Pareto Financial Planning

Independent financial planning from Manchester

Pareto Financial Planning Ltd is an independent financial advice firm headquartered in Manchester city centre. The company was founded in 2008 by John Stevenson and George Chantry and reports continuous year-on-year growth since then. Its own account describes a team of more than sixty people, including 23 advisers, and places the firm in the North West of England. The business states that it is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and registered in England and Wales.

The firm presents itself as an award-winning financial planning practice and says it was named in the FTAdviser Top 100 Advisers in the UK. It works with both private individuals and business leaders, and frames its approach around understanding a client's short, medium and long-term aspirations before recommending a course of action.

Advice for individuals

For private clients, the firm structures its offer around a set of stated goals rather than a single product. The areas it lists are:

• Investment and savings planning for those seeking to grow wealth.
• Pensions and retirement planning.
• Protection, including personal protection, to safeguard what a client has built.
• Inheritance tax planning for passing on wealth.
• Tax planning aimed at making the most of available allowances.
• Cash flow modelling to visualise a financial future.

The advisers are described as working with each client to establish their current situation and appetite for risk, with advice tailored to personal circumstances and objectives. The stated relationship spans setting long-term goals and working towards targeted growth through to retirement and drawing an income.

Services for businesses and employee benefits

On the corporate side, Pareto covers business protection, succession planning for owners preparing to exit, and employee benefits. The employee benefits range is set out in some detail and includes group pension schemes, pension salary exchange, private medical insurance (PMI), group income protection, group critical illness cover, a health cash plan, group life assurance and financial education sessions. The firm also offers cash flow planning in the business context and presents employee pension schemes as a way to help staff plan for retirement.

How the advice process is presented

The firm describes a robust advice process carried out by its independent financial advisers with support from specialist technical and administrative staff. It states that it assesses all client requirements in full before delivering advice, and that it uses current systems to maintain service standards. The published team includes independent financial advisers, chartered financial planners, a managing director and the two founders; John Stevenson is listed with an MBE.

Two offices

Pareto operates from a registered office in Manchester and a second office in London. The Manchester base is The Old Schoolhouse, 5-7 Byrom Street, Manchester M3 4PF. The London office is on the 7th Floor, 20 St Andrew Street, London EC4A 3AG.

Other activity

Alongside its advisory work, the firm publishes a podcast titled All Matters Financial and maintains a resource hub, insights and blog section. It also runs a careers strand, including a Future in Finance programme, and a partners channel aimed at other professionals who wish to offer financial advice to their own clients.