St James’s Place Wealth Management has built a solid reputation in wealth management services since it was established by Sir Mark Weinberg, Mike Wilson CBE, and Lord Rothschild in 1991. A FTSE 250 company, the firm currently manages over GBP34 billion of client assets.
“We are committed to helping clients manage their wealth in a way which reflects their personal circumstances, now and in the future, by putting them firmly at the centre of everything we do and providing personal face-to-face wealth management advice they can trust,” comments Tony Dunk, St James’s Place Marketing Director, when asked to describe the firm’s company philosophy.
Indeed, at the heart of the firm are its advisers, known collectively as the Partnership. With an average of 18 years’ industry experience. The focus they bring is clear: to provide clients with robust financial advice, involve them in every single decision, and foster long-term working relationships.
“Our Partners focus on maintaining long term face-to-face relationships with their clients who can be secure in the knowledge that the advice is backed by a FTSE 250 company. Our business model includes succession planning, ensuring our clients have support and service over the years to come. With many organisations now withdrawing their client-facing advisory services, we firmly believe that face-to-face advice, supported by regular communication, will continue to help our clients make well-informed decisions,” says Dunk.
St James’s Place works closely with clients to provide a comprehensive and dedicated wealth management service, ranging from retirement planning through to estate preservation and protection, working with a number of best-of-breed providers in the industry.
This service also includes their distinct approach to investment management, designed to help clients build investment portfolios and access an extensive range of funds. St James’s Place does not employ its own investment managers. Instead, all investment managers are externally chosen: the responsibility of which falls on the firm’s Investment Committee. The Investment Committee is advised by leading investment research consultancy, Stamford Associates. This sets the firm apart from others. It is, in effect, providing clients with two layers of due diligence.
Each manager’s investment style and strategy is carefully considered before the Investment Committee adds a new fund to the portfolio. Performance is continually monitored. If confidence in a manager is lost, they will be replaced. A written report is provided to clients every six months, detailing the investment steps taken and any changes made.
“Our clients now have access to over 30 high-quality investment managers from around the world,” confirms Dunk. “The view of our Investment Committee is that a broad diversification across asset classes, geographies and investment management styles within an investment portfolio will serve to mitigate risk and help our clients achieve their financial goals.”
Looking ahead for the rest of 2013, Dunk comments: “We have good momentum across all aspects of the business and are therefore confident in our ability to continue our growth in line with our medium term objectives in 2013 and beyond.”
On winning the award, Dunk concludes: “We are all delighted as the award serves to validate our approach to wealth management and the importance we place on client relationships. I would particularly like to thank all Wealth Adviser’s readers who supported us.”
