It’s been another busy twelve months for Investment Quorum and as the end of the year approaches, I would like to share some of the highlights and thank you for your unswerving support in these challenging and interesting times.
Effecting positive change
Investment Quorum is growing and continues to build on the achievements of previous years. And the more we develop as a company, the more we are able to effect positive change in other people’s lives.
Our “12 Days of Christmas” campaign raised money for a wide selection of charities – from Street Child, which helps children in the world’s poorest communities, to the Whitechapel Mission, which serves breakfast to homeless people across London. And earlier on in May we all donned our trainers and ran 5 km to support mental health charity Papyrus. It was heart-warming to see the whole company get behind these initiatives and help so many.
A culture of sharing ideas
Everybody at IQ willingly embraces the company’s distinctive culture.
This was something that we addressed at our off-site event in September – “Building on our Success”. It was an opportunity for us to be together as a team and to share our ideas , and we came away feeling very excited about the Company’s future. I was particularly heartened to see all the passion that our young graduates have for client care and delivery of client service. Always “doing the right thing” is embedded in our ethos.
We are now using this valuable input to shape our journey so we can continue to deliver excellent wealth management services to our clients.
Peer recognition
We are proud to have had our success recognised in the marketplace – we were voted among the top 20 financial adviser firms by FT Adviser, we were named in Citywire NMA’s top 100 firms, and we were honoured to win the Schroder UK platform awards for leading adviser practice.
Ultimately, it is what you think of us that really matters: so much of our new business comes about as a result of referrals from you, our existing clients – for which we are immensely grateful. Being recognised by our peer groups can also be considered proof that we are getting it right: it lends even more credibility to the work that we do for you. Client advocacy is at the very heart of our growth story.
Will we need a bigger boat?
One of the questions clients often ask is “how big are we going to get?”. We currently look after around 400 family groups, representing some £450million. With more and more consolidation happening across the financial services sector, it is important for us to expand – simply so we can hold our own on a landscape increasingly dominated by giants. We are utterly committed to remaining an independent boutique firm built around you and we believe that we have capacity to grow without compromising on our personal approach to wealth management.
This year we have invested more heavily in our client services team, bringing new people in to strengthen the core of the company.
As Director of Private Clients, Nick Rolf has fully taken over the running of the wealth managers – adding his distinctive style to our range of client services. His team is highly skilled in modern financial planning, and this was recognised with the renewal this year of our Chartered status. With a bolstered team of analysts, our Chief Investment Officer, Peter Lowman, has more time to focus on his passion for blue-sky thinking and innovation. He has been able to use his highly valuable knowledge and experience to navigate some of the most complex markets we have ever seen and understand the effect that Covid has had on global economics. We are proud to have nearly 15 years of strong returns across our investment strategies.
Technology
We are committed to using the best technology to underpin our proposition. Our technology strategist Elliot Finch has put a great deal of effort into maximising our operational efficiencies, so we have more time to focus on your specific needs, especially around cash flow modelling. We have invested heavily in adviser training this year as we believe that having a robust financial plan is key to clients achieving their chosen goals. We also understand how vital it is that we protect your data in an increasingly regulated, remote-working world. We are excited to be launching the IQ Wealth app in February 2022. This will offer significant security enhancements as well as providing you with useful and engaging insights into all aspects of your financial life and centralising all your communications with your adviser.
We launched our sustainable strategy
An important aspect of our growth has been the launch of our Sustainable Strategy and it was great to see so many of you at the launch webinar in June.
But we have done more than simply launch a new strategy: the depth of research that we do in investing for positive change brings new benefits to all our strategies.
We know that sustainability is not just an investment choice: it is also a business choice. And that’s why we are very proud to have submitted an application for B-corp status as part of our own commitment to a more sustainable future as a company. This journey involves lending our support to initiatives such as the Sequoia project. Indeed, we have already planted our first tree (in Wales) as part of One Life One Tree – that was in place of sending Christmas cards this year!
Goodbye 2021
I know that for many, 2021 has been as challenging its predecessor. It would be remiss of me not to mention those of you have lost family members. Our thoughts really are with you at these difficult times. Our services are just as much about creating financial plans as they are about protecting your families during those tough challenges and being there alongside you.
And as this year draws to a close, we remember and pay tribute to all of you. When you become a client of Investment Quorum, you really do become a member of the IQ family. This is something of which we are all very proud.
It now only remains for me to join the whole IQ team in wishing you a happy new year. We hope with all our hearts that 2022 will bring with it more in the way of certainty, joy and good health.