Issues Facing You...

Take time to consider how the following issues are likely to effect you:

• Would expert help and advice on all your Professional and Lifestyle Services need areas be helpful?
• Is your will completely up to date - together with your complete Financial Arrangements?
• Will your estate be distributed according to your exact wishes?
• Are inheritance taxes ever likely to affect you?
• Could your 'gifting' be done more tax efficiently?
• The effects of a low interest - even 'deflationary' economy
• The importance of Fund Manager choice and performance in a 'bear market'
• Ethical investments? - just how 'ethical' - and to be or not to be?
• How buying a home can be used as a 'Financial Management tool'
• Buying a property for investment - or even abroad!
• The scrapping of 'final salary' type pension schemes
• A potential increase in state retirement age
• Do Legal or Taxation issues ever need clarity?

As a Private Client of the CPA, the above and any other issues can be dealt with during your Financial Appraisals. In addition, you can access information via our Media & Communication programme.

Frequently Asked Questions...

Here's a selection of some frequently asked questions that have been put to the CPA through Darron Childs & Associates:

Q: How many Professional and Lifestyle Areas can the CPA assist me with? - A: See our Home Page for a reminder of the current services available.

Q: With regard to Financial Issues, I have policies and investments with other companies, can you still act on my behalf? - A: Absolutely, we are not employed by any Financial Services Company to service 'its' policyholders. Therefore we act exclusively for our Private Clients, no matter where they choose to do business.

Q: If I already have, and I am used to doing business elsewhere, wouldn't it just make sense continuing with this strategy? - A: That's your decision. The CPA has been established to offer you the best in both Specialism and Choice. The full facilities available through the CPA would currently not be available through a single relationship, by any other organisation we know.

Q: So you offer me Specialism as well as Choice - but what if I've already made a will and have my Financial arrangements relatively in order? - A: As an independent association offering a wide range of Professional and Lifestyle Services it may well be that you have taken care of some areas, but there are still many areas we can help or assist our Members with.

Q: I'm put off by paying a membership or fee, isn't this expensive? - A: You will pay a fee or charges of some nature - however you transact your business. However, this isn't always absolutely clear. If your adviser is salaried a proportion of these costs are factored into your transaction. As you are aware we are not employed but we do receive income from certain transactions - if this is the case, we'll inform you and further more, rebate your subscription in full if the income generated is equivalent or greater than your annual membership. In this way we feel we directly reward our Private Clients.

Q: I know I should be interested in these Financial Management Issues - but frankly I'm too busy and I find the subject confusing and uninteresting? - A: I understand your point of view completely. It's the same stance of many of our Clients, but what they've found by working as a partnership with us is that they now get things done that before they delayed, and that they now understand areas that before they chose not to. We don't use jargon and I do believe that our meetings should be entertaining and meaningful - most of our Private Clients would agree we achieve this.

Q: OK, I want to go ahead and have Client Membership of the CPA, how do I go about it? - A: Firstly, register your interest by clicking on Contact Us. Secondly you will need to complete a Membership Application confirming your details authorising us to act on your behalf. Your membership can be paid annually or in 10 monthly instalments. On receipt and acceptance of your remittance and application, we'll send you your membership details. You can then permitted to access the Benefits and Services of the CPA.

Q: A lot of organisations made promises and then can't deliver - why should you be different? - A: Please read our Membership Charter - which summarises our specific promises, and extracts from the many letters we have received, some of which are featured below...

Client Statements...

The following statements are reproduced with the kind permission of the original authors, and are extracts taken from actual letters received:

“….our gratitude to Mr Childs for his unstinting care and attention to detail as we prepared for retirement. His kindness as helpful as his expertise during a time of great pressure. Mr Childs outstripped by far all other agencies including those of the church in his understanding and presentation of possibilities.”

Canon Hall, Barrow Upon Humber, Lincolnshire

..."Darron has been of great assistance to me... a friend during the time I have known him. His help and support have been second to none during what for me has been a difficult time. He came to see my husband and myself in the months prior to my ordination in 1998... he helped us to explore and express our hopes...our future...our retirement plans...our dreams in the future. This helped us to realise how inadequately we had planned our finances... I was going into ordained ministry late in life, and so, very gently we looked at the options available.

Sadly, shortly after my ordination my husband died. My life was turned upside down in many ways, but Darron made himself available immediately to help me through those difficult months, and, he not only helped me to review my finances as they now stood but also advised me about income tax and pensions that were now due to me.

I would recommend Darron to anyone who is looking for sound financial advice based on their own very individual and personal circumstances; he not only has the knowledge but also the necesssary care and understanding that is needed when dealing with people in all situations."

The Rev'd Barbara Duffus, Grantham, Lincolnshire

“….we valued the recent meetings with Darron Childs, when he advised us about the best way in which to use the funds from our With Profits policies. He was very efficient and thorough, and took a creative approach to the matter, giving ample time to the sessions so that we felt all avenues had been explored.

Mr & Mrs M Kindred, 4M Publications, Southwell, Nottinghamshire

“….we both thoroughly enjoyed our last meeting it was great as we have come to expect from our meetings never before has been handling the family finances been such fun. With best wishes.

Mrs E Gull, Nottingham