MULTI- AWARD WINNING FINANCIAL ADVICE FOR EXPATS
Jessica Cook LLB (Hons) DipFA
Private Client Adviser | AES International
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Financial consulting services that are catered specifically to clients needs.
Take a look below at the services and get in touch to achieve immediate and measurable results.
FAQ
The Answers You Need
OFFSHORE BANKING ADVICE FOR EXPATS
Keep Your Money Safe
You will benefit from an offshore account if you live outside your home country, frequently move between countries, or are perhaps thinking of retiring abroad. Stronger depositor protection can be found in offshore jurisdictions such as the Isle of Man and Guernsey. Offshore banking can bring with it a whole host of additional benefits Benefits such as cheaper and easier currency conversion or discretionary portfolio management.
They will often also provide a full range of customized lending services including structured lending and lending against property.
ACCESS TO LOW COST ETF'S AND PASSIVE PORTFOLIOS
The Path To Success
Clients benefit from access to an In-house investment committee. The committee ensures all clients receive robust, well-researched, professional investment advice, delivered in a consistent, coherent manner.
Constant analysis is provided on important areas such as market performance, fund managers, investment performance and macro-economic data. The investment management approach offers clients a diversified investment proposition where overall risk control is achieved by the careful selection with low cost passive index funds and ETF's at the core of most portfolios.
PENSION TRANSFER SPECIALIST - SIPP'S AND QROPS
Expert Guidance
The pensions landscape is continually changing, with amendments to legislation, coupled with ever changing tax rules.
Work with a pension transfer specialist who has specific knowledge of the UK pensions landscape and works closely with technical pension teams to help clients make the correct choice for their circumstances.
The UK Government has only recently made sweeping changes to pension regulations. Whether or not you should transfer your UK pension will depend on your unique set of circumstances.
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Although there are many benefits to both QROPS and SIPP's, in some cases, it is more suitable to stay in your current scheme.
Which option is right for you is dependent on varying factors.
ASSET AND WEALTH MANAGEMENT
A Comprehensive Approach
As expatriates we have great opportunity to save money for the future. Whether it's for your children's education or a comfortable and enjoyable retirement. Whatever your financial goals, it is important that you are financially prepared and have adequate provisions in place to help you fulfill a happy and secure future.
Essential in the financial planning process is to predict what your long-term financial security looks like and how it can vary according to your current and future decisions. By studying your assets, liabilities income and expenditure, alongside an in-depth understanding of your future goals, we create a customized financial plan.
This plan incorporates a lifetime cash flow analysis, which gives clients a clear indication of how their investments need to perform, to maintain a desired standard of living and to take account of different life stages
LIFE AND CRITICAL ILLNESS INSURANCE
Protect Yourself And Your Loved Ones
Protecting yourself and your family against unforeseen circumstances is something everyone should consider. Whether it’s protecting against premature death, providing for dependents or protecting against a critical illness. We all insure our cars and our homes but many forget that without personal insurance families can be caught short.
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Life insurance polices can provide cash when it’s needed the most. Delivering a specified sum of money at an exact time of need. Life Insurance is for the living. Should anything happen to you, the insurance you have purchased is in place to protect and provide financial relief for those who must carry on without you.
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Perhaps it is arguably even more important for expats living outside of their home country. Especially with the potnetial complications of relocation, high living costs and private medical bills.
TAX AND ESTATE PLANNING
Help To Reduce Potential Tax Liabilities
Benjamin Franklin was right when he said the only two certainties in life are death and taxes. And when it comes to inheritance tax, the two things collide.
Inheritance planning is essential, as without taking adequate steps you could be liable to leave behind a 40% inheritance tax bill to your loved ones and beneficiaries when you die.
That is why it is so important to work out what you may be liable for on death.
Only by planning effectively and in advance can you be sure that you have taken the necessary steps available to you to mitigate the inheritance tax bill as much as possible
Below are some of the finance questions that I get posed the most. Contact me if you would like advice on your unique set of circumstances. I frequently write articles and blogs and record podcasts. Click the read more button below to head to the blog.
SHOULD I TRANSFER MY UK PENSION?
Whether or not transferring your pension is the right decision will depend on your unique set of circumstances.
Possible areas of consideration include:
Your preferred retirment date
Whether you have other pension benefits or investments available to fund your retirement
Longevity
Succession planning
Flexibility
Tax free cash available
Leaving residual funds to your beneficairies as well as tax considerations.
HOW DO I CHOOSE THE BEST FINANCIAL ADVISER IN DUBAI?
Who are the best financial advisers in Dubai? And how do you go about selecting the right adviser for you?
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The very first thing you need to ensure, is that the firm you are going to be working with is regulated by a proper financial regulator (i.e. one that enforces high standards and it’s rules)
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As an example, in the UK the regulator is the FCA (the Financial Conduct Authority),in the US it is the SEC, in Singapore the MAS and here in Dubai the regulator in the DFSA - the Dubai Financial Services Authority
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Make sure that the financial adviser you are dealing with is professionally qualified to the right standards. This should be at least the equivalent of UK level 4. They should be able to clearly evidence this, alongside a history of providing regulated financial advice.
There are over 4,000 financial advisers throughout the UAE and not all of them are properly qualified.
HOW DO I KEEP MY INVESTMENT COSTS LOW?
Look for low cost index, passive portfolios and ETF's which are almost always less costly than actively managed funds.
Keeping the TER (total expense ratio) of your portfolio to a minimum is key.
TESTIMONIALS
"Jessica saved me a significant amount of tax"
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'Ive met many financial advisers over the years but can honestly say Jessica has the highest integrity and ability of any financial adviser I've met to date. She listens carefully, understands exactly what my objectives and risk appetite are before providing appropriate and alternative options. Her timely advice saved me a significant amount in tax and she is now entrusted with managing the pension pot I worked so hard to build over the last 25 years.
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Neil Irwin - Global Head of Distribution at Cignia
