FAQs

Yes, we are an independent firm offering financial advice across the market. We will explain the scope of our advice and any limitations before you proceed.

Yes, we are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under reference 476312, and we are an appointed representative of Best Practice IFA Group Ltd. We can explain what that means for our permissions and your protections at the outset.

Yes, we can meet in person at our offices or via Zoom or Microsoft Teams. We will agree the format that suits you for each meeting.

Face-to-face meetings are usually held at our offices, and we can sometimes meet you at home when appropriate. We will confirm the location in advance.

Yes, we have reserved client parking spaces at our offices. We will share details ahead of your visit.

We have been providing financial advice since 2007. We can share relevant experience of the areas you want help with as part of the initial discussions.

We are based at Shoreham Port in Southwick, West Sussex, close to Brighton and Hove. We also work with clients across England, including by video call and phone.

All of our financial advisers are Chartered, and Bluecoat Wealth Management Ltd is a Chartered firm. Chartered status reflects higher professional standards and ongoing development.

Yes, we hold Chartered status awarded by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). This is an independent professional accreditation for firms meeting advanced standards.

We do not hold Accredited status from the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI). We hold Chartered status with the CII instead.

Yes, we have written and video testimonials about our work. You can also find feedback on VouchedFor and Google Reviews.

We are a multi-generational family firm and a Chartered practice. For clients who take an ongoing service, we do not charge an initial fee, and we explain our ongoing charges up front.

Our FCA reference number is 476312. You can use this to check our details on the FCA Register.

We often work with clients in Brighton, Hove, Shoreham, Worthing, Angmering, Littlehampton, Storrington, Horsham, and London. We also work with clients elsewhere in England.

We remove the initial fee for clients who choose our ongoing financial planning service. This means you can access expert, Chartered guidance from day one without paying upfront – something most planners still require. You can view our full breakdown, including relevant examples, on this page.

You can arrange an initial meeting through our website or by phone on 01273 839544. We will confirm the next steps and any information we need ahead of the meeting.

No, the initial meeting is complimentary. It is a chance to understand what you want to achieve and how we might work together.

We will let you know in advance what to bring to the first meeting. This helps us understand your current arrangements and priorities.

The first meeting is a chance to get to know each other and discuss your priorities. We use it to understand what you are trying to achieve, and to confirm whether we are a good fit to work together.

Please allow around 90 minutes for an initial meeting. This gives us time to cover your goals, current position, and any key questions.

No, you do not need to commit to anything at the initial meeting. You can take time afterwards to decide whether you want to work with us.

We do not currently have a female financial adviser. You will work with one of our Chartered advisers, and you will also get to know other members of the team over time.

You will get to know other members of our team as well as your adviser. If your adviser is away, another qualified adviser can assist you, using the same consistent approach we follow across the firm.

As a minimum, we meet you annually. In practice, many clients hear from us around four times a year or more, depending on what you need and what is happening in your plan.

Yes, cashflow forecasting is normally an integral part of our service. We use it to test how different decisions and market conditions could affect your long-term plans.

Your financial plan is designed to be flexible, and we can update it when your circumstances change. We will review what has changed and adjust recommendations where needed.

Yes, we regularly work with accountants, solicitors, and other professionals. With your consent, we can coordinate information so everyone is working from the same plan.

Yes, we can provide relevant information to your mortgage adviser when needed. We will only share information with your permission.

Our financial plans are built using a consistent approach across the firm. If your adviser leaves, another adviser can pick up your plan and continue to look after you with minimal disruption.

Financial plans are bespoke, but we can provide a generic example to show what a plan looks like. Your own plan will be tailored to your goals, circumstances and the solutions recommended.

Yes, you can view the value of your investments through our secure client portal, the Bluecoat Hub. The portal is designed to give you an up-to-date view of your holdings in one place.

Yes, we provide a secure online portal called the Bluecoat Hub. It lets you view your investments online and keep key documents in one place.

You will meet with your adviser at least annually. We can meet more often if your circumstances change or you want to review decisions sooner.

Please use the ‘Contact Us’ selection below. You can either call, email, or fill out the form.

We do not provide mortgage advice. We can refer you to independent mortgage brokers and, with your consent, work alongside them where information needs to be shared.

We do not advise on equity release. Where it is relevant, we refer you to independent equity release specialists.

Yes, we can advise on personal pensions. The options available will depend on your circumstances and the current rules.

We can advise on some occupational pensions. For defined benefit pension schemes, we refer you to specialists, as this is a specific regulated area.

Yes, we can help you review and, where appropriate, consolidate multiple pensions. We will consider costs, features, and any safeguards before recommending any changes.

Yes, we can advise on taking benefits from your pension in a tax-efficient way. Tax treatment depends on your circumstances and can change, and we also consider how pension choices may affect your estate, including Inheritance Tax planning.

Yes, we can help you invest in line with ethical or sustainable preferences. We will discuss what matters to you and how it may affect investment choices, and investments can go down as well as up.

Yes, we can help you invest an inheritance and consider the tax position within your wider estate planning. Tax rules depend on individual circumstances, and investments can go down as well as up.

Yes, we advise on Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs). We can advise on whether a SIPP could be suitable for your circumstances, and investments can go down as well as up.

We do not advise on final salary or defined benefit pension transfers. If this is relevant, we refer you to third-party specialists who hold the required permissions.

Yes, we provide later-life planning and are members of the Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA). We can help you plan for care and other later-life decisions as part of your overall finances.

We specialise in Inheritance Tax and estate planning. We will look at how your assets are structured and the options available under current rules, as tax treatment depends on individual circumstances.

