CompareTheFirm.co.uk Start the match Find a vetted UK independent financial adviser.
Pensions, investments, retirement planning, or a one-off second opinion on your portfolio. Tell us roughly what you have and what you want to do. We score 247 FCA-regulated wealth firms against your situation, and three best-fit advisers reach out within 24 hours. Free for you. Independent, not bank-tied.
What we cover.
Pension planning
Pension consolidation, SIPP setup, defined-benefit transfer advice (where appropriate), employer pension scheme review, and drawdown strategy. Pre-retirement and at-retirement planning.
Investment management
ISAs, GIAs, model portfolios, ESG and ethical funds, tactical asset allocation, and ongoing rebalancing. Risk-graded across cautious, balanced, and growth profiles.
Retirement income strategy
Drawdown sequencing, annuity vs flexible income decisions, tax-efficient withdrawal across pension / ISA / GIA wrappers, and longevity stress-testing.
Inheritance & estate planning
Inheritance tax mitigation, business relief structures, gift strategies, trust setup, intergenerational wealth transfer, and pension-as-IHT-shelter planning.
Tax-efficient investing
VCT, EIS, and SEIS portfolios, ISA and pension contribution optimisation, capital gains tax planning, and cross-tax-year strategy for high earners.
Mortgage & protection
Whole-of-market mortgage advice (residential, BTL, equity release), life insurance, critical illness, income protection, and key-person cover for company directors.
Three steps, sixty seconds.
- 01
Answer 5 quick questions
Tell us what you actually need. Sector, size, services, location, urgency. Nothing intrusive, no callback bookings.
- 02
We score the panel
Each of our 247 vetted firms is ranked against your answers on price, response time, sector fit, and verified reviews.
- 03
Three best-fit quotes in 24 hours
Top three firms reach out by email with their proposal. Compare side by side. Pick one, or pass. We re-match for free if none fit.
Honest answers.
How much does a UK financial adviser cost?
Most independent financial advisers charge either a flat fee (£500 to £3,000 for one-off advice, £150 to £300 per hour for ongoing work) or an ongoing percentage of assets under management (typically 0.5% to 1% per year). For a £100,000 portfolio that is £500 to £1,000 per year. Initial advice on a pension transfer or large investment often involves a one-off fee of 1% to 3%. The firms we match you against publish their fee structure upfront so you can compare like-for-like.
What is the difference between independent and restricted financial advice?
An independent financial adviser (IFA) considers products from across the whole UK market and is not tied to any provider. A restricted adviser only recommends products from a limited panel (often their employer's own products). Independence usually means better-fit recommendations. We only match you to genuinely independent firms, never bank-tied or product-tied advisers.
How do I know if a financial adviser is FCA-regulated?
Every legitimate UK financial adviser is on the FCA register at register.fca.org.uk. You search by firm name or FRN (firm reference number) and the register shows their permissions, sanctions history, and any disciplinary action. Every firm on the Compare The Firm panel is FCA-regulated and we link directly to the register for verification.
Do I need a financial adviser if I only have a small portfolio?
Honest answer: probably not, if you have less than £50,000 in total investable assets and a stable career, low-cost index funds in an ISA or pension via a DIY platform usually beat paying for advice. We tell people this in the quiz. Where advice pays off: large pensions you want to consolidate, a one-off tax decision (pension transfer, share scheme exercise), retirement transition, or inheritance planning.
What is the difference between a financial adviser and a wealth manager?
An IFA gives advice and recommends products you implement yourself or via the adviser's platform. A wealth manager (or discretionary investment manager) takes day-to-day control of your portfolio, making buy/sell decisions on your behalf under a pre-agreed mandate. Wealth managers typically work with £250k+ portfolios. We ask in the quiz which type you want, and we match accordingly.
Find a vetted UK independent financial adviser.
60 seconds. Three best-fit quotes inside 24 hours. Free for you.
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