Tag Archives: wealth planning

Finance and Banking, News, Training & Apprenticeships, Transport

‘Big Sister’ mentoring role for Clarion Wealth Planning’s Ella Davies

A chartered financial planner at Clarion Wealth Planning has begun a mentoring role as a ‘Big Sister’ to a teenage girl in a programme run by the award-winning social enterprise Girls Out Loud.

After undergoing training earlier in the summer, Ella Davies has teamed up with a Year Eight pupil for the year-long programme to help boost the youngster’s self-confidence and aspirations in a series of one-to-one sessions.

The programme was launched at the Co-op Academy Manchester, where Ella was introduced to her ‘Little Sister’.

Ella said: “I’m proud, excited and thrilled to be involved in the programme and to act as a role model to my ‘Little Sister’. It’s a privilege, and I am looking forward very much to spending time with her.

“She wants to be part of the programme to have someone to talk to, to be there just for her and someone to trust.

“It’s a big responsibility, but it is a great way of giving back and hopefully making a positive difference.

“She is super active and very bright but feels frustrated in school. She hopes to be a forensic scientist, so we spoke about how she can harness her energy and learn to enjoy her lessons, which will help her to meet her career aspirations.”

Ella added: “At Clarion we are committed to changing lives for the better through supporting our local communities and good causes in a variety of different ways, and this is another illustration of that commitment.”

Girls Out Loud, founded by Jane Kenyon, is dedicated to helping teenage girls to achieve their goals by boosting their confidence, emotional resilience, self-assurance and self-esteem.

The Big Sister programme sees role models from diverse backgrounds mentoring girls to embed a more empowering mindset in them.

Jane said: “Our teen girls are navigating a challenging landscape today and having someone to listen and talk to and can help them with a myriad of decisions and options they face on a daily basis.

“Our Big Sisters are smart female role models committed to being that guide. They create a very special relationship with no judgement or agenda, and become a young girl’s champion, encouraging and guiding her to find her voice, her self-belief, her gumption and her aspiration.

“Interestingly, after over a decade of leading this programme, I also see many of our Big Sisters go on the same journey of discovery, as the process of mentoring a teen girl is a self-reflective one and creates learning and development opportunities for both mentor and mentee.”

Clarion, which is based in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, provides lifelong financial planning to business owners and families across the north west and beyond.

News

Young golfers receive boost from Clarion Wealth Planning

A financial planning firm is investing in Cheshire’s top young golfers with a three-year sponsorship of a professional junior coaching programme.

Clarion Wealth Planning is supporting the Cheshire Union of Golf Clubs as it looks to develop the county’s next generation of golfing aces.

Cheshire is the fourth largest golfing county in England and nearly 100 clubs are affiliated to the Union.

Clarion’s sponsorship means that the most promising 11-13-year-olds drawn from affiliated clubs will be offered regular coaching lessons with a professional. The programme starts this month and will be run by Mark Johnson, PGA professional at Styal Golf Club.

Sessions will take place at Styal, Marton Meadows, Mottram Hall and Formby Hall and will provide practical coaching in putting, pitching and wedge shots, trajectory and distance control, as well as areas including match preparation and the importance of nutrition and hydration.

Putting coaching will be provided by a representative from Phil Kenyon Putting Academy. Phil is renowned as a top putting coach and his team has worked with some of the world’s best golfers, including Rory McIlroy.

David Horsey, the north west golfer who plays on the European Tour, will also attend a number of coaching sessions during the programme cycle.

David Durling, chairman of CUGC, said: “Thanks to the sponsorship provided by Clarion, there are many young golfers who will have the opportunity to go through this programme.

“Previously, we have focused on the 14-18s age bracket, but we recognise by that time they need to be better if we are to compete against other counties and produce future world-class stars.

“By offering this opportunity to 11-13-year-olds, they will be on the right track working with some top coaches from an earlier age.

