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WIRRAL LIFE TALK TO WILL CUNNINGHAM
ABOUT WEALTH MANAGEMENT
Tell us a little about yourself.
I have worked in financial services from the age of sixteen. University wasn’t
for me and I wanted to get into work as soon as possible, and felt that becoming
professionally qualified and gaining relevant work experience would stand
me in better stead than a University degree. I have worked for some of the
major UK and international banks holding senior management positions
within them, and my last banking roll was providing technical financial
advice to the bank’s clients within their high net worth proposition. In 2013
I was delighted to accept an invitation to join the prestigious St.James’s Place
Wealth Management, and my client base has grown consistently since then
to the extent that I opened my own office in Heswall in August last year.
Why did you choose Heswall?
I am born and bred on the Wirral and think that it is a fantastic part of
the country. I live locally and feel that having a local perspective helps
me to understand the needs of local people irrespective of their personal
backgrounds or financial positions. I chose Heswall as I feel that it is ideally
located for the Wirral as a whole and provides easy access to other areas of
the North West as my clients range in location from Crewe in the South to
Edinburgh in the North. I have been welcomed by the local community and
especially by the local business community whom I have settled in amongst.
I firmly believe that Wirral businesses should support each other.
What is wealth management and what are the main concerns that people
have when they come to you?
Financial services can be very complicated and we were never taught this at
school. I guess my job is to help people through this maze and to work with
them to help them identify their needs, then come up with tailored solutions
to work towards their goals. The concerns that people have will vary greatly
according to their circumstances; for example, a young couple with a small
family may need to ensure that they have proper protection in place in
case anything were to happen, whilst simultaneously planning for their
children’s further education. At the other end of the scale, clients who have
built personal wealth will want to ensure that this is giving them the best
returns, and helping them to enjoy a full and enriching retirement. Another
major concern amongst the so-called baby-boomers is how they can help
the younger members of their family become financially stable using their
own wealth. This is becoming known as Intergenerational Wealth Planning.
Inheritance tax could have a major implication here and again it is important
to measure whether clients have taken the appropriate action, even if this is
as simple as making sure they have wills in place and that these are up to
date.* It is always worthwhile sitting down and having a chat.
Why did you choose St. James’s Place and what makes them different?
St. James’s Place has grown to be one of the largest Wealth Management
businesses in the UK, currently with more than £90 billion of clients’ funds
under management. They have achieved consistent growth year on year, not
only with client funds under management but also in the numbers of staff
and advisers. We work with some of the top investment specialists from
the UK and worldwide, many of which are high street names. The ethos of
22 wirrallife.com
St. James’s Place is to work as a Partnership to deliver face to face advice. I am
able to get to know my clients very well, forming long-standing relationships
with both their family members, and even with their wider circle of friends
and colleagues. I am humbled by the fact that many clients trust me enough
to refer my services to their family and friends. The whole of the St. James’s
Place infrastructure is geared up to help me help my clients. It’s as simple
as that. As well as my own expertise, I can call on the services of many
specialists in the areas of pensions, tax, trusts and anything else that could
arise.* If there is something that I’m not sure of, there is a specialist that I can
contact. A major feature from a client’s point of view is that St. James’s Place
guarantee** the advice of its Partners, providing clients with total peace of
mind.
Can you tell me about the St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation?
This is one of the things that particularly attracted me to St. James’s Place,
both as an adviser and as a client. Helping people in need is a critical part of
who we are at St. James’s Place and it is central to our culture. A staggering
90% of Employees and Partners make a monthly donation from their salary
through a monthly covenant, which is a unique level of commitment that
has been recognised by the government. Last year was a special anniversary
year within the business, with the money raised by the partnershi p, and the
matching donations made by St. James’s Place, £17.1 million was raised for
charities, taking the cumulative total to £71.4 million raised in total. The
foundation has local ambassadors which means that in addition to some
national projects a lot of this money is donated on a local basis. Here on
the Wirral for example, amongst many other projects, the new Birkenhead
Hive, which supports young people, and Claire House have been major
beneficiaries. I am really proud to be part of this.
What should people do who are looking for financial advice?
People are often not sure if, or when, they should seek financial advice. It
doesn’t really matter which stage of your life cycle that you are in; it is always
worthwhile to consider your circumstances, and perhaps look to have these
reviewed by a professional. As with your local GP, a financial health ‘check-
up’ can often be very valuable. If you would like to get in touch with our
Practice for further information on what advice services we can offer, our
office is on Telegraph Road in Heswall, or you would be welcome to call us
on 0151 958 0496.
The value of an investment with St. James’s Place will be directly linked to the
performance of the funds you select and the value can therefore go down as
well as up. You may get back less than you invested.
* Trusts are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
** St. James’s Place guarantees the suitability of the advice given by members of the Partnership when
recommending any of the wealth management products and services available from companies in the group,
more details of which are set out on the group’s website at www.sjp.co.uk/products.
Will Cunningham Wealth Management represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is
authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the group’s
wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the group’s website at www.sjp.
co.uk/products. The ‘St. James’s Place Partnership’ and the title ‘Partner Practice’ are marketing terms used to
describe St. James’s Place representatives.