Founded by Managing Director, Angela Maher BA DipPFS, Acumen Financial Partnership has grown rapidly from a small start-up at incorporation in 2006 to a thriving firm of 21 staff that now manages upwards of £350 million of assets from its state-of-the-art Burscough offices in Lancashire.
Fellow Director, Jon Landy, began working with Acumen in 2008, before being appointed Director in 2012 and becoming a shareholder in 2016. Angela and Jon have since formed a formidable partnership, spearheading one of the North West’s most respected financial advisory firms.
Straightforward personal financial planning
Acumen was formed with several clear goals in mind. Angela set out to create a ‘grown up’ firm of Independent Financial Advisers that nurtured excellent relationships with clients and staff alike. A firm with a strong moral code, that always does the right thing by both its clients and its personnel. As such, Acumen’s highly trained IFAs and support staff go the extra mile to provide exceptional financial advisory services and products that are 100% unbiased and tailored to our clients’ unique goals.
The financial services industry often seems to “talk a different language”. At Acumen, the advisers are charged with simplifying these complex financial issues, so that clients can fully understand their investments and financial matters. No-one wants to wade through mountains of paperwork, deciphering clauses and still feeling none the wiser about their financial situation.
Which is why at Acumen “plain English” is an essential part of our financial planning services. Together with rigorous research, transparent charges and investment strategies that are completely individual to our clients, our goal is to present the complete package in a clear, easy to understand and logical way that really makes sense.
Fee only financial advisory services
It was always Angela’s intention to be fee only financial advisers from day one. Unlike many other ‘tied’, commission-based advisers at the time, her goal was to offer a holistic service with a clear fee structure. Acumen’s advisers aren’t driven by targets to sell certain products. Rather, they’re available virtually any time a client needs their counsel and will only recommend financial planning services and products that are right for the client.
Whereas some financial advisers still attempt to offer both personal financial planning and investment management in-house, Acumen’s research shows that this does not work. The evidence points to better results for clients where their advisers concentrate on what they do best, which is financial planning.
Acumen advisers work with a select number of the top investment houses nationwide to ensure clients get the best of everything – dedicated financial planning strategies from a trusted adviser and skilled asset management from the best investment brains in the country.
Financial planning services built on relationships
At Acumen, we pride ourselves on our unshakeable integrity, which is ingrained throughout the whole team. If there is a right way to do something, that’s what we’ll do. We charge fees that are fair and reasonable and firmly agree with Warren Buffett that “price is what you pay, value is what you get.”
Our ultimate aim is to provide excellent value for money to all our clients. The litmus test for an Acumen adviser is whether they would offer a financial product, investment or service to their own mother. Only if the answer is a clear ‘yes’, they will offer it to a client.
Personal relationships are at the heart of everything that goes on at Acumen. Nurturing strong relationships with clients, getting to know their aspirations and worries, is the most effective route to building the trust required to offer comprehensive financial advisory services. The ‘open door’ policy gives clients access to advice and help more or less whenever they need it, whether it’s over the telephone, via email or face-to-face.
In the meantime, you can get to know all our team members here.