Over the years, we’ve worked with all manner of different people at Questa. From young professionals looking for a way to invest, all the way up to business owners and high net-worth individuals wanting to secure their finances for retirement. We’ve helped people from many different backgrounds and professions, all with unique financial and lifestyle goals. 

Whatever their aspirations may be, we always make sure to explore all the options available and maximise the benefit of any given opportunity that will help them to reach their goals. 

However, we can talk about who we work with and we can outline the aspects of our approach, but what about the results? 

We’ve decided to share some of our most recent client stories to demonstrate the ways we help get our clients exactly where they need to be. Of course, in the interest of client confidentiality, we’ve omitted any names. Instead we’ll be referring to them as Client #1, Client #2 and Client #3.

Client #1 – Inheritance Tax planning

Client #1 contacted us after we were recommended to them by an existing client. They were concerned over the impact of inheritance tax on a large sum of money they’d accumulated in their lifetime and wanted to pass on the maximum amount of money possible to their beneficiaries. 

We carried out careful tax mitigation work over a span of ten years. We planned appropriately and used the time wisely by employing some key tax strategies. Eventually, the client passed away without paying a single penny in inheritance tax. They saved 40% of £1.2 million, that’s a total of £480,000 saved from the tax man. 

Client #2 – Family matters

Client #2 was concerned about the large amounts of debt that would be incurred if their grandchildren were to go to university. The average amount borrowed for students sits at around £36,000 across England and can take many years to pay off. The debt is sometimes even referred to as an education tax, rather than a debt that will realistically be paid off.

For this client, we involved a solicitor in the planning process, to help us strategise around the tax options were available. Client #2 was then able to pay for all of their grandchildren’s university education using tax free income generated by implementing the recommended strategy – going over and above what they anticipated would happen. 

Client #3 – Lifestyle in retirement

Client #3 wanted to retire, but they also wanted to retire in a way that maintained a lifestyle they would enjoy while being able to spend time with their family. We met with this client when they were around 50 years old, and they were set to retire at the age of 65. 

We carried out cash flow analysis for when they would reach retirement at 65, continuing onwards through retirement up until they were 80. We then made appropriate investments in line with their appetite for risk at the time. We began to lower the level of risk within their portfolio as our investments had them on a stable track to achieving their savings goals and were even exceeding them on occasion. By the time retirement came around, Client #3 had a healthy pot of money they were able to use to live the lifestyle they wanted. 

We continue to have regular check-ins with Client #3 to make sure that they’re keeping to their cash-flow forecast, while also managing their current investments on an ongoing basis. 

In summary

We hope you’ve found the client stories we’ve shared in this article interesting and if you’re already a client and have any questions about what we’ve discussed above, feel free to contact your adviser. If you’re yet to become a Questa Chartered client and would like to discuss what our approach to financial planning can do for you, don’t hesitate to get in contact today.