“Few young players make it to Tour, but learning to play golf well gives lifelong value. It teaches self-discipline, concentration, connections, social skills, and a love of fresh air.

“It is a great leveller; I can enjoy a great game with a decent county player – even at my age – with the handicap system.”

Clarion chairman Keith Thompson said: “Investing as early as possible in young players will give them the springboard to the best possible future. Clarion is committed to the concept of supporting young people early on in life so they can reap the rewards of their hard work as they progress.”

Clarion, which is based in Alderley Edge, provides lifelong financial planning to business owners and families across the north west and beyond.

Carbon Reduction, News, Sustainability

Clarion Wealth Planning brings forward carbon neutral plans

Clarion Wealth Planning is accelerating its plans to become carbon neutral as part of a new initiative called Best Service, Best Workplace, Best World.

The company had been aiming for carbon neutral status by next April but is now expecting to achieve the milestone by the autumn.

Clarion, which is based in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, is working with Carbon Neutral Britain, an organisation which helps businesses and individuals to offset their environmental footprint and achieve carbon neutral status by investing in renewable energy sources, tree planting and other green schemes worldwide.

Alongside this, Clarion has made electric vehicle ownership more cost effective for staff by introducing a car leasing salary sacrifice scheme. Clarion also plants 10 trees for every new client gained, and has implemented measures to reduce energy usage at its offices.

Founder Ron Walker said: “We are committed to creating better lives for our clients, colleagues and our community. It’s at the very core of our values.

“As part of this, we recently launched our Best Service, Best Workplace, Best World programme, and our goal of becoming carbon neutral by the autumn forms part of this.

“We felt it necessary to stand up and be counted and accelerate our strategy to reduce our carbon footprint. Every step taken to tackle climate change is a positive one.”

Clarion, which has 20 staff, provides lifelong financial planning to business owners and families across the north west and beyond.

As part of its Best World strategy and alongside its green measures, the firm supports the Clarion Welsby Family Foundation charity, which donates to worthy local and national causes and community projects.

The charity has supported the Climb High project, run by Adventures Await, which introduces young people with disabilities from Cheshire and Greater Manchester to indoor climbing, helping to build their confidence and skills to improve their physical and mental health and employability.

Another charity to benefit is Dog A.I.D, which trains family pets to become specialist assistance dogs for their physically disabled owners.

Meanwhile, chartered financial planner Ella Davies has become a mentor to teenage girls on a programme organised by the charity Girls Out Loud.

Clarion has introduced a raft of new employee benefits under its Best Workplace banner, including more flexible working, private medical insurance, a doubling of matched pension contributions, and free gym membership.

Now, following a staff survey seeking suggestions for ways in which the firm could help them develop new personal skills, Clarion is introducing private Spanish and Italian lessons for employees during work time.

Ron said: “We work hard and get on with the job, and do fantastic things as a company for our clients, and we want people to enjoy the journey with us and develop as individuals.

“It’s not all about work or business in our drive to be the best workplace. No-one is under the thumb for 12 hours a day. We treat people as grown-ups and they are able to come and go and work flexibly.

“We see past the 9-5 and recognise the importance of looking after our team. We have good quality people, and we want them to enjoy a good work-life balance.

“As well as being known as the best financial planning practice, we want to be known as the best place to work.

“Our approach is key to ensuring the commitment and loyalty of the people who are here, and helps us to attract recruits of the highest quality.”

Ron added: “In the financial planning world, the service we provide to our clients is unrivalled in terms of depth, quality, and the degree of time and attention we give to them.

“We really work with them to achieve their life goals, and this is the Best Service aspect of our initiative. It’s central to our growth plans, as is the Best Workplace aspect.

“And it’s our responsibility to do what we can for the Best World.”

Awards, Finance and Banking, News, North of England

Clarion Wealth Planning scoops national award

Clarion Wealth Planning is celebrating after its paraplanning team won a national accolade.

Cheshire-based Clarion scooped the Paraplanner Team of the Year honour at the Professional Paraplanner Awards 2022, which were held in London.

