Legal, Terms & Privacy
Stiles & Company Financial Services Ltd is entered on the FCA’s register and their FCA registration number is 232169. You can check this on the Financial Services Register by visiting the FCA’s website www.fca.org.uk/firms/systems-reporting/register or by contacting the FCA on 0800 111 6768. Stiles & Company Financial Services Ltd is regulated in the United Kingdom.
For information on our Privacy Policy, please visit our privacy page.
Products and Services
We provide impartial and professional advice to both individual and corporate clients on a wide range of financial services areas. This is backed up with traditional values of quality service and client satisfaction. We also work with other professionals to create a comprehensive solution to our clients’ financial needs.
We offer you an initial discussion (without charge) at which we will describe our services more fully and explain the payment options. If you decide to go ahead, we will:
Gather and analyse personal financial information about you and your needs and objectives;
Recommend and discuss any action we think you should take and, with your agreement, arrange relevant solutions for you.
Any advice or recommendation that we offer to you, will only be given after we have assessed your needs and considered your financial objectives and attitude to any risks that may be involved. We will also take into account any restrictions that you wish to place on the type of products you would be willing to consider.
Stiles & Company Financial Services Ltd is able to act on your behalf in advising you on investments, non-investment insurance contracts.
Investments
We provide independent advice; we will advise and make recommendations for you only after we have assessed your needs, based on a comprehensive and fair analysis of the market. This means we can advise you on the products and services of different companies from the whole of the market. The types of products and services we advise on and arrange are life assurance and other protection policies, personal pensions, annuities, pension transfers, opting out of occupational schemes, income drawdown and phased retirement plans, investments in authorised unit trusts, individual savings accounts, investment bonds, recognised offshore funds, and other regulated schemes.
Non-investment protection contracts
We advise on non-investment protection products e.g. Term Assurance, Mortgage Protection Assurance, Critical Illness Insurance, Private Medical Insurance, Permanent Health Insurance from a range of insurers.
Our focus is on building long-term relationships with clients and providing the best possible level of service and advice.
Please be aware that investments can fall as well as rise, and that you may not get back the full amount invested. The price of investments we may recommend may depend on fluctuations in the financial markets, or other economic factors, which are outside our control. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance. Specific warnings relevant to the investments, investment strategies or other products we recommend will be confirmed to you in your suitability report.
Stiles & Company Financial Services Ltd nor its employees or advisers are qualified to render legal or accounting advice or to prepare any legal or accounting documents. It is hereby understood and agreed that the onus is on you the client to refer to a solicitor or accountant any point of law or accountancy that may arise during the course of discussions with us.
Client Money
Stiles & Company Financial Services Ltd does not handle client money. We never accept a cheque made out to us (unless it is a cheque in settlement of fees, charges or disbursements for which we have sent you an invoice) or handle cash. Any such cheques received by us will immediately be returned to you by ordinary post to your last known address.
Data Protection
Information provided by you may be held, processed, disclosed and used by ourselves, professional advisers and any associated companies in servicing our relationship with you. However, strict confidentiality will be maintained at all times. It is understood that, unless you notify us otherwise, you agree to the storage, use and disclosure of such information. This information may be disclosed to third party product providers in the course of providing our analysis and servicing of our relationship with you. No information will be passed to another party without your prior consent unless we are legally obliged to do so. You also agree that for the purposes described above your data may be transferred to countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA). We may use and analyse your data, including the nature of your transactions, to provide you with information by post, telephone fax or e-mail to service and update you, as well as informing you of new investment opportunities . If you would prefer to be excluded from these services, please write to us at Stiles & Company Financial Services Ltd, 2 Amber House, St Johns Road, Hove, East Sussex. BN3 2EZ. You have the right to ask for a copy of certain information held by us in our records in return for payment of a small fee. You also have the right to require us to correct any inaccuracies in your information.
Financial Services Compensation Scheme
Stiles & Company Financial Services Ltd is covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. 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 for 100% of £50,000.
Most types of insurance business are covered for 90% of the claim, without any upper limit. Further information about compensation arrangements is available from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. www.fscs.org.uk
Complaints
If you wish to register a complaint, please contact our compliance officer in writing at Stiles & Company Financial Services Ltd, 2 Amber House, St Johns Road, Hove, East Sussex. BN3 2EZ or by telephone on 01273 736713. We will acknowledge the issue and send you a copy of our internal complaints procedure. The matter will be investigated in line with our procedures and our findings reported to you.
If you remain unsatisfied following Stiles & Company Financial Services Ltd’s investigation of your complaint you may complain directly to the Financial Ombudsman Service, who can be contacted on: 0845 080 1800. Website: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
The Services We Provide and How We are Paid (Our remuneration)
Following our initial discussion (for which there is no charge) should you decide to go ahead there is a cost for our services. We offer a variety of methods by which we can be remunerated so that you can select the method that best suits your needs. We will discuss your payment options with you and answer any questions you have.
We will not charge you until we have agreed with you how we are to be paid. We will also tell you if you have to pay VAT and if there are other costs that might arise in connection with the services we provide to you.
1. Advice and Implementation Service
2. On-going Review Service
3. Advice and Implementation Service
Reviewing your financial situation, goals and arrangements
Once you have engaged our services, our first step will be to gather as much information as possible about your current financial arrangements, personal circumstances and your attitude to investment risks. This often involves us contacting the providers of your existing plans and policies to obtain up to date information on valuations, terms and conditions, and benefits.