When it comes to seeking Financial or Mortgage advice in the UK, 39% of surveyed internet users perceived the reason for this was to access the best deals. This suggests that a lot of people view advisers as comparison tools. However, there are other reasons to use a financial adviser.
In this insight, we highlight some of the main benefits of dealing with an adviser. Benefits that cannot be achieved in the same way as dealing with a Robo-advisor or comparison site.
Using a Financial Adviser can be beneficial for a number of reasons. The top reasons to use a financial adviser include:
Access to the best deals is way up the list. It is perhaps the most obvious advantage. Even comparison sites have not onboarded all of the providers that some advisers have access to. However, speaking to a Financial adviser is about advice, not about finding the best deal.
Advice is a specific recommendation to a client based on their needs. This is not always going to be the cheapest deal. Finding the cheapest deal is generally the motive for people who choose to use comparison sites. When you get caught up looking for the best-priced product, It is possible to overlook the details listed on a comparison site that are of importance to you.
For example, Early repayment charges. If it was uncovered that you, as a client, had reason to make a lump sum overpayment on your loan. It may be that the overpayment limits of the cheapest products on a comparison site are below what is required. That product would not be suitable.
Another example might be the ability to Port your mortgage. This means that if you move home, you can take your existing borrowing and the terms of your loan with you. Any additional borrowing is on new terms. It's easy to overlook detail like this when you focus purely on price, yet the best deal doesn’t always need to mean the cheapest.
We have touched on this briefly above. The key thing to highlight here is the word "Expert". Financial advice is not a conversation you want to have in the pub after a few too many pints. Find someone to help you, who is qualified, experienced, and trustworthy.
You do not get the benefit of expert advice on many online channels. Most online channels follow a non-advised service format. Should anything go wrong with your selection of product on a non-advised service, you don’t have a leg to stand on. You are basing your decisions on whatever you have chosen, and there isn't documentation to support the reasons why.
If you do end up with the wrong product for your needs it could become very costly with little support to correct it.
One of the unspoken benefits of seeking Financial Advice is that It Saves Time.
Advisors have support channels and contacts with lenders/product providers that allow them to bypass a lot of waiting on hold. More importantly, that saves you as the client, your valuable time. You now have a point of direct contact who can liaise on your behalf with the stakeholders involved. Thinking in terms of a mortgage, that can end up being quite a few stakeholders involved. Solicitors, Estate agents, lenders, Vendors, and Purchasers. Time spent dealing with all of the information requests can start to add up.
They can address complex personal circumstances (e.g self-employment, debt consolidation).
No two clients are the same. Why should financial advice be? Often it is the case with a comparison tool search that the search results are of products that are designed to suit as many people as possible.
The headache comes when your circumstances are slightly out of the ordinary and the application could turn into an admin nightmare. For example, if you are self-employed. You may input your income as one figure, yet what you can verify through your returns or accounts could be very different. The outcome is a failed application, plus your time wasted. Speaking to an advisor they can consider these individual circumstances in their recommendation. It could look like a different lender, or possibly a different loan amount. Maybe just a quicker completion. If choosing the right mortgage advisor to seek advice means being verified correctly, it could be the difference between completing the purchase of your dream home or not.
There are also other areas of your finances that may need to be included in your review. Such as for your Debts. Financial advisors/mortgage advisors will complete a fact find to understand all of your financial circumstances. For some people, consolidating debts may allow a reset of their finances. Something that may not have been considered going direct and alone to a lender.
Finances are complicated. We all spend a lot of brain power being experts in our own fields. Whatever your skills are, it's difficult to research and understand a completely different industry and its processes. A mortgage advisor could explain these processes in a clear and personal way.
Ultimately, there are many more reasons to seek financial advice or mortgage advice from an expert. No matter what your financial situation is, talking to an experienced professional is a good idea. Especially from the list above, you can see how that could benefit you in ways you may not have considered.
Using a financial adviser can be worthwhile to understand your goals, assess your financial needs, and take action in your best interests. But, It depends on your specific situation and finding the right adviser who aligns with your needs. If these factors are in place, it can be a good financial investment.
Sunny Avenue work with a network of independent Financial, Mortgage, Insurance, & Later life advisers who are ready to help. You can find yourself a UK Financial Adviser within our directory, or use our Sunny Avenue Fact Find to help us help you. That way, advisers will begin to understand what is important to you. Helping you along your journey to ensuring your finances are managed as best as possible.
Stuart is an expert in Property, Money, Banking & Finance, having worked in retail and investment banking for 10+ years before founding Sunny Avenue. Stuart has spent his career studying finance. He holds qualifications in financial studies, mortgage advice & practice, banking operations, dealing & financial markets, derivatives, securities & investments.
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