It was the first time the awards have been held in person since the start of the pandemic. They were judged by experts from across the industry.

Alistair Cartwright, head of advice delivery at Clarion, who leads the paraplanning team, said: “I am so happy and proud of the team for winning this award. I’m delighted that the hard work and care we put in on behalf of our clients has been recognised in the industry.”

Adam Wareing, operations director at Clarion, said: “It’s a fantastic achievement to be named team of the year. We have a brilliant team and this honour is external recognition of the high standards we hold.

“The way in which we operate means our paraplanners couldn’t have achieved this success without the assistance of our entire team contributing and working in harmony, so in this way it reflects the tremendous efforts of everyone at Clarion.”

Paraplanners at Alderley Edge-based Clarion work closely with the firm’s team of financial planners to help build bespoke financial strategies for clients.

Alistair said the firm’s highly-qualified and trusted paraplanners are the vanguard of Clarion’s advice process and use their technical skills to help clients achieve their objectives via lifelong cash flow planning.

“Alongside our financial planners, they build relationships with clients to find out what they really want and help them to achieve their goals,” he said.

“The pandemic has seen a sea change in terms of bringing new financial objectives to the fore, such as selling a business or helping children and grandchildren, and we have been able to help clients adapt their plans to accommodate their desires in a caring and professional way.

“Our team has grown in recent months with new staff and this award demonstrates that Clarion is a great place to be a paraplanner.”

Professional Paraplanner editor Rob Kingsbury said: “The Clarion team impressed the judges with the solidarity of the team, including their shared responsibility and accountability for the service they deliver. It was clear also that the team does not stand still but is always looking at how it can improve on the service it provides.

“What most impressed the judges was the team’s focus on ensuring the end client, the customer of the firm, receives the very best service and outcomes from the advice they are given.”

Finance and Banking, News, North of England

Clarion Group achieves record year

An influx of new clients as business owners reassess their financial goals as a result of the pandemic has helped wealth planning and investment management firm Clarion Group achieve a record annual performance.

Group turnover in the year to April 30 rose from £3.4m to £3.7m.

Clarion, founded in 1985 by Ron Walker, added five staff during the year in line with its expansion.

The recruits, including chartered financial planner Ella Davies and compliance director Robin Townsend, took staff numbers to 20. Further recruitment is under way to cater for rising demand for Clarion’s services.

Clarion is based in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, and provides lifelong financial planning to business owners and families across the north west and beyond.

The group comprises Clarion Wealth Planning and Clarion Investment Management, which provides discretionary investment management services to clients.

Ron said Clarion had welcomed a record number of new clients during the year to April.

He said: “This growth has been partly driven by referrals from existing clients, which is testament to the excellent service our team provides. We have also worked in collaboration with other professionals such as accountants and solicitors to add further value to clients and achieve the best possible outcomes.

“In addition, the pandemic has undoubtedly led people to reassess their financial position, resulting in more people requiring high-calibre advice in respect of their lifetime goals.

“We have seen more clients looking to exit their businesses, more looking to retire, and some just feeling they require a more in-depth financial planning service.”

Ron said Clarion’s business model ensures a robust process for clients. Each adviser has a dedicated paraplanner and administrator, giving them more time to focus on their clients’ bespoke requirements.

“We get to know our clients intimately, with many having been with us for decades,” he said.

“We aim to include the whole family in our lifelong financial planning process, focusing on the long term with cashflow forecasts running through to the client’s 100th birthday.

“This approach gives them clarity, confidence and certainty that they can enjoy life to the full now as well as long into the future, and that they will have sufficient wealth to ride out bumps in the road and achieve their objectives.”

He added: “We are extremely pleased with our strong group performance but also, and perhaps more importantly, to have achieved excellent outcomes for our clients despite the wider economic picture.

“We have ambitious and significant growth plans for the business and the latest financial year has seen us make good progress in this regard.”