Leading accountancy firms collaborates with financial planning business to offer complete package
AN accountancy firm twice named the best in the UK has joined forces with an up and coming financial planning and wealth management company.
Bosses at JF Hornby believe the new partnership with Harwood Financial Planning will help achieve the company goal of becoming a one-stop shop for clients.
The move means that, along with the existing accountancy business and Hornby Commercial - the financial brokerage arm of the business - services across all key areas of financial support are now offered by Hornby’s and its associates.
Harwood Financial Planning was established by Ryan Woodhouse in December 2018 and has already built assets under advice valued at £25m. It is based at the Ulverston headquarters of JF Hornby.
Ryan said: “Sound financial planning is an integral building block in terms of achieving financial independence, however many people don’t necessarily appreciate this.
“This is the case with retirement planning more so than any other area I deal with. Younger people, perhaps understandably, believe they don't have to think about it for many years, but a sound financial decision in your twenties can prove to be very lucrative in later life. That said, for those who are hurtling towards retirement without a plan, all is not lost, and it’s never too late to act.
“We aim to nurture a client’s investment portfolio over a period of time and give it the best possible chance of growth in line with their attitude to risk.
“In essence, we have the expertise to take the pressure and worry about investments away from our clients.”
Blackburn-born Ryan, who has lived in Ulverston for most of his life, studied for a degree in business enterprise at Manchester Metropolitan University and also holds financial planning qualifications from the London Institute of Banking and Finance.
He has been working in the finance sector since 2007 when he worked for Cooperative Insurance.
After two-and-a-half years with the business, he left for a role at the Halifax as a financial adviser and specialised in investment and protection planning.
In 2012, Ryan moved to Grange-based firm, The Independent Asset Management Company, where he worked as an independent adviser for six years. He left in 2018 to begin work on establishing Harwood Financial Planning.
The company provides a suite of financial planning services and already has a triple-digit client list, despite being in business for just a year.
Chief among the areas in which it specialises are retirement planning - for individuals and also for business owners; investment advice which covers stocks and shares ISAs, lifetime ISAs and investment portfolios and inheritance tax planning.
Managing Director of JF Hornby, Paul Hornby, said: “The new relationship with Harwood Financial is another step towards us becoming a business which offers a complete package of financial services for clients.
“We are local, we are accessible and we have expertise to rival any city firm when it comes to accountancy, commercial business services and now financial and wealth planning.
“There has been a high street evacuation when it comes to financial services, which is why we are so keen to give the public a different way of thinking.”
Editor’s Notes.
Image caption: From left, Sarah Braithwaite, Paul Hornby, & Ryan Woodhouse
This press release was issued on behalf of JF Hornby and Harwood Financial Planning by 32West. For further information, please contact James Higgins on 01229 808306 or 07553203234.