Finlink plays an integral part of the finacial success of its clients and does so by adding value across a number of components in a clients life and financial affairs. The value we add can be summarised as follows:
STRATEGY
Finlink’s ability to assist clients in understanding their current financial life, the consequences of decisions and appropriate changes to be made, in order to achieve financial freedom, is a key value to every client. Each client is unique and so are the lives they lead and want to lead in future and building a long term strategic plan to achieve this is a key element in our value to clients.
The coaching and mentoring that clients continue to receive in respect of the their implemented financial strategy ensures they have the best chance of achieving the life they would like to lead, continues to remain relevant and is adjusted whenever material changes occur.
ADVICE
Finlink’s advice process, technical skills and ability to optimize what is available to achieve a successful strategy for life, is also a key value to clients. This advice encompasses all aspects of a client’s financial life and includes the following:
Investment and retirement planning
Risk planning
TAX
Structuring
Wills and Estate planning
Short-term insurance
Medical aid
The advice processes we follow enables us to understand each client’s particular circumstances and to ensure we are making appropriate use of resources to maximize outcomes, thus avoiding unnecessary spending and optimal use of resources available.
HOUSE VIEW
We live in a complex world of solutions, which often is misunderstood and incorrectly applied, causing more damage than good, to clients. The value of the Finlink house view is to provide a constantly applied philosophy and framework for informed decision making, when considering appropriate implementation solutions relevant to our clients’ specific circumstances.
Providing clients with the clarity required to make appropriate decisions which align to their specific needs and benchmark them against appropriate outcomes, means better outcomes for our clients and a greater probability of success in their strategic plan for life. Our house view is a rigorous process that requires continuous review and monitoring and spans across a variety of service providers.
By doing appropriate due diligence on solution providers and ensuring their appropriateness for our clients we are able to provide a focused approach to implementation and reporting to clients. Through our house view, we commit to providing clients with the following regular feedback:
- Quarterly valuation statements
- Financial planning advice on request
- Annual planning review of the Strategic Financial Plan and the appropriateness of the investment strategies assessed
- An annual Investment and budget de-brief, held in February each year
- An annual non-financial client appreciation event that is held each year
- Periodic news letters that cover a diverse range of subjects (e.g. income tax, the annual budget, legislative changes etc.) that impact upon our lives and money
SECURITY
By law, financial planners are required to provide and maintain basic levels of service and infrastructure, this includes:
Client record keeping
We are obliged by law to meet certain standards in this regard and must maintain these for as much as five years beyond the termination of our relationship with the client.
Levels of expertise
We are required to stay attuned and relevant in this environment. Not only must we keep abreast of day-to-day factors affecting financial markets in order to better manage the advice we give, we are also required to meet established industry standards through periodic examination and continuing education.
Licencing and legislative requirements
Finlink and its representatives are required to remain fully licenced in terms of legislation, such as FAIS, FICA and the requirements as laid out by the Financial Services Board. Compliance with this legislation and legal framework protects our clients and is core to the long-term sustainability of Finlink.
Offices and staff
Finlink consists of a physical infrastructure, operational structure and staff, without which it could not do business. Finlink continues to invest in structures to appropriately service clients.
Finlink is a fee based business, which means that we are reimbursed by our clients and not by any service providers. Although we do receive some income in the form of commission from certain product providers, the amount is minimal and always disclosed to clients.
It is intended that clients will find the level of service we provide to be to their liking and satisfaction. This, together with the optimization of their financial planning strategies implemented over time, make our fee well worthwhile to clients.