Corbel Partners

Corbel Partners, support for financial advisers in Warrington

Corbel Partners Limited is a firm based in Warrington (Cheshire) that provides support services to financial advisers and advice firms across the UK. The company presents itself as a partner that supports advisers at every stage of their business, with the aim of helping them maintain their independence and dedicate their time to their client relationships. It is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and registered in England and Wales with number 05280582.

Adviser profiles it targets

The site identifies several starting points that a financial advice professional may find themselves at:

• Advisers with at least two years of experience who want to set up their own firm and take control of their future.
• Those responsible for an existing advice business who are not getting what they need from their current network.
• Firms with direct authorisation for whom that status has become a burden.
• Individual advisers who do not want to set up their own structure but are looking for a change.
• Professionals who do not yet feel the time is right to go it alone, although they plan to, and need support to get there.
• Advisers concerned that their current firm may remove their independence and restrict how they advise their clients.

Compliance, paraplanning and other services

The firm offers compliance support and paraplanning services, both to individual advisers and to firms that need occasional extra capacity. Its approach to compliance is described as common sense: it aims to ensure advisers meet their obligations without losing the ability to provide good advice. In addition, the company states that it brings compliance support and other services, such as paraplanning, together under one roof so that the business can grow.

Among the services it mentions are regular bulletins and CPD (continuing professional development) sessions, designed to keep advisers up to date with regulatory changes in the sector.

Independence and relationship with the adviser

Corbel Partners declares itself a supporter of independent advice and maintains that this independence produces better outcomes for clients. The company states that it does not have multiple layers of middle management, so advisers can speak directly to the people they need at any given time. In its corporate presentation it notes that more than 150 advisers have benefited from its support since 2005.

Team and testimonials

The site provides access to the team structure and to the profiles of several adviser partners who explain their experience with the firm: Suzanne O’Connor, Tracey Plant, Matthew Fleming and Thornton Holmes. The company also publishes a blog with content of interest to financial advisers; among the posts available at the time of analysis was an article on Plan 1 and Plan 2 student debt and its relevance to financial planning.

Contact and scope of operation

The firm serves advisers throughout the UK and its information is aimed at UK consumers, as it is based on UK legislation and regulation. It has a complaints procedure available to anyone who requests it and, if a complaint cannot be resolved with the company, the client may refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

750 Mandarin Court, Warrington, Cheshire WA1 1GG · Phone: 01925 637891 · Email: hello@corbelpartners.co.uk