Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. InterestMe Financial Planning is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Our FCA Number is 542680.

Yes. We and our financial advisers are authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to offer advice on pensions and investments. You can check our entry on the Financial Services Register – our FCA number is 542680.

We offer a restricted advice model. This means that rather than look at the entire market, we recommend products and services to suit your needs from a limited range of carefully selected firms. We regularly review the suitability of providers to ensure they continue to meets your needs.

Choose the option to suit you:
1. Initial transaction only. Once your investment contracts are in place we will not contact you. Any further services you request will incur a separate fee.

2. Initial advice and ongoing service. Once the investment is in place we will review your plan on a regular basis and provide you with additional services as described in our client brochure.

Initial Contact: A telephone meeting with one of our Advisers or Fact Finding team to get the process started. Once they have understood your personal and financial circumstances, they will document your situation and explain our services.

Gathering information: Once you give us agreement to go ahead, we’ll send out letters of authority so that we can get details of your existing pension policies.

Understanding your needs: Armed with that information, we can talk to you in more depth about what you want to achieve – what your time horizon is for investment or when you want to retire and how much income you will need.

Expert Advice: One of our FCA-regulated financial advisers will discuss your retirement goals with you and help you define your attitude to risk before making a personalised recommendation.

As well as providing you with regular updates about the performance of your investment portfolio, our advisors can carry out annual health checks on your pension. These help you make sure your investment is still on track, and respond to any changes to your circumstances, goals, or appetite for risk. As well as recommending changes to your investment portfolio or product, we’ll also implement the advice as part of this service.

No. We will only use your contact details to get in touch with you to explain our services and answer any questions you may have. We do not pass your information on to third parties and we will not retain your information unless you agree to us doing so.

You must be resident in the UK to hold a SIPP.

Our SIPP covers a restricted range of investment funds whose fund managers actively manage the investments on your behalf.

You do not have to make any contributions to your SIPP if you are transferring from another pension scheme. If you wish, you can make regular monthly contributions. There is currently no minimum contribution.

No. Once you invest in a pension you cannot withdraw funds from it until your 55th birthday. This is known as ‘taking benefits’. Under current legislation you can normally withdraw up to 25% of the fund as a tax-free lump sum and use the remainder to take an income. The income is subject to income tax.

We are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). You may be entitled to compensation from the scheme if we cannot meet our obligations. This depends on the type of business and the circumstances of the claim. Most types of investment business are covered up to a maximum limit of £50,000. For further information about the compensation scheme, visit fscs.org.uk.

InterestMe Financial Planning does not accept payment by cash as payment for fees incurred. You have the option of paying us by:
a) Bank Transfer
b) Standing order
c) Cheque
d) From the pension fund

Under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, cash held in current and savings accounts, SIPPs and cash ISAs are protected up to £50,000 per authorised firm. For further information about the compensation scheme, visit fscs.org.uk.

All consultations with our Financial Advisers are free with no obligation. We are not here simply to sell you financial products and services. Our aim is to help you to benefit from our in-depth knowledge and expertise and we only ever charge for our services when clients accept our advice.

In the unlikely event that you should wish to register a complaint, please write to the Compliance Officer at InterestMe Financial Planning, 6th Floor, Lloyds Avenue House, 6 Lloyds Avenue, London EC3N 3AX or telephone 020 3858 0660. If you cannot settle your complaint with us, you may be entitled to refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service.