I am delighted to report that as at the end of June 2011 our firm has been awarded the status of `Chartered Financial Planners` by the Chartered Insurance Institute.

Chartered status is the industry`s gold standard for Financial Planners and is currently met by fewer than 300 firms across the country. The title is only awarded to firms committed to developing and maintaining the knowledge and capability of their people so they can deliver the highest quality advice.

The award brings with it serious benefits for our clients. We are required to ensure that our advice service and ongoing support is of the highest quality, based solely on your own research needs and provided by somebody operating within their level of competency.

All our staff members who deal with customers belong to the industry`s professional body, The Personal Finance Society and adhere to its code of ethics.

We feel the Chartered title is evidence of our commitment to our overall standard of customer excellence and professionalism and we are proud to make this announcement.

F E Blackmore FPFS ACII
Chartered Financial Planner
Managing Director

For those of you with long memories, you may know that we have been members of Countrywide and then Sesame for 19 years. Jane and I have now decided that with the changes taking place in the Financial Services market, that this is no longer the most suitable way for us to be authorised as Financial Advisers.

Accordingly, from the 4th January 2011, we will become authorised direct with the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Membership of Countrywide and then Sesame has been extremely helpful to us over the years but as you may have realised, our company has grown quite significantly in the last couple of years.

We will shortly have 6 Independent Financial Advisers in our team, all with advanced qualifications and with the transition that we have made towards fee based advice we felt that this was no longer compatible with Sesame Network membership.

We have already received approval from the FSA to make this change and from your point of view it will be business as usual and you will not notice any changes at all on a day to day basis.

We look forward to providing you with advice for many years to come