We’ve received nine more client referrals in the first quarter of the year, resulting in an extra £450 for the Otley Food Bank!
We want to extend a huge thank you to all of our clients who have introduced us to their friends, family members, or colleagues. Your generosity is truly making a difference in our community.
The Otley Food Bank does incredible work by providing essential support to those struggling with challenging circumstances. We believe it’s a fantastic cause, and we’re committed to continuing our donations.
You can help us make an even bigger impact! Recommend our services to anyone who might need them, and we’ll donate £50 to the Otley Food Bank for every successful referral.
A big thank you
We wanted to update you on a few things here at Christopher Little and tell you about some of the people we’ve helped recently.
We’d like to give a big thank you to our clients: Liz, who has once again recommended a friend to us, and Grant, who has recommended us to his parents.
Recommendations to other people allow us to share our expertise and provide peace of mind when it comes to helping our new clients achieve their goals.
An insight into how we’ve been able to help some of our clients recently:
Financial planning in your 30s
Mrs R approached us initially due to her recent appointment as managing director of her firm. As such, her existing pension was no longer eligible to accept payments, and she wished to arrange a new plan capable of receiving a set monthly amount.
Rather than simply carry out Mrs R’s instructions, we went “back to the beginning” and sat with Mrs and Mr R to discuss the important stuff: core values, ideal life now, ideal life in the future, potential life changes, etc.
Off the back of this deep dive, we then made a specific, evidence-based recommendation for an appropriate pension plan and pound-specific monthly contribution amounts. This recommendation was driven by the “end figure” the clients needed to attain financial freedom.
Additionally, we provided further investment advice relating to ISAs, maximising the client’s future while maintaining their current standards of living.
Mrs R said:
“As well as switching my pension provider, Josh provided a more rounded approach to financial planning for my husband and me, which I didn’t realise was just what was needed. At this stage, he has given us peace of mind that we’re looking after our future selves (without compromising on life now) and giving us more choice and opportunity about what retirement might look like.”
“There’s a bit more to financial planning than I knew, and Josh has helped us understand our financial situation, so it works much better for us.”
Financial planning in your 60s
Mr & Mrs D were seeking advice on how best to manage their current mortgage. They had lived in their family home for many years, and it is a suitable home for the foreseeable future. However, their mortgage term was ending, and the bank was looking for a full settlement of the balance. Mr & Mrs D were retired, but due to their ages and amount of pension income, a traditional remortgage was not an option.
We considered all available solutions and agreed that staying in their home would be the preferable outcome and that an equity release mortgage would provide the best way to make this happen. While equity release does have the option of no monthly payments, Mr & Mrs D wanted to protect the amount of equity within the home and decided they would prefer to service the interest on the loan, as they had done with their current mortgage.
Mr & Mrs D have now repaid the bank in full and have a lower payment than their traditional interest-only mortgage was costing them. They have the right to stay in the home until they are either in full-time care or have passed away. Any remaining equity within the home will stay within their estate to fund care or be passed to their beneficiaries. Their new mortgage lender is also part of the equity release council, meaning that should they decide they are no longer able or want to meet the monthly interest payments, the interest payment could be taken from the equity within the home, and they would have a “no negative equity guarantee”.
Our latest reviews: To help you feel confident introducing people to us
We’re delighted that so many clients have been leaving positive reviews on both VouchedFor and Google. Tom currently has a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars on VouchedFor, following 135 reviews. Richard has a rating of 5 out of 5 stars on VouchedFor, following 55 reviews, and Josh has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on VouchedFor, following three reviews.
We’ve been included in the VouchedFor Top Rated Guide for the second year in a row. We’re thrilled to say we’re still Otley’s only Top Rated Firm. Keep an eye out for more on this in the coming months!
Reviews mean a lot to the Christopher Little team. Each review helps us attract new clients and provides a morale boost to our team.
We’re also now up to 55 Google reviews, with an average score of 5/5.
VouchedFor – Tom
If you haven’t left Tom a VouchedFor review this year, could we ask you to spare five minutes to leave him one? This can either be a full review or a first impression. If you’re happy to leave Tom a review, please click here.
VouchedFor – Richard
If you haven’t left Richard a VouchedFor review, could we ask you to spare five minutes to leave him one? This can either be a full review or a first impression. If you’re happy to leave Richard a review, please click here.
VouchedFor – Josh
If you haven’t left Josh a VouchedFor review, could we ask you to spare five minutes to leave him one? This can either be a full review or a first impression. If you’re happy to leave Josh a review, please click here.
Google review
If you’ve left us a VouchedFor review, please spare a few minutes to leave us a Google review. It’s an opportunity to share the experience you’ve had with Christopher Little & Co. If you’re happy to leave a Google review, please click here.
Who we want to work with
You’ll know other people, including friends, relatives, and work colleagues, who we can help. So, here’s a little more information on who we predominantly work with.
We will guide clients every step of the way to ensure the financial decisions they make will lead to a happy, stable, and fulfilling future for them and their families.
With this in mind, we typically work with people who are in their:
20s and 30s: They may be taking their first few steps on the housing ladder or just saving for a deposit. Maybe they want to travel and see the world. Whatever choices they make, they’ll want to be sure they’re on firm ground when it comes to their finances.
40s and 50s: It’s time they start thinking seriously about setting aside money for the future. But they’re also likely to have a great many financial responsibilities and plenty of ambitions they’re still eager to fulfil.
60s and 70s: Retirement should be all about living a lifestyle they’ve worked long and hard to enjoy. But it’s not uncommon to find that the transition from work gives rise to feelings of uncertainty and anxiety, particularly where finances are concerned.
80s and onwards: Nobody’s later years should be blighted by money worries, but anxiety over whether they can afford a “good” retirement and pay for care and support if it’s needed can cause real worry. We’re here to help them make sense of their finances and understand how to maintain and protect a comfortable standard of living.
Looking for a mortgage: Whether they’re purchasing their first home, moving, re-mortgaging, or looking to buy-to-let, we offer high-quality and independent mortgage advice.
Here’s what to do if you want to recommend someone to us:
Please pass on our contact details and suggest they contact us, as we may be able to help. Please ask them to call 01943 851080 or email advice@christopher-little.co.uk.
If they get in contact to arrange an initial discussion and we meet face to face or online, we’ll then arrange to donate £50 to the Otley Food Bank.
Donations do not apply if they are already clients of ours or have had discussions with us previously.
If you wish to donate items yourself, this can easily be done at the collection point located in Otley Sainsbury’s supermarket. Here are a few things that the Food Bank typically runs low on:
- Dog and cat food (dry food)
- Jam
- Sugar
- Rice
- UHT milk
- Fruit juice and squash
- Crisps
- Biscuits and sweets
- Puddings
- Jelly
- Angel Delight
- Chocolate
- Gluten-free items.
Look out for local photos on our blogs, Facebook, and X (formerly known as Twitter) pages. Our local community in Otley is something we are proud to be a part of, and we will continue to support it as much as we can during these uncertain times.
Please note:
This email is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at retail clients only.
The value of your investment can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
