International Adviser talks to Stephen Rankine, a financial adviser with expat specialists Blevins Franks, who is based in Portugal.
Can you tell us about yourself?
I’m 42 and I live in the town of Ponte de Lima between Porto and Vigo in Northern Portugal. I’m a CII chartered financial planner with a law degree and previously worked in Britain at NFU Mutual and a firm of IFAs in Aberdeen.
I now cover central and northern Portugal as well as Galicia in Spain and have fully settled in Portugal with my wife and two children. The children attend local schools to learn the language and culture and to make Portuguese friends. We lived in the Lisbon area for three years before heading North.
What areas of advice do you focus on?
I have an in-depth understanding of the Portuguese tax system and its interaction with the UK’s. I offer strategic financial planning advice covering inheritance, capital gains, income tax, pension planning and investment strategies.
Are you fee based or commission based?
All Blevins Franks advisers are fee-based and live in the same communities as their clients, putting down roots there.
Would you recommend your set-up to other advisers?
Yes, provided they have an open mind, tenacity, common sense, a positive mind set, sense of humour and empathy. I find people need to give it time to get settled and explore.
Ponte de Lima is a very friendly place with a good social scene. There are always festivals to join in and celebrate the local culture and there are a number of expat clubs in Porto and further north in Viana do Castelo, Ponte de Lima, Arco de Valdevuez and Caminha.
The cost of living is much lower than in Lisbon. There are local markets offering great produce. Wine, of course, is very cheap and dining out is also very well priced, as you would expect.
Why this location?
Though this may seem rather out of the range of the familiar expat hotspots of the Algarve and the area around Lisbon, I have found it to be a busy spot for cross-border financial advice.
My clients have an international outlook. They are looking for general help with pensions and investments and tax efficiency in Portugal.
