Before making any investment it is important that you understand what you are taking on. Nicholls Stevens will help you understand any investment you make. Before committing yourself to the investment, we would expect you to ask the following questions:
- Does it pay an income and if so, how frequently?
- Can I have access to my money at any time?
- If I can have access, is it without penalty?
- If the investment runs for a fixed term, is the maturity at a date when I need capital?
- What are the risks associated with this investment?
- Is the investment covered under the Financial Services Compensation scheme?
- What are the charges associated with this investment?
- What are the tax implications of the investment?
- Does this investment match my attitude to risk?
At Nicholls Stevens we will never recommend an investment in isolation. We will need to find out about you, your needs, your attitude to risk and in virtually all cases we will recommend a portfolio of investments, even for someone with only a small amount of capital to invest.
This portfolio will have an asset allocation which suits your attitude to risk and will comprise:
- Cash accounts
- Fixed interest investments – such as gilts and corporate bonds
- Commercial property
- UK equities
- Overseas equities
The asset allocation will depend on your attitude to risk and the timescale over which you were investing.
Carole Nicholls recently won the Money Management Award for Cautious Investment Planner of the Year, so she appreciates the need for some clients to be cautious with their money and in some cases the whole portfolio may be left in cash spread between:
- Easy access
- Fixed term
- National Savings Products
We suit our planning to your needs – at the end of the day it is your money and we do not want a client of ours waking in the middle of the night worrying about the value of their investments.