The recognition by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) allows GWM Financial Planning to use the Chartered Financial Planners title, alongside around 700 other financial adviser firms in the UK.
GWM Group chief executive David Howell said: “For GWM Financial Planning to receive external recognition in this way is very gratifying.”
He added: “There are close to 500 international globally based planning firms, and over 97% of these have no ability to offer regulated ongoing advice or service to British expats when they choose to return home. Demand from these individuals is expected to increase.”
Six chartered advisers
Guardian Wealth Management managing director Gavin Pluck said: “GWM has always focussed on extending the virtues and quality of UK FCA-regulated advice, now having over 80% of our team at RDR Level Four and above, with six boasting CII chartered status and eight AF3/G60 pension specialists.”
He also said the group invested heavily in 2017, adding four specialist divisions including technical development headed up by Darren Jones.
“A number of milestones were achieved last year, including switching a substantially high percentage of our business to a fee-based model the importance of which cannot be understated as it works for everyone – clients and planners alike.”
Pluck added that over the last two years GWM opened three key offices, in Abu Dhabi, a London office in Mayfair and a recently opened US office in Miami.
“The board are happy to have seen all three entities turn profitable ahead of schedule. We have seen significant growth in revenue over this period with an increase of 38% in 2017, which has built on our year on year growth since we opened our doors nearly 20 years ago.”
In a further development, Guardian confirmed on Wednesday that it has appointed a successor to John Green, who headed up its Abu Dhabi office and returned recently to his previous employer, the deVere Group.
He has been replaced by level-four qualified
James Ferguson, who joined Guardian Wealth Management in 2015, has been promoted to head up the Abu Dhabi office. He is level-four qualified and is currently studying towards chartered status with the Chartered Insurance Institute.
