Log inTelford Mann Blog Featuring Toby Trinder Part Five
In the past fortnight I have continued actively contributing to client meetings, and in some cases, I have presented slightly different aspects within these meetings.
I have continued, in some meetings, gathering an update from clients regarding their circumstances and updating our notes, accordingly, alongside providing the client with an update of the performance of their portfolio.
I have also taken some of our corporate clients through a scheme review, whereby I discuss with them any key points flagged from a document we can obtain from the pension provider called a Scheme Governance Report. This enables us to see, in some detail, relevant information regarding the pension and discuss with the client any regulatory issues that have been flagged or any changes that have been made. Alongside this, I gather an update from the business, again, in terms of any further changes that have been made or are planned to be made.
Furthermore, I have completed an Attitude to Risk questionnaire (ATR) with a client. This is something I mentioned a few blogs ago in terms of mock meetings. The purpose of the questionnaire is to ask the client some questions in order to assign them into an appropriate investment strategy, whether it be cautious, adventurous or somewhere in the middle. Although the questions to begin with are yes/no answers, the tough part of this aspect of the meeting is introducing the concept of risk to a client, and making them aware that by investing in markets they do run a risk of potentially losing a percentage of their investments in a single year, but also highlighting to them that due to our discretionary management service we have the ability to step in and make changes to portfolios in order to preserve fund values during economic downturn, or to capitalize on recoveries in markets as well. Our track record has outperformed benchmark scores for over a decade, which points out that realistically, over a longer time period, our clients are likely to benefit from substantial levels of growth, to reassure them. This element of the meeting is usually completed in a second meeting with a new potential client, alongside a confidential fact find whereby the information received from these forms part of our formal recommendation.
I am sure that over the next fortnight it will be more of the same, as (hopefully) I get closer to a return to training date for rugby.