We discuss the highlights of the past year – and what we anticipate in the year to come…
From welcoming new team members to hosting our biggest ever charity events to celebrating top accolades, 2019 was a memorable year here at The Financial Options Group.
In the spring, we offered an all new Estate Planning seminar, covering the ways in which prudent and relevant planning today may benefit those looking to protect their hard-earned assets for the next generation. Held at the Village Hotel, Bury, the event included an informative presentation and Q&A portion, after which attendees were given the opportunity to speak with advisers one-to-one.
Over the summer, trainee paraplanner Amy joined our team. Amy, who previously worked for a Small Self-Administered Scheme (SSAS) pension provider, holds a BSc (Hons) in International Business Management. Since she began working with us, she’s proved that she never shies away from a challenge, and does all she can to ensure clients are well looked after.
Supporting charities
With an economy and political climate hampered by ongoing uncertainty, hundreds of families across Bury and Greater Manchester are in need of a helping hand. Since we launched our Charitable Foundation in memory of Betty Pepper in autumn 2018, we have steadily increased the scope of the support we lend to local charities. This includes volunteering days such as PA Melissa’s mornings spent at Porch Boxes, in-office support drives such as our “dress down day” for Aplastic Anaemia Trust as well as our staff’s frequent participation in walks and races in support of worthwhile causes.
In September, we held our biggest charity event to date, as more than 350 people gathered at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate for a gala dinner with champagne reception, three-course meal, live auction and a performance by funk saxophonist DaxOnSax. Our sold-out event raised £32,000 – nearly double the total raised at our 2018 golf day event, which was held jointly with Cardinal Maritime.
In October, we sponsored the Pride of Bury Fundraising Hero Award and were proud to present the award to Gemma and Danny Morgan on the night.
Press and Awards
As the year neared its close, our momentum only grew. In November, our own Sarah Kendell provided expert comment in an Employee Benefits Magazine feature. To read the article on how pensions advice provided to employees should differ depending on the phase of life the employee is in, just click here.
Perhaps most excitingly, our nationwide financial planning network, Quilter Group, was awarded the #1 top spot in FTAdviser’s Top 100 Financial Advisers 2019 rankings. We were delighted to join Quilter in celebrating this achievement as a founding member of the network, which works with us to provide the very best value and highest quality financial planning advice to our clients.
The year to come
Can we make 2020 an even better year than 2019? Well, that’s a tough task, but we will certainly do our best. To kick off the year, we’ve got a new team member joining our ranks. And this March, we’ll be supporting the second annual ball from Hyndburn-based charity Ynot Aspire, which is a cause that is very close to the heart of our own Paul Breaks. Paul became involved with the charity in 2018 and in 2019 ran the Marathon Des Sables as part of his many fundraising activities, through which he raised more than £11,000 for the charity.
We’re looking forward seeing what the year brings as we continue to build outstanding relationships with our existing clients and as we welcome new clients to the Financial Options Group family.
Plus, we’ll be continuing our work in support of charities in Bury and beyond.
It’s a new year and a new decade… let’s make it a great one!