Financial Planning Services. Looking after YOUR interests... THOMSON COOPER ACCOUNTANTS.

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1 THOMSON COOPER ACCOUNTANTS Financial Planning Services Thomson Cooper is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for financial advice. FCA no Looking after YOUR interests...

2 We provide an ongoing service, the aim of which is to help clients to accumulate, manage, and protect wealth to achieve their current and future financial objectives for themselves and their families.

3 Thomson Cooper Financial Services Financial planning services come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. The purpose of this brochure is to outline the package of services that the Thomson Cooper Financial Services team offers and how these services are provided. We have produced it to help you to decide if the services we offer are right for you. What we do, and what we don t - The principal role of the Financial Services team is to advise on, implement, and monitor financial strategies for clients in relation to their pension, investment, and Inheritance Tax planning needs. As a supplementary service we also provide advice on personal and business protection arrangements, such as life and critical illness cover. We provide an ongoing service, the aim of which is to help clients to accumulate, manage, and protect wealth to achieve their current and future financial objectives for themselves and their families. The main component of our service is ongoing expert advice based on detailed knowledge and use of legislation, tax reliefs and allowances, and appropriate investment solutions. In terms of implementation of your financial planning arrangements, there is a vast range of financial products available with varying product features. We are not tied to any particular product provider, so are able to select from across what we consider to be the relevant product markets best suited to meet individual client needs. There are, however, certain types of financial product from which we will not make recommendations. In general terms, these are non-mainstream product types that we regard as unacceptably high in risk, or of unquantifiable risk, or which are not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Examples of financial products in these categories are unregulated collective investment schemes (UCIS), enterprise investment schemes (EISs), venture capital trusts (VCTs), structured products, synthesised electronic traded funds (ETFs), electronic traded notes (ETNs), and direct equities (including closed ended investment funds). Other areas we do not offer advice on are Group Benefit Schemes for workforces, and we do not offer recommendations on mortgage products either. We are happy to discuss these topics with clients in generic terms, but we do not make specific recommendations or provide assistance with implementation. If you require these services, we are able to recommend and refer you to specialists in these areas. Because we limit the range of financial products that we are prepared to advise on and recommend, we are obliged by the rules laid down by the Financial Conduct Authority to describe ourselves as restricted advisers. However, this does not mean that we are tied to, controlled or influenced by any financial product providers. We are agents of our clients and act in their sole interests at all times.

4 Our typical client profile Thomson Cooper s client bank is diverse in nature, so our Financial Services team provides a service which caters for and is valued by a wide range of clients with significantly different personal and financial circumstances and from across the spectrum of life stages. However, because our primary service is an ongoing one which focuses on wealth accumulation, management, and protection, it is aimed at clients who have at least 50,000 of investable funds available at the outset, or who can realistically accumulate that figure within a period of two to three years. We also offer a limited range of services that fall outside of our main service proposition. Examples of these are financial advice relating to separation and divorce and handling of complaints against other financial firms. If your requirement for advice relates to a specific, time limited project rather than a need for an ongoing service, we are happy to discuss this with you. We will try to help if we can, but if we are unable to, we will hopefully be able to point you in the right direction at least. How we deliver our service Deciding how best to invest your money can be daunting. With so many options available and so many uncertainties, how do you choose what s right for you? Our job is to eliminate as much of that uncertainly as possible and to work with you to identify the most appropriate way for you to achieve your financial goals. The Thomson Cooper investment process is designed with that in mind. It creates a framework for us to discuss your needs and expectations, to assess and agree your attitude to risk, and then to build and manage an investment portfolio to match. By working through a series of logical steps, you will gain a better understanding of the reasoning behind our recommendations and confidence in the resulting choice of investments. The flowchart below outlines our investment process. Further details are set out in our investment process brochure, which explains how we manage each stage of it together with you.

5 WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY... I am delighted to have Thomson Cooper looking after my pension plans and investments and look forward to my future retirement with a much improved sense of optimism - R Walsh How we charge for our service As explained, our primary service proposition focuses on the accumulation, management, and protection of wealth. This is an ongoing service, for which we charge on an ongoing basis. Our standard charge for the service is 1% per annum (collected monthly) of the value of investments under management. When we first take clients on board for this service there will usually be an amount of preparatory work involved to establish and record the precise details of their existing financial planning arrangements and to make recommendations in relation to them. We cover the cost of this from within our ongoing service fee, and do not charge for it separately. For financial services activity that falls outside of our main proposition, the fees we charge are based on the time involved and the complexity of the work. We may charge on the basis of an hourly rate for the time taken, or on the basis of a fixed fee for the project. We will discuss and agree this with you in advance. If we charge on the basis of an hourly rate, then, if possible, we will give an estimate at the outset of the likely fee involved. Our current scale of hourly rates for financial services staff is set out in our Schedule of Charges, a copy of which is available on request and which is provided at initial meetings. Options available to you for paying our fees - Clients who engage us for our wealth accumulation, management, and protection service will normally be able to pay our charges either monthly by cheque or by automatic monthly deduction from their investment accounts. Clients who opt for monthly payment by cheque are charged an additional amount to cover the extra administration costs of manual fee calculation and invoicing involved. For clients who come to us for other, ad hoc services we can normally only offer the option of paying directly by cheque. VAT the nature of the service that we provide determines whether or not our charges are subject to VAT. In general terms, our charges are not subject to VAT if the primary element of the service is intermediation, i.e. recommendation and supply of specific financial products. Our wealth accumulation, management, and protection service is based around ongoing intermediation, so our charges for this service are not subject to VAT. Other services provided on an ad hoc basis and which do not involve intermediation will be subject to VAT. If VAT applies to our charges, we will inform you in advance of carrying out any work for you.

