FAQs

We provide restricted financial advice, which means we recommend solutions from a carefully selected panel of market-leading providers rather than the entire market. This panel is shaped through our Compliance Network, Quilter Financial Planning, with provider research and analysis supported by Defaqto Engage (a research tool for financial advisers) supporting provider research and analysis. We then recommend the solution we believe is most suitable for your needs, goals and circumstances.

Yes. Christopher Little & Co. is registered with the FCA, and our FCA registration number is 152660.

Yes, you can choose in-person meetings, video calls, or a mix of both during the financial planning process. This helps us shape the service around what works best for you.

Face-to-face meetings are usually held at our office in Otley, and we can come to you if you would prefer. You can also choose to meet by video call, where that suits you better.

Yes, free parking is available at Sainsbury’s, 11 Bondgate, Otley, LS21 3AB. This is just a two-minute walk from our office, and parking is available for up to four hours. This is the easiest parking option for most office appointments.

Christopher Little & Co. has been based in Otley since 1991, helping clients with financial advice and planning for more than 30 years. You can read more about the firm on our About us page.

We are based in Otley, near Leeds, in West Yorkshire. We also work with clients outside the local area, usually by video call or when they are visiting friends and family nearby.

Yes, you can read client feedback and stories, and some reviews are also available on VouchedFor. These give you a sense of what clients’ value about working with us.

Unlike most financial advisers, we charge fixed fees based on an hourly rate, which you can learn more about on Our fees page. Following your initial consultation, which is held at our expense, we provide a fixed-fee quote based on the time we expect to spend working on your financial plan.

Our FCA registration number is 152660. You can use this number to check our details on the FCA Register.

We regularly work with clients in Otley, Ilkley, Harrogate, Leeds and Wetherby. We also work with people outside these areas where video calls or visits to the area make that practical.

Yes, we can advise on mortgages. You can find out more about our mortgage advice, which can be included as part of a joined-up financial planning service, on our mortgages page.

Yes, we can advise on equity release. You can find more information about our equity release advice, including how it could fit with your wider financial planning needs, on our equity release page.

Yes, we can advise on personal pensions. Pension planning is one of the areas we can include as part of your wider financial plan.

Yes, we can advise on occupational pensions. We will consider them in the context of your overall circumstances and financial planning needs.

Yes, we can help you review and consolidate multiple pensions where that is suitable for you. We will consider how any changes fit with your wider retirement plan.

Yes, we can help you plan how to take your pension tax-efficiently. This can be considered alongside your wider income needs and retirement goals.

Yes, we can help with ethical or sustainable investing. We will consider your preferences as part of your wider investment and financial planning advice.

Yes, we can help you invest an inheritance you have received. We will look at how it fits with your financial goals and wider plan.

Yes, we can advise on self-invested personal pensions. We will consider whether this type of pension is suitable for your needs as part of your broader financial planning.

Yes, we can advise on all types of pensions, including final salary and defined benefit pensions. We will explain the process clearly and consider your wider circumstances before making any recommendation.

Yes, we offer advice on long-term care and later-life planning. This can be included as part of your wider financial plan as your needs and priorities change.

Yes, we can help with Inheritance Tax planning and estate planning. We will consider these areas alongside your wider financial planning needs.

Yes, we can advise on investments such as ISAs. We will consider how they fit with your wider goals, tax position and financial plan.

Yes, we can advise on protection, including life insurance, critical illness cover and income replacement. If we recommend a protection policy and you take it out, we are paid commission by the provider.

Yes, your initial consultation is held at our expense. It gives us the opportunity to understand your needs and explain how we can help before you decide what to do next.

We charge fixed fees based on an hourly rate. Following your initial consultation, we provide a fixed-fee quote based on the time we expect to spend working on your financial plan; Our fees page explains more.

Our minimum fee is £2,974 for a simple financial plan. We will confirm your exact fee after your initial consultation, so you know where you stand before you proceed.

The cost varies depending on the time involved and the complexity of your circumstances. You can use our online fee calculator to get a clearer estimate before getting in touch.

We charge fixed fees, rather than a percentage of your investments. Our clients tell us they like the simplicity and fairness of this approach.

No, except where we recommend a protection policy, such as life insurance, and you take it out. For all other work, we are paid by you rather than receiving commission.

Normally, our services are VAT exempt. If the service we provide does not meet the threshold to be VAT exempt, we will tell you before we start work.

Our online fee estimate calculator, available on our fees page, compares our fixed fees with the traditional percentage-based fees many financial advisers charge. Our fees tend to be very competitive for clients with pensions and investments valued above £400,000 because they are based on our time, not how much money you have invested.

You can find an estimate of our fees on Our fees page or in our Terms of Business. We will also confirm your exact fees at the end of your initial consultation meeting, so you know exactly where you stand.

Yes, where eligible, investments are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. We can explain how this applies to the products and providers involved in your advice.

We always aim to provide the highest-quality service and advice, but if you have a complaint, please get in touch with us. We will investigate your concerns, respond as quickly as we can and provide a summary of our complaints procedure when we acknowledge your complaint or on request; contact details are available on our contact page.

All electronic data is stored in UK or EU highly secure data centres. Data is encrypted, secure access controls are in place, and activity is monitored for anything suspicious; physical files are kept temporarily with similar security policies.

