Testimonials

"Thank you for all you did to ease the journey over the last few years. Not least because this let my mother put into practice her great good fortune to be able to stay in her home to the end. It’s been great to have such trusted and reliable support."

"We really appreciate your looking after our financial affairs and that you and your colleagues have always kept your promises and been very timely in all the dealings we have had. It is really refreshing to have advisers who live up to their published standards, straightforward, considered, friendly and personal."

"I have been using Grierson Dickens since their inception and have entrusted all my financial matters to them for the past 20 years or so.

As retirement now approaches, all the previous work is coming together and providing a confident move to ’self sufficiency’!

GD have a team which can manage all aspects of finance and their advice is personal, open and clearly understandable.
Options and routes have been clearly defined and processes made easy."

"I’m absolutely delighted to have been introduced to Grierson Dickens. Our initial chat demonstrated the team clearly recognises that good financial planning is bespoke. I’m completely sure that the advice I’ve had will optimise my resources, and I’ve been able to make some life changing decisions confident that the sums have been done correctly and the potential range of outcomes fully considered.

Trust is the essence of a successful relationship, perhaps more so when dealing with hard earned capital. I have complete trust in Grierson Dickens."

"Having collected a miscellaneous pot of investments over many decades when living abroad and having returned to England, we decided that it was time to seek a professional financial advisor as we would become subject to a new tax regime.

Greg started from square one and set a risk level, reorganised the portfolio to reduce income tax and fully utilise the capital gains tax allowance.

The company has been very dynamic in sorting out our queries and setting our investments according to the risk level. We are now confident with the excellent services our investments are in good hands."

"The initial attraction was that you approached the situation not from the angle of 'how best to offer independent investment advice' but from the rather unique perspective of - 'what are your life goals and let's see how you can best achieve them'. I have mentioned this unique GDL approach to others whom I have pointed in your direction and, I believe, this has been one of your key selling points. And you take this approach very seriously because, if you recall, we had at least 2 meetings simply talking about our future plans before any steps were taken to review the financial approach that would be needed to support our plans. During these initial sessions you created a real sense of partnership. Never once did we get the feeling that this was something that was being 'done to us' but instead we felt that this was something that was being co-created between GDL, as the professional advisors, and us as the ultimate beneficiaries.

I have always said that 'people like doing business with people they like'. Whilst it might be a statement of the obvious, you have managed to achieve a culture within GDL where it is always a pleasant experience doing business. Everyone is very friendly and approachable and you also seem to strike the right balance between not taking things too seriously yet always being utterly professional.

There are also other small but important touches that remind any client of your highly personalised service. The gift of a case of wine when we arrived overseas or the large bottle to celebrate my 60th birthday are small but important gestures that demonstrate the level of personalisation behind GDL. Furthermore, the immediacy of response to emails is impressive and makes a client feel that their business is really important to you. Most people are initially attracted, and then remain loyal, to a firm because of the combined impact of price, product and service. You are not the cheapest, and have never implied that you would be, but when measured against your product and your service, I think that GDL manage to get the balance just right.

When I consider how you have developed the relationship, your success has been due to a combination of being consistently creative, taking a deep interest in any lifestyle changes that might occur and exploring several options that might apply. For us it was our unplanned move overseas. You approached this with a high level of pro-activity and resourcefulness. You took the stress out of the situation, you exposed some of the inadequacies within my employer’s system and you established solutions where others had failed. I sensed that you also extracted significant professional stimulation by getting involved with our international assignment and your personal engagement throughout the process gave us the confidence that you would not rest easy until issues were resolved. The fact that you even managed to convince my employer that they should pay part of your fees was the icing on the cake! In short, GDL demonstrated being truly client-centric and totally solutions-based through your actions.

The ultimate litmus test must be 'would we recommend GDL to our friends?' - the answer to that is an absolute 'yes'."

"Having been an active investor since around 1980, it was my privilege to have become a client of GDL ten years ago. The Grierson Dickens team is exceptional. Their initial most thorough ‘getting to know their client’ process is impressive. Their clear statement of fees, examination of one’s aims, attitudes and expectations is reassuringly detailed.

Written presentations are the most professional I have seen. From IFA commission based investment advice 40 years ago, I now use their services covering regular assessment of my chosen investment manager, my Will, Powers of Attorney, Tax returns, results reporting and indeed any financial aspect, query or problem which may occur. Accountant/solicitor costs are largely things of the past.

I have recommended GDL to various friends and to my partner recently, all of whom comment in glowing terms.

A formidable team; may they bloom and prosper and live long working lives !!!"

"GDL has been our financial advisers for over ten years during which we have grown to know and trust them, and they us.

They are honest, friendly, and sincere, always having at heart our medium and long term wellbeing. They are a listening adviser, actively responding to our preferences / life choices yet constantly reminding us of new financial opportunities. We would not be able to carry out our affairs without them."

"What a very nice surprise to receive from you the picture and card with your kind comments about our family.

The turning point for us as a family was when our solicitor highly recommended that we should get in touch with you after two previous attempts to find a solution to our dilemma of what to do with the property had come to nought.

