Philip Slater

First impression from a user who is not yet a client

January, 2024

Please provide a brief comment about your experience with Philip

Met with David Hawley on a matter re IHT and savings. Advice couldn't of been better. Answered my questions (which have caused me a lot of worry as I have Cancer). David explained in plain english so that I fully understood my position. Had a very sucessful meeting with David and he checked all my paperwork, putting my mind at rest. David gave me 45 minutes of his time and I left feeling such a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Great service and attendtion to detail, even though I havent engaged with Davids service yet. Cant thank David enough!

Philip's reply

Thank you for the feedback Stephen, it was a pleasure to meet you, and put your mind at rest. You have my details should you need my services in the future. Thank you for consulting with Slater Financial Limited. Regards, David Hawley

First impression from a user who is not yet a client

June, 2023

Please provide a brief comment about your experience with Philip

Really excellent. The adviser was extremely helpful in terms of helping me understand the details and relative pros and cons of my various pensions and even going as far as advising that there was nothing additional that Slaters could offer at that time (but potentially in the future).

Review from verified client

March, 2023

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

Required my DB pension to be transferred & manged in a SIPP.

How has Philip Slater helped you?

Slater Financial Services introduced me to a Pension Transfer Specialist. They worked extremely hard, including out of hours, enabling the Specialist to achieve a very tight deadline with what ended up being a challenging process.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Yes, with a caveat. I understood the Pension Transfer Specialist was going to manage my SIPP, however they reneged at the last minute.

What could they have done better?

Nothing.

Review from verified client

February, 2023

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

The current market status and not reviewing my finances for some time

How has Philip Slater helped you?

He listened and came over twice and explained everything very clearly with no pressure whatsoever

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

I have decided to not move to Slater at this time due to feeling too cautious and wanting to do further research

What could they have done better?

Absolutely nothing they’ve been brilliant and it’s prompted me to research further into my options. I may well decide to go with them in the near future

Review from verified client

August, 2021

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

I needed advice!!

How has Philip Slater helped you?

He told me what my best course of action was!!

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Not yet but this does not reflect on Slater Finance!!

What could they have done better?

From my point of view no!!

First impression from a user who is not yet a client

May, 2021

Please provide a brief comment about your experience with Philip

helped me out.

First impression from a user who is not yet a client

February, 2021

Please provide a brief comment about your experience with Philip

I needed some advice about a number of pensions and Philip was excellent, everything was very clearly explained. Unfortunately I’m not able to proceed with the amalgamation of my pensions but would have no hesitation in recommending Philip.

Review from verified client

July, 2020

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

I wanted to transfer out of a defined benefit pension to allow me to drawdown some funds

How has Philip Slater helped you?

He arranged for the transfer out via a specialist in that area

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Ye, I have transferred out to a new fund and have received my tax free cash

What could they have done better?

Nothing, they were exceptionally good

Philip's reply

You are very welcome and very rewarding for us that you are happy with the service we have provided. We are very pleased we could facilitate this specialist transfer and look forward to providing our ongoing service to you.

Review from verified client

December, 2019

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

I was looking to retire and had several personal pensions with several employers, after briefly researching my options I was hoping to amalgamate these into one pension.

How has Philip Slater helped you?

Phil advised me to switch these pensions into one personal pension under the provider platform they use. He explained the possible pro's and cons of switching in great detail.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Yes. I agreed to sign up and now have an easily managed pension with much easier access to draw out of. I am now fully retired and at ease with my finances for the near future.

What could they have done better?

Nothing springs to mind - Phil was very reassuring throughout the whole advice process. Being a family business, this also added a personal, comforting effect.

Review from verified client

December, 2019

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

Employer closed DB pension scheme and I wished to invest the money

How has Philip Slater helped you?

Philp gave sound advice and recommended the right vehicle for me to invest in.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Its only been 9 months, but so far, so good

What could they have done better?

I don't have any suggestions currently, as everything has gone smoothly.

Review from verified client

December, 2019

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

Retirement and advise from research carried out prior to retiring.

How has Philip Slater helped you?

provided sound advice, placed pension money in a portfolio that thus far has produced the required results.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Yes

What could they have done better?

A little faster response to emails sent.

Philip's reply

Many thanks for your review. We have been working on our email response process as part of our Business Plan. We have taken on admin support staff to particularly address all our processes, and use an automated email / text reply service. All our staff have access to emails 24/7, so we have addressed a monitoring process for this fast moving environment. I can assure you that your feedback is greatly received and certainly goes towards our Family Business evolving. Thank you for consulting with Slater Financial Ltd.

Review from verified client

November, 2019

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

Approaching possible retirement with uncertainty over potential value of pensions held.

How has Philip Slater helped you?