Yes, we advise on investments including ISAs. We will explain the options and risks in plain English, and the value of investments can fall as well as rise.

Yes, we advise on protection such as life insurance, critical illness cover and income replacement. We will explain key exclusions, costs and how cover would work in practice before you proceed.

Our no initial fees arrangement, along with our overall fee structure, is explained during the complimentary Discovery Call at the start of your financial journey. If you would like further information, please contact us.

Yes, we offer a complimentary initial meeting. This is to understand what you want to achieve and whether we can help.

For clients who take an ongoing service, we do not charge an initial fee for advice. We charge an ongoing fee, typically taken from the underlying investments, and we will confirm the basis and amount before you proceed.

Our minimum investment is £250,000, which means a minimum ongoing fee of £2,500 per year. We will confirm any fees in writing, based on the service you receive.

The cost of a financial plan depends on the work involved, and we provide fee examples on our website. We will confirm the charge and what is included before you proceed.

It depends on the service you need and the shape of your financial plan. We will explain whether charges are fixed, percentage-based, or a combination, before you proceed.

We may receive commission in limited cases, typically where we recommend insurance products. If commission applies, we will disclose it clearly before you proceed.

We rarely charge VAT. It can apply where we provide a report for a pre-agreed fee and the advice is unlikely to lead to arranging a financial product.

We publish our fees and explain them clearly so you can compare like for like. Based on Which’s published research from September 2025, our fees are lower than the average UK financial advice fees they reported, although the right comparison depends on the service and circumstances.

Many firms charge an initial fee for advice as well as an ongoing fee. We do not charge an initial fee for clients who receive an ongoing service, and we believe our ongoing charges are competitive.

Our fees are set out on our website. We will also confirm the exact fees that apply to you in writing before you proceed.

Yes, we specialise in helping clients plan for early retirement. We use cashflow planning to test different scenarios, but outcomes depend on markets and your circumstances.

Yes, retirement planning is a core part of our work. We can help you understand your income options and tax considerations, and investments can go down as well as up.

We often work with professionals in their forties, fifties, and people aged 60 and over. The common thread is that clients want structured planning and ongoing advice.

Yes, we do work with some younger professionals who are still building wealth. The focus is usually on long-term planning and building an investment strategy that matches your goals and risk tolerance.

Yes, we work with company directors and self-employed clients. We can help you plan around variable income and tax considerations, and we often work alongside your accountant where needed.

Yes, we specialise in working with clients approaching retirement or already retired. We look at sustainable income, tax planning, and estate planning, including Inheritance Tax issues linked to pensions under current rules.

Yes, we specialise in helping clients who have inherited money. We focus on using it in a tax-efficient way and fitting it into your wider estate plan, bearing in mind that tax rules depend on your circumstances.

Yes, we help clients who have sold, or are selling, a business. We can help you plan what happens next, including investing proceeds and managing tax considerations under current rules.

Yes, we often support widows and widowers after a bereavement. We can help you organise the finances, review existing arrangements and make decisions at a pace that feels manageable.

Yes, we specialise in working with business owners, retirees, and professionals. Our advice is built around long-term planning, tax efficiency, and ongoing review.

No, we do not provide advice for expats or non-UK residents. If your residency status changes, we can explain whether we can continue to act and what specialist support may be needed.

Yes, we can review existing investments or pensions held elsewhere. Where it makes sense, we can recommend changes to improve efficiency, but we will always consider costs, features, and risks before you move anything.

We typically work with clients who have at least £250,000 of investable assets, or an annual income above £100,000. This reflects the level of planning and ongoing service we provide.

Many of the products and platforms we use are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, subject to eligibility rules and limits. Some specialist tax-advantaged investments may not be covered, and we will explain what protection applies before you invest.

Bluecoat is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. If you deal with a firm that is not regulated, you may not be covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service or Financial Services Compensation Scheme if things go wrong.

If you have a complaint, it will be handled through Best Practice IFA Group Ltd under their complaints process. We will explain how to raise a concern and what to expect from the process.

We keep your personal data on a secure, cloud-based system. Access is controlled and we only share information with your permission.

Yes, we have professional indemnity insurance, provided via Benchmark Capital, a subsidiary of Schroders. This cover supports our regulated advice activities.

You can check our authorisation on the FCA Register. Our FCA reference number is 476312.

Yes, we have client stories on our website. These are designed to show the type of situations we help with, without sharing private client information.

We run an annual client satisfaction survey. We use the results to review our service and identify improvements.

Yes, we have received awards and hold professional accreditations, including recognition in the New Model Adviser Top 100. We keep the current list of awards and accreditations on our website.

Yes, we are featured on VouchedFor. You can read client feedback there alongside our other reviews.

Bluecoat is a member of Best Practice, the only Chartered IFA network. Best Practice monitor processes, advice, compliance with FCA regulations, and provide Bluecoat’s PI Insurance.

All of your personal information and any information discussed during our meetings are held in the strictest confidence. Please refer to our privacy policy for more information.

Firstly, check that your financial planner is regulated and authorised by the FCA. To find out if a planner is regulated, search the FCA register here: https://register.fca.org.uk/.

A qualified, experienced, and regulated financial planner will be able to connect all of the financial dots in order to provide you with an overall plan to meet your financial goals. As an independent financial advisory firm, Bluecoat researches the whole market to include the most suitable products within your financial plan.

Bluecoat embraces technology including our client portal and back office systems, allowing us to spend more time focusing on clients. Although technology is improving and integrated into our firm, we believe that empathy, listening skills, and understanding will always remain essential qualities for advisers. Our firm is focused on the human touch while embracing the right technology.