From the first meeting with you we all felt that you were just the person we were looking to advise us. We very much appreciated your integrity, your listening skills, your positive attitude and your sense of humour and your ability to communicate with all of us clearly in setting out your recommendations.

We also appreciated your rapid response to the various issues which arose, and your focus on seeing things through to a conclusion. On a practical note we also appreciated the clear way Grierson Dickens calculate and explain their charges.

We are all relieved it has been brought to a very successful conclusion. It has been a completely positive experience dealing with you and your team James; and we look forward to this continuing in our financial and taxation matters in the future, to our mutual benefit."

"When we returned from living overseas, we were keen to find an adviser who could provide independent advice in helping us sort out our financial affairs. We were very pleased to find such a professional firm here in Farnham. We have since developed a very good relationship with Grierson Dickens (GDL). All the people we have dealt with have been very pleasant.

They helped us to set out our investment goals and to implement a strategy to meet them. We were keen to invest in an ethical and sustainable way. We were delighted that GDL had the experience and knowledge to help us achieve this.

James also encouraged us to sort out all our financial affairs including our wills and powers of attorney. GDL also proactively spotted an error in our house ownership documents, which we were able to sort out. They have also helped with some tricky tax return issues.

GDL present their fees in a very transparent way and we think they have given us good value for money."

"Having initially worked with another local firm to manage my finances, a personal introduction to GDL for a sense check of my situation after a few months was a really welcome offer and one of which I was glad to take advantage. I am so pleased I did as I soon made the decision to move my portfolio to GDL.

I have great confidence in Greg to look after my interests and I trust him to protect them as time goes on. He took the time to fully understand my future hopes and aims from the start and tailored his approach to help me meet them so I really feel comfortable taking his advice now and in the future. He has taken changes I've made in his stride too with charm, efficiency and a smile!"

"You very clearly link a person/couple/family’s life plan” to their "financial plan", providing either assurance or a reality check; and objectivity to what might be difficult discussions/decisions.

This has "emotional" value and reduces personal/inter-personal "tension".

You get the basics done, with the peace of mind for the client that you know the latest laws, most appropriate products and techniques.

Even with the best will in the world, busy people get behind with their personal affairs; and make mistakes when they rush or act on poor information.

A client will always have to pay someone fees for this kind of work and the value can be immense.

Cut another way, we clients pay you for your knowledge, network and time. Your specialist expertise and varied client situation experience is beyond what each of us has as individuals in your field; and that has value."

"From my first meeting with James (six years ago) I was struck not only by his professionalism & knowledge, but also how he took time to get to know my financial and life priorities in the short, medium and long-term.
This more holistic and personal approach is really important to me. I have always felt in completely safe hands with GDL in terms of advice. Whenever I have a question, whether it be one-off specific question, or a more complex one which involves a bit of research, I always receive a timely and comprehensive answer. This is invaluable when it comes to making decisions.
I appreciate that I am treated as an individual and that my relevant personal needs and priorities are always taken on board. In this way it feels to me to be the best combination of a professional financial service combined with the nuances of knowing the client as an individual.
The peace of mind I have as a GDL client is for me excellent value in terms of fees, and I envisage myself being a loyal client for many years to come. I would have no hesitation in recommending GDL."

"Having emerged from a difficult divorce and with a large sum of money to be managed, I found myself in the puzzling and unfamiliar world of finance. I was recommended to GDL by my new partner and met Greg Parker.

From my position of worry, Greg carefully took me through the initial processes and produced what I can only describe as a lifetime plan. I am so grateful to have had this facility and now feel settled and more importantly in control. My learning curve looked steep at first but with Greg’s patient guidance I accumulated knowledge and understanding and now feel relaxed and happy.

Greg possesses a unique ability to take charge, elucidate in clear language and then hand the reins back to his client. Nothing was too much trouble. Just what I needed.

Thank you Greg and to the team at GDL."

"I value the sincerity of interest in my welfare and the desire to reflect my values upon all that is discussed and ultimately agreed upon. It is a very personalised service, always executed with faultless charm and efficiency."

"We have clear values and are busy business people who need trusted support and GDL have been that support. You have helped us gain a clear perspective on our financial situation and develop an overall strategy. At our first meeting James worked to understand our personal and shared goals and vision and helped us extract financial goals to underpin them. The advice he gives us subsequently is informed by that initial meeting. We have found him easy to talk to and sympathetic to our values."

"We really are very happy customers and to summarize why we are happy customers;
We appreciate the thoroughness by which you help us and that you don’t leave anything unexplored. You are very transparent in both how you work and how you charge. We really like knowing exactly what it is we pay for. Most importantly we trust you which you have earnt!"

"I am increasingly frustrated and suspicious of the computer modelling approach to making investment decisions, as currently practiced by Bank relationship managers. This form of client / service provider relationship appears to negate the historic responsibility of the service provider to "share" in the business planning process and in the financial repercussions of good and bad decisions. I have never doubted that James Dickens feels a deep responsibility for the advice he gives me and that he is side by side with me, really feeling the pleasure and the pain of the ups and downs of the results of financial planning. This is a true partnership, rarely experienced in any other consultancy / client relationship I am involved in."