficiaries on your death to meet an Inheritance Tax liability
- We can arrange tax-efficient investments to reduce your Inheritance Tax liability, with lifetime access
Review
- As this service focuses on arrangements which would be implemented on death, there is less need an ongoing review service
- We will remain on hand to answer any questions you have or advise on any change of circumstances or objectives
- Our optional ongoing review service is available to monitor the performance of any investments and keep you appraised of any changes to your expected tax liabilities and relevant legislation
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Managing Wealth
Research
- establish your personal circumstances, needs and objectives
- assess your attitude to risk, capacity for loss and investment experience
- establish any debts or financial liabilities you have
- establish how and when you will need access to your investments
Analysis
- consider the most tax-efficient methods available
- agree an asset allocation strategy (the blend of deposit, fixed interest, property and equity) which matches your risk profile
- select the most consistent funds in each asset class by combining external research with our own experience
Reporting
- Present our recommendations for approval, refining as necessary
- We can include general commentary and guidance on options such as buy-to-let investments, peer-to-peer lending or share save schemes on request but we do not offer specific advice on any of these investments
Arrangement
Review
- We can monitor and review your requirements and the performance of your portfolio at the agreed frequency (we offer quarterly, half-yearly and annual reviews)
- We will recommend tactical changes to your investments based on economic conditions and any changes to your own objectives or requirements.
Protecting Wealth
Research
- establish your personal circumstances, needs and objectives
- establish any debts or financial liabilities you have
- establish how much financial protection you need and for how long
Analysis
- assess any private or workplace insurance you already have in place
- quantify any need for insurance products to protect against accident, illness or death
- consider the types of insurance available and arrange quotations
Reporting
- Present our recommendations for approval, refining as necessary
- Our reports can be tailored to the needs of single people, families or small businesses
Arrangement
- We can establish new investments in line with our recommendations and make any necessary alterations to any existing investments you have
- For small businesses, this can include liaison with your accountant and legal adviser as is necessary
Review
- There is normally no need for a formal ongoing service for insurance products but we will remain on hand to provide additional advice as necessary
- We will also contact you ahead of the expiry of any insurance policies to see whether a need still exists for replacement cover
1 and 2 – wearejust.co.uk | 3 – gov.uk & ons.gov.uk | 4 and 5 – gov.uk | 6 – trustnet.com | 7 – abi.org.uk
Employee Benefits Partnership Limited is Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
EBP Financial Planning is a trading name of Employee Benefits Partnership Limited.
Registered Office: Unit 8, Millars Brook, Molly Millars Lane, Wokingham, RG41 2AD.
Registered: England & Wales 07901143.