Yes, we have professional indemnity insurance in place. This is part of the protection and oversight expected of a firm working under a regulated financial advice network like Quilter Financial Planning.

You can visit the FCA Register and search for Christopher Little & Co or our FCA registration number, 152660. This allows you to check our registration and authorisation details directly.

Yes, you can read client stories on our website. They show how different clients have worked with Christopher Little & Co. and what they valued about the advice they received; visit our Client stories page to read them.

We ask clients to leave feedback via VouchedFor, an independent review service for financial advisers. We have been a VouchedFor Top Rated Firm since 2022, based on independently verified client feedback.

Yes, we have achieved VouchedFor Top Rated Firm status every year since 2022. We are particularly proud of this because it is based on independently verified client feedback and benchmarked against other financial advisers; you can read more on our 11 reasons to choose us page.

Yes, Christopher Little & Co. and our advisers are featured on VouchedFor. VouchedFor allows people to find and review financial advisers, and you can read client feedback there as well as on our website.

There is no strict definition or difference between an adviser and a planner. “Adviser” is a more traditional term and tends to focus on product recommendations, while “planner” is a more modern term that generally reflects a comprehensive service, starting with a lifestyle or financial plan before moving on to product recommendations.

Yes, we can help you explore whether you can afford to retire early. We use comprehensive financial planning, including cashflow modelling, to help answer this kind of life question.

Yes, retirement planning is a key part of the work we do. We will help you understand whether you have enough and how to make the most of the assets you have.

We work with a range of clients and their wider families, but typically with people who want a comprehensive financial planning service, want to know when they can afford to retire, and want to be tax-efficient. Many have more than £300,000 of invested or investable assets and value the option of a personal service with face-to-face advice; you can see more on our Who we work with page.

Yes, we work with younger clients who are still building wealth. We will consider your current position and future plans as part of a wider financial planning conversation.

Yes, we work with company directors and self-employed clients. We can consider personal and business planning needs as part of your wider financial plan.

Yes, we work with clients who are approaching retirement and those who are already retired. We can help you understand your options, income needs and whether your plan remains on track.

Yes, we can help clients who have inherited money. We will consider how the inheritance fits with your goals, existing assets and wider financial plan.

Yes, we can help clients who have sold, or are in the process of selling, a business. We will consider the proceeds and your future plans as part of a comprehensive financial planning service.

Yes, we can help clients manage their finances after a bereavement. We will take the time to understand your circumstances and help you work through the financial planning decisions involved.

Yes, we work with business owners, retirees and professionals. We also work with clients and their wider families in a range of circumstances.

No, we do not offer financial advice for expats or non-UK residents. Our guidance and information are targeted at consumers based in the UK.

Yes, we can help if you already have investments or pensions elsewhere. We will review them in the context of your wider circumstances and financial planning goals.

Typically, clients have more than £300,000 of investable assets or a household income of more than £100,000 a year. This helps us make sure our comprehensive financial planning service is likely to be appropriate and valuable for you.

The best way is to call the office on 01943 851080 and speak to a member of our team. Alternatively, you can use the contact form on our website, and we will get in touch with you.

No, your initial consultation is held at our expense. It allows us the chance to get to know each other and understand whether we are the right fit.

We will send you a list of documents and information to bring when your appointment is confirmed. This will typically include recent payslips, plan or policy documents, mortgage or loan statements and some ID.

We have a chat about your financial planning needs over a cuppa, and you will learn more about how we work and how we can help. At the end of the meeting, we will explain whether we are best placed to take you on as a client and what the initial and ongoing costs would be. There aren’t any difficult questions, and we try our best to avoid using jargon.

Most initial meetings last around one hour. They can take longer depending on your circumstances and what you would like to discuss.

No, you do not have to sign up at the initial meeting. You may want to get started straight away or take time to consider your options; no fee agreements are signed until the planning meeting, once you have seen how we work and understand the value we can deliver.

We do not currently have a female financial adviser in our team. We understand that working with the right person matters, so we’ll always take the time to make sure you feel comfortable, listened to and properly supported before you decide whether to work with us.

There will always be someone at Christopher Little & Co. to talk to. If your financial adviser is away on holiday, one of our support team members will deal with your enquiry.

During the onboarding and financial planning process, you will hear from your adviser regularly. There will be four meetings (including your initial consultation), as well as some phone calls and emails in between. Once you are signed up to an ongoing service, you will hear from your adviser at least once a year, with more contact depending on the service plan that suits your needs.

Yes, cashflow modelling is a core part of our comprehensive financial planning service. It helps answer the big and important life questions by showing how your financial future could look.

Life does not stand still, so your plan should not either. As explained in our client journey, our ongoing services are designed to check whether your financial plan is still on track and whether changes in your life mean it needs a tweak.

Yes, we regularly work alongside other professionals such as accountants and solicitors. We find it helps when everyone is on the same page and sharing their professional expertise to support you.

Yes, we can coordinate with your mortgage adviser if they need information from us. We also offer mortgage advice ourselves, which can help provide a fully integrated financial planning service.

You would be given the choice to stay with Christopher Little & Co and work with one of our other advisers who best meets your needs. Alternatively, you could move across to your adviser once they are set up and authorised under their new firm.

Yes, the vast majority of investment and pension providers we use offer online access. This means you can view the value of your investments directly through the provider’s online service.