What you get for your fees Of course, the overall consideration as regards charges is not how much you pay. What matters is what you get for what you pay.

for you, but that is just the start of what we deliver to clients.

6 What you get for your fees Of course, the overall consideration as regards charges is not how much you pay. What matters is what you get for what you pay. In relation to our primary service, our investment process brochure gives a useful high level summary of what we do in terms of designing, implementing, and managing a suitable investment portfolio for you, but that is just the start of what we deliver to clients. Our ongoing service is comprehensive, and includes:- Annual face to face meetings to review the performance of your investments and make recommendations on any alterations required to ensure that your financial objectives are met, and to take account of any changes to your objectives or personal financial situation over time. Ad hoc review meetings as and when changes to your portfolio may be required as a result of immediate or unexpected changes to your individual or family needs and circumstances. Access to members of the financial services team by telephone and for the provision of ongoing advice, information, and general assistance at all times. This includes assistance in relation to any financial planning issues you may have, even if not directly related to the investment arrangements we have put in place for you. Provision of ongoing administrative services relating to your investment portfolio, e.g. valuations, additional investments, withdrawals, regular income payments, portfolio realignments, update of personal details, etc. We also keep detailed records for you of all sums invested and amounts withdrawn from your investment portfolio. Personally tailored advice, assistance, and implementation services relating to your ongoing use of annual investment allowances, tax reliefs, and exemptions based on our expert knowledge of the relevant tax legislation and framework. Provision of statements and tax certificates relevant to your investment arrangements as required for the purposes of completing your annual tax returns. Liaison with your other professional advisers, e.g. accountant and solicitor, to provide a fully coordinated service. Regular newsletters to keep you up to date with topical financial planning issues, market developments, legislative changes, etc. In short, our service is wide-ranging, competitively charged, and represents excellent value for money. Thomson Cooper s financial services clients enjoy a personally tailored service, have unrivalled access to ongoing advice and assistance, and can rest assured that the advice and assistance they receive is of the highest technical and professional standard. Thomson Cooper is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for financial advice. FCA no Inheritance Tax Planning services are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

7 Thomson Cooper s financial services clients enjoy a personally tailored service, have unrivalled access to ongoing advice and assistance, and can rest assured that the advice and assistance they receive is of the highest technical and professional standard. The Financial Services team Craig Campbell Financial Services Manager Craig has been with Thomson Cooper since January 2000, when he was recruited to set up the financial services team. He has been in the financial services industry since 1982, and has held a variety of technical, training, and advice roles with financial services product providers and professional adviser firms. He is qualified by examination across a broad range of financial services disciplines. He is a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society, holds the Chartered Insurance Institute s Advanced Financial Planning Diploma and the Chartered Financial Planner title. Averil Loveridge Financial Services Paraplanner Averil has been in the financial services industry since 1979, where she has worked for a number of large product providers, high street banks, and professional adviser firms. She joined Thomson Cooper in April 2011, where she deals with technical administrative matters, with specific focus on regulatory and compliance issues. Averil has a BA honours degree in Financial Services, is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute, and holds the Chartered Financial Planner title. Nicola Duthie Financial Services Administrator Nicola has been with Thomson Cooper since She joined the financial services team in September In her role she is responsible for general administration relating to clients financial services arrangements in terms of initial setting up of investment accounts, and the associated servicing and record keeping thereafter. Nicola holds the Chartered Insurance Institute s Financial Planning Certificate. Cathy Bernstein Financial Services Administrator Cathy has been in the financial services industry since 1983, where she has worked for a number of high street banks in administrative and customer facing roles. She joined Thomson Cooper in May Cathy s area of responsibility is general administration relating to clients financial services arrangements in terms of initial setting up of investment accounts, and the associated servicing and record keeping thereafter.

British Accountancy Awards Winner 3 Castle Court Carnegie Campus Dunfermline KY11 8PB tel 01383 628800 fax 01383 628900

8 British Accountancy Awards Winner 3 Castle Court Carnegie Campus Dunfermline KY11 8PB tel fax Stafford Street Edinburgh EH3 7BD tel fax info@thomsoncooper.com

Important Information about Our Services

Important Information about Our Services Twigden Asset Management Ltd King William House 46 Harpur Street Bedford MK40 2QT Tel: 01234 270074 Website: www.twigdenasset.co.uk Who are we and what do we do?