Advised on best way forward to invest for maximise potential return.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Yes - portfolio is currently performing well and I am confident in my advisors ability to monitor and manage.

What could they have done better?

No suggestions.

Philip's reply

Many thanks Neal for the review and thank you for consulting with Slater Financial Ltd.

Review from verified client

November, 2019

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

Pensions transfer and drawdown and stocks and shares ISA

How has Philip Slater helped you?

He put m in touch with a specialist and advises on my portfolio

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Yes although markets are difficult at the moment

Philip's reply

Many thanks for the review. We have been working on the review process as part of our Business Plan. We have taken on admin support staff to particularly address the review process, as well as contacting clients to book review appointments in. From our management reporting tool we have reached our goal in getting such appointments booked in, seen with one of our Financial Advisers in a timely manner. Our new process will also make sure our Valued Serviced Proposition for review dates are moved on to the correct date, either 6 months or 12 months later. I can assure you that you will be contacted in plenty of time prior to your next review, now due in May 2020. Thank you for consulting with Slater Financial Ltd.

Review from verified client

November, 2019

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

I was retiring early and wanted to move my company pension so that I had control of it and it was easily accessible.

How has Philip Slater helped you?

Phil and the team have been fantastic, they did all the hard work , setting up a meeting for me with an external advisor that helped with the transfer of my funds. The team at Slaters are a really friendly bunch of guys who will do anything for you, nothing is too much trouble. Very professional.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

The outcome for me was actually better than I had hoped for, during a meeting Phil noticed I had a insurance policy that I thought was a life /death policy but it also covered Critical Health. Having had a heart problem a few years ago , I was eligible to claim. Slaters took this up with the relevant insurance company and after a few months of hard work by Nicola we had a positive result. During this time I was given a weekly update by Nicola which was helpful to me.

What could they have done better?

Cannot think of anything at this moment in time. Very friendly, very professional.

Philip's reply

Many thanks David for the glowing review, and thank you for consulting with Slater Financial Ltd.

Review from verified client

November, 2019

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

Phil was recommended by a relative, who was aware that I was concerned that the benefits from my occupational pensions would halve in value when when passed on after my death. I was also willing to take some risk in return for a potentially better return and the flexibility around drawings also appealed to me.

How has Philip Slater helped you?

Phil provided a free initial consultation, during which he included my partner and gained an in-depth insight into our household circumstances/finances and retirement plans. He advised that transferring my pensions to a personal pension would meet the needs highlighted above and identified that my main pension (private sector) was likely to be suitable to transfer, but the other two pensions (public sector) may not be suitable. He recommended True Potential to provide me with a suitability report for two of my pensions and to deal with the transfer of any which were deemed suitable.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

True Potential's suitability report recommended that I should transfer my private sector occupational pension, as Phil had anticipated. We are currently waiting for the pension administrator to effect this transfer.

What could they have done better?

Nothing. Phil is very professional, knowledgeable and friendly. He was aware that the deadline for submitting the transfer application was close and made sure that this was met.

Philip's reply

Many thanks Fay for the positive review and thank you for consulting with Slater Financial Ltd

Review from verified client

October, 2019

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

I had a few different pensions policies scattered about and as I was reaching 55 decided i wanted to amalgamate them plus take some tax free cash

How has Philip Slater helped you?

Phillip explained the process of how to achieve my objective in plain English and he and his excellent team set to, to achieve this. I was always kept up to date with progress and any issues that arose were dealt with efficiently and to my satisfaction.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

My funds are now invested in a way that suits my needs and a little bit of tax free cash has been released so I am very happy with the outcome.

What could they have done better?

Phil and his team achieved the outcome i was after with as little fuss as possible but kept me in the loop with progress.

Philip's reply

Hi Mr Ellis I hope you are well. I did send you an email re your vouched for review, but thank you once again for your positive review, it is very much appreciated. Again if you wish to visit your FS Pension Transfer in the future we would be happy to revisit the case with you. Thank you for consulting with Slater Financial Ltd.

Review from verified client

September, 2019

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

Wanted to merge 3 private pensions into 1 policy.

How has Philip Slater helped you?

Phil did all the legwork and presented his comparisons of a new pension provider that over the longer term would save me money on annual and monthly costs, compared to what I was paying to three separate pension providers. I found the whole process very professional and trusted Phil's knowledge and advice. This gave me confidence to trust my future savings with him and Slater Financial. The team are so friendly and helpful, nothing is too much trouble. I would have no hesitation in recommending Phil Slater and Slater Financial.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Yes and certainly exceeded my expectation of the initial meeting and ongoing service since.

What could they have done better?

Nothing, they kept me in the loop weekly with email updates of their progress. All highly professional.

