Do I need to seek financial advice?

I am 61 years of age and am already receiving a decent public sector pension. I own my own house without a mortgage. I have run my own stocks and shares ISA for about 35 years, through bad times (divorce and being poor) and good times (promotion and being comfortable. Sometimes I have been completely uninvested, and sometimes I have had a large proportion of my money invested in highly speculative stocks. The majority of my money is now held in my stocks and shares ISA and I've got plenty of everyday cash in other accounts. I have never taken any advice. I have done all of my own research through the internet over recent years and my current portfolio has made 23%. My annualised return since the beginning is around 7%. Should I take advice?

It sounds like you have worked really hard and have been doing some great things through a period in which you’ve experienced some ups and downs. Making the most of your ISA allowance throughout is a really good thing to have done.

From the initial information you have provided, it is not enough to say whether you should or shouldn’t take advice. I believe everyone can benefit from a conversation with an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA). Your objectives should form the basis of the conversation, it’s important to understand the ‘what’s it all for?’. Understanding what you want to achieve and then creating a plan is the most important thing to do. When thinking about investments, it’s important they are aligned to your objectives and a suitable level of risk.

It’s also really important to remember that advice shouldn’t solely focus on investments, there could be a huge amount of other areas where value can be added. It would always be worth having a conversation with an Independent Financial Adviser to understand what benefits could be gained.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to discuss any areas further and/or arrange an initial conversation!