Alex McKay

First impression from a user who is not yet a client

October, 2019

Please provide a brief comment about your experience with Alex

Great communication easy to talk to

Review from verified client

September, 2019

What were the circumstances that caused you to initially look for an adviser?

Buying first house

How has Alex McKay helped you?

He obtained us a mortgage and also life insurance to suit our needs

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Yes exactly as promised

What could they have done better?

Only thing I think would maybe be a couple more progress e-mails but other companies can hold that up so sometimes it’s out of their control.

Review from verified client

September, 2019

What were the circumstances that caused you to initially look for an adviser?

This was two-fold; 1) Mortgage advice 2) Pensions

How has Alex McKay helped you?

Alex was recommended to me by a family member (over a few years in fact). My partner and I are looking to buy a property and wanted advice on doing so. In addition, I had a few pensions scattered around that I had no understanding of what they were invested in and how well they were doing/predicted to do.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

I am at the early stages of my working relationship with Alex, so it is too early to comment on this. However, what I can say, is that Alex is a knowledgeable professional Financial Advisor who is very down-to-earth, and I hope to work with Alex for many years to come. He has explained and answered a lot of questions I had.

What could they have done better?

There is nothing that springs to mind in the time I've dealt with Alex.

Review from verified client

September, 2019

What were the circumstances that caused you to initially look for an adviser?

My boyfriend and I would like to buy a house so we needed some advice on what we could get and costs associates. I also had a pension from previous employer that i wanted to get some advice on what to do and the cost.

How has Alex McKay helped you?

He provided clear advice on what mortgage we could get. I have had a couple of meetings with alex about my pension and i have decided to transfer my funds to him to be managed.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

This transfer has just been done, so this is ongoing. I have little knowledge on pensions but Alex has been great during the process, explains everything clearly and clarified all questions.

What could they have done better?

i honestly can't think of anything!

Review from verified client

November, 2016

What were the circumstances that caused you to initially look for an adviser?

We needed mortgage advice.

How has Alex McKay helped you?

Alex sorted out a brilliant mortgage deal for us and that was only the start.We have dealt and known Alex for the last 10 years approximately and has done us very proud ,with our savings and pension schemes.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Yes and more besides excellent returns on all investments.

What could they have done better?

Alex always visits once a year to let us no of the progress of our investments ,but if we need to get in contact with him at any time he always finds time to visit in his busy schedule

Review from verified client

October, 2016

What were the circumstances that caused you to initially look for an adviser?

Wanting to save money.

How has Alex McKay helped you?

Discussed all available options and then shortlisted the most appropriate.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Yes, my savings are making way more than if it was in a ordinary savings account.

What could they have done better?

Nothing

Review from verified client

October, 2016

What were the circumstances that caused you to initially look for an adviser?

I had a number of reasons to call upon a financial advisor in the past few years, I bought a flat 2 years ago which required the assistance of Alex. I also have invested money and savings which I was unsure of where to allocate. Working for myself I also required advice on a pension that is appropriate for my circumstance.

How has Alex McKay helped you?

Alex has given outstanding advice on investments over the past 3 years, his understanding of my requirements and expectations gave me confidence in his advice. Secondly his advice and guidance on my circumstances pertaining to my pension has saved me a great deal of headaches.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Absolutely, I continue to go to Alex with all my financial needs.

What could they have done better?

I've had no issues to date and cannot think of anything that could have been handled any differently.

Review from verified client

October, 2016

What were the circumstances that caused you to initially look for an adviser?

I had some spare money to invest as its not worth sitting it in my bank.

How has Alex McKay helped you?

Alex was very helpful and understood what I wanted to achieve from my investments. His advice was excellent.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Yes I'm happy with the way things have progressed.

What could they have done better?

Nothing that I can think of as his advice was spot on

Review from verified client

October, 2016

What were the circumstances that caused you to initially look for an adviser?

I wanted to get the best possible return on my money at a risk level that I was comfortable with.

How has Alex McKay helped you?

Alex came and listened to my requirements and tailored a solution that met with them. He very personable whilst at the same time being very professional. The information and knowledge that he provided was excellent.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

The investments that I took up have delivered what I expected, and more.