Review from verified client

July, 2019

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

I needed someone who has the expertise and time to do what I can’t.

How has Philip Slater helped you?

Phil has always been great. One of the best pieces of advice he gave me was to “do nothing”. In the long term, on the product we were discussing this has helped me massively but Phil didn’t receive any benefit... other than a happy customer.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

On the whole yes. Where it’s not been so good it has been down to me.

What could they have done better?

Possibly pushing me a bit more to get my financial reviews done. I put them off too often.

Review from verified client

October, 2018

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

Previous IFA (of 17 years) retired.

How has Philip Slater helped you?

Took the time to properly understand both mine and my wife's requirements and gave honest, easily understood advice.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

The transfer of our investments to Slater Financial has been straightforward and we've been kept fully informed all the way. I'm confident that we'll get the service we've been promised and I already feel I have a good rapport with both Phil and Matt.

What could they have done better?

I had only one very minor request and that was to get the fund reports in colour so that the charts and graphs were easier to read.

Review from verified client

December, 2017

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

I was seeking advice in relation to protecting my mortgage and wanted to set up a new pension.

How has Philip Slater helped you?

Phil provided me with quotes to cover my mortgage in a cost effective manner and advised me which pension was most suitable for my needs.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Yes. I now have peace of mind and continue to fund my pension on a regular basis.

What could they have done better?

Nothing that springs to mind

Review from verified client

November, 2017

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

I need to have my savings & investments reviewed and my portfolio updated.

How has Philip Slater helped you?

He was very thorough and patient with me and explained everything clearly as we went along and updated my portfolio to produce much more income from them.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Now my investments are performing better than ever.

What could they have done better?

There is nothing about this company which causes me concern, they speak to you in Laymans terms which so it is in no way intimidating at your first meeting

Review from verified client

November, 2017

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

Bringing my different pension investments into one place.

How has Philip Slater helped you?

Reviewed what I had in place and advised where to place investments for my future.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Yes, extremely happy with performance of investments.

What could they have done better?

I am completely satisfied with service I am receiving

Review from verified client

November, 2017

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

upcoming retirement.

How has Philip Slater helped you?

sorted out the pension that was best for me and invested my savings as well i would not have been able to do this without his expertise.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

yes pensions are all sorted out nicely and the investments are doing well.

What could they have done better?

nothing, everything was just right

Review from verified client

November, 2017

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

I needed advice about investing some money and both my husband and I wanted some general advice on pensions, ISA's and planning for our retirement.

How has Philip Slater helped you?

Phil reviewed our complete situation and gave us some excellent advice. He was happy to come to our home and it was all very relaxed and low pressure. He addressed all the areas we wanted to review and helped us make some good changes over the last few years. We feel we can trust him, which is so important. He helped us put something in place to help protect our children's inheritance, which we would never have thought of, so we really appreciated that. I feel much more secure In our financial situation and he reviews it with us twice a year, so we are kept up to date and make any necessary changes.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Yes, we have been pleased with the results and the fact it is all reviewed twice a year is very helpful. Our investments are doing well, what more can you ask for?.

What could they have done better?

Can't really think of anything.

Review from verified client

October, 2017

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

to have more say in some pensions.

How has Philip Slater helped you?

set up investments with other advisers.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

it is a long term investment that is going in the right direction.

What could they have done better?

up to now I am satisfied

Review from verified client

June, 2017

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

I was looking for future retirement security.

How has Philip Slater helped you?

Managing the transfer of existing pensions and investment advice.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

To date, very much as proposed by Slater Financial - yes.

What could they have done better?

Not very much really. I would appreciate 'update' phone calls when an item is taking some time to prepare/resolve.

Review from verified client

June, 2017

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

Poor results from personal investments through Banking advice and rubbish interest on savings. Capitol received through inheritance.

How has Philip Slater helped you?

Spent time reviewing our circumstances and attitude to risk, advised us to amalgamate our scattered capitol and investments into a portfolio with a diverse selection of investments that protected our capitol and increased it whilst protecting it from tax through ISA's.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Yes.

What could they have done better?

Initially, kept us better informed with an easier to understand 6 monthly report. Everything is set out on your personal page on the website but it was not easy to get a clear conformation of results. This has been addressed and a clear confidence building statement is now presented.

Review from verified client

June, 2017

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

I had money from the sale of a second home that I needed to be invested to provide a pension income.

How has Philip Slater helped you?

By setting up the investments at the level of return that we required.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

YES!.

What could they have done better?

We are very happy with the service that Phil has provided.

Review from verified client

June, 2017

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

Change in health and consideration of retirement.

How has Philip Slater helped you?

Listened and advised on a range of options designed to meet our needs.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Yes expectations exceeded.

What could they have done better?

Nothing