FAQ

We provide 'independent whole of market' financial advice which means we have been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to recommend all types of investment products and consider products from the whole of the market. Our advice must be unbiased and unrestricted. Not all financial advisers are independent, and 'restricted' advisers can only recommend certain products or certain providers.

I can see that you are Chartered - what does that mean?

We take pride in the fact that we have been a Chartered firm for over ten years, having been awarded Chartered status in 2009 - at a time when there were very few Chartered corporate financial planners around. Even now, being Chartered is a distinction only awarded as the gold standard of the industry and as at 2019 only around 650 firms in the UK had achieved the title. A number of our advisers are also individually Chartered which means they have completed a number of high-level qualifications and have at least five years relevant experience.

What if I have already decided what I want to do with my money and just need somebody to approve my paperwork?

At Star House we do not provide an "execution only" service which is essentially carrying out financial transactions without giving prior financial advice or assessing suitability. We are responsible for the advice and recommendations we provide and will not "rubber-stamp" the decisions of an individual or the work of another firm.

I have an existing adviser but I’m not happy with the service they provide – how do I go about getting an impartial review of my existing arrangements?

Firstly you can arrange an initial meeting with one of our advisers free-of-charge; during which they will analyse your existing portfolio against your needs & goals and assess the tax-efficiency of your current arrangements. The adviser will then feed back their initial thoughts and if all is agreed in principle, we would then provide a formal recommendation in writing. If you decide to proceed, we can draft a notice letter to your existing adviser, before implementing the discussed recommendations.

Do I need to have a certain amount of money?

We are happy to speak to anybody for an initial no obligation meeting free of charge but we will always be completely honest and let clients know if it is not worthwhile them taking formal advice - for smaller sums, it may not prove cost effective to use our services.

Do I need to book an appointment to see an adviser?

For new clients, we recommend contacting us in advance to arrange an introductory meeting with one of our advisers. You can do this by either:

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• Giving us a call on 01275 333 830

• Sending an e-mail to hello@star-house.co.uk

• Or e-mailing one of the advisers directly - the relevant details can be found on the Our Team page.

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If you drop into our office without a meeting pre-arranged, we cannot guarantee there will be an adviser available to speak to you immediately. However, we will of course help you to arrange a meeting at a suitable time.

Do you offer evening or weekend appointments? 

Our office hours are aligned with those of the financial institutions with which we deal, which are 8:45am to 5pm Monday to Thursday. As of recently, we have changed our Friday hours to 8:45am to 12:45pm. We firmly believe that our staff are entitled to some rest!

Is parking available at your office?

Yes we have free private visitor parking which is located directly in front of the Star House office.