What could they have done better?

To be fair to Alex, I feel that he covered all the bases. He provided several different investment vehicles to me, which all met my needs, I then simply chose the one I wanted.

Review from verified client

October, 2016

What were the circumstances that caused you to initially look for an adviser?

I have known Alex for many years in a financial capacity. When he became an independent adviser, I felt comfortable dealing with him as when you know someone well, you know they have your best interest as their focal point. Our dealings were completing and or updating existing business and also, most recently mortgage and pension advice.

How has Alex McKay helped you?

Alex found out what I needed, listened to everything I said, then went away to check out best options, then came back with a financial plan. I tend to worry a lot about money, but Alex is always reassuring and says that what way have in place is good.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Always been happy about everything Alex had done for us. We are soon to pay off our mortgage early, due to investment plans Alex put in place. Arrangements are also in place for my work pension to give us the best return available.

What could they have done better?

Alex advised us to get wills written as we have no children of our own. He gave us a rough idea of cost which was pretty accurate. He also recommended that we put in place lasting powers of attorney. As it had been a bit of an add-on in conversation, I thought it was more or less just a case of signing powers to your partner, and visa versa. Sadly though, this is not the case so I was rather taken aback when receiving the solicitor's bill, as this is a much higher cost, much more than the actual will.

Alex's reply

Thanks you Sue for you're feed back. Yes, I agree getting all your legal work up to date can be rather expensive, but it is good practice. Unfortunately, I have no control over the cost of the legal work, I can only advise that you should look into it. It's the solicitors job to discuss those aspects with you. I'm glad that overall you've been happy with my services and long may it continue. Regards Alex

Review from verified client

March, 2015

How has Alex McKay helped you?

Alex is extremely personable and responsive. He identified a product that I had not heard about previously and his fees are reasonable.

Review from verified client

February, 2015

How has Alex McKay helped you?

Nothing he did a very good job

Review from verified client

February, 2015

How has Alex McKay helped you?

HHH

What could they have done better?

HHH

Review from verified client

February, 2015

How has Alex McKay helped you?

I first met Alex just over a year ago. He came as a referral from a colleague at work. I found Alex very easy to talk to and he sat with me for a good few hours listening to me talk and getting a good grip of my circumstances. He helped to realign my pensions and investments to suit me better and the results so far have been excellent. What's really great is that he has so much experience under his belt for someone of his age and Its likely he will be there to see me through to retirement and beyond.

What could they have done better?

He's been talking about putting together a newsletter for clients, I think that would be very good.

Review from verified client

September, 2014

How has Alex McKay helped you?

I met Alex for the first time earlier this year. I had only ever spoken to a financial adviser when I bought my house, and that was some years ago and he worked for a bank. This was a completely different experience. Alex visited me at home, we sat and talked for a while - he asked me about me and told me a bit about himself. I felt comfortable with him straight away, which I didn't expect as I'd kind of worked myself up a bit about speaking to anyone about money! He took some details about me and explained this would give him a good understanding of my financial and personal situation and then he could give me the best advice. My main concern was my tax position, and what to do with my inheritance. He advised me on my tax position and helped me understand my position now and we discussed my likely position in the future. We agreed to review this over time as things may change. I explained to Alex that I had been left some money by my parents and that I had it sat in the bank. We discussed different types of investments, the tax implications, how much risk I was willing to take - which wasn't a great deal - and what I wanted my money to do for me. Alex went away to do some research for me and came back the following week with a few options which we talked through in detail and we invested the money. I have been very impressed by the performance so far! What surprised me was that Alex took the time to explain to me about all the different types of investments, I broadened my knowledge considerably through our discussions. He was punctual and smart, he explained everything clearly and made sure that I understood everything that we spoke about. I'm just about to have my annual review with him and wanted to express my gratitude for all his work on VouchedFor.

What could they have done better?

Well, I'm not sure he could do anything better in my experience.

Review from verified client

September, 2014

How has Alex McKay helped you?

An excellent holistic service with an after care service which surpassed my expectations. Many thanks for the results achieved Alex.