FINANCE
Finance firm expands to new Yarm premises after acquisition
Infinity and beyond – Tony named his financial firm after the famous
Stockton bridge .
There seems no end to the ambition of flourishing Infinity Finance Group .
For after a whirlwind first three years , it has now negotiated the capture of one of Teesside ’ s most respected independent financial businesses .
Since 2004 , North Ormesby-based Alpha Independent Financial Planning Group has built up a loyal customer base .
With experienced financial adviser John Murphy at the helm , it has earned a reputation for providing impartial and trusted advice to its clientele .
And it ’ s those qualities which led Infinity Finance Group managing director Tony Insall to see Alpha as the perfect “ fit ” for his expanding company .
Teesside dad-of-two Tony set up his firm three years ago when , having worked within financial services for seven years , he discovered a real aptitude for the industry .
Named after the iconic , eye-catching bridge which crosses the River Tees at Stockton , Infinity Finance Group has quickly grown from effectively being a one-man band to a firm boasting a financial director , four main consultants and a team of 10 “ introducers ”.
And while the firm has grown hugely in those first three years , it ’ s just the start of the story , with the Alpha acquisition the next big chapter .
Tony said : “ It ’ s been a fantastic start for us . We ’ re still acquiring new clients locally and from all over the country , which has been great .
“ We ’ ve been particularly successful in the construction and civil engineering fields . And with the Teesworks site redevelopment and the freeport , we ’ re hoping to be able to work with companies in this area who might be looking to take a punt on Teesside .”
Helping firms access R & D tax credits – where they are rewarded for exploring research and development possibilities – has been a big part of Infinity Finance Group ’ s business .
And it ’ s working on R & D which indirectly helped open the door to teaming up with Alpha .
Tony explained : “ One of our corporate clients , who we ’ d worked with on an R & D claim , approached us to ask if we could provide a group scheme for them – we were talking upwards of 10,000 employees .
“ They ’ d been trying for a while but were struggling to find the right company and that got me thinking about the wider opportunities we could tap into and explore .
“ I ’ d been talking to John , who was considering semi-retiring and selling the practice . The company asked if there were any other financial plans we could offer and I knew we could put them in touch with Alpha .
“ But that was the lightbulb moment – it just made perfect sense to acquire Alpha , with all the experience it had built up over the years , and expand what we could provide .”
However Tony is determined to recognise the loyalty Alpha has accumulated with its customers over the years , and so the Alpha name will remain .
He said : “ I may have bought Alpha off him but I value John ’ s expertise . He ’ s been in the business 17 years and has lots of clients , so I ’ m delighted he ’ s staying on for at least a year as practice manager . It means we get as smooth a handover as possible and ensures his clients continue to get the service they value . If you make too many changes , you risk alienating valued clients and we absolutely don ’ t want to do that .”
As a regulated financial practice , the new , bigger Infinity Finance Group , which had a Darlington postal address , legally needed an office – and Tony says the new premises in Yarm High Street fits the bill perfectly .
On the George and Dragon / Black Bull side of High Street , he ’ s taken out a twoyear lease – and he couldn ’ t be happier .
He said : “ We ’ re over the moon with it . It used to be the old Key Legal office . We ’ re a couple of doors down from Barclays and Roseberry Newhouse Lettings , next door to what used to be the Halifax bank – it ’ s a nice big office and we ’ re really excited to be moving in .
“ But we ’ re keeping the name Alpha within the Infinity brand – we bought it with a view to growing it and l ’ m confident that will happen .”
Mortgage and insurance consultant Vanessa Bennison will move across with John from Alpha . Tony says he also plans to recruit a further four independent financial advisors , two mortgage advisors and two office administrators – all new jobs for the local economy .
He said : “ This will make a big difference to us . Previously we mainly advised on protection and insurance products , but this is about offering a full financial services process – everything from investments , pensions and mortgages to insurances , tax and estate planning and corporate group schemes .
“ This is massive for us . The goal for Infinity Finance Group is to become a group offering full financial services options and acquiring Alpha takes us a huge step towards that .”
And Tony doesn ’ t intend stopping there , with thoughts turning to potentially purchasing a chartered accountancy firm . Legal services may also be another string to the Infinity bow before too long .
Certainly John Murphy is delighted to have joined the Infinity Finance Group stable .
He said : “ When I decided to sell the practice , I wanted to make sure my clients would get the same ongoing service they deserve .
“ I got into discussions with Infinity Finance Group and other companies but after several meetings with them all , I decided IFG was the company I would like to take over mine and service my clients .
“ I have every confidence the directors of IFG will take Alpha to another level . I was also happy that they asked me to manage the practice and I look forward to working with every one of them .”
And Tony says he can ’ t wait to get started on his expanding firm ’ s new era .
“ We want to maintain Alpha ’ s values that John has held dear for 17 years , the main one being that the client always comes first – that ’ s the most important thing .”
Visit infinityfinancegroup . co . uk or alphaifp . com for more details .
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