Acumen Financial Planning are celebrating continued success in the last 12 months with team promotions, the addition of 17 new members of staff across the Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh offices, another award win and the launch of a new service, Family Wealth.
One highlight of the year included being awarded the prestigious Accredited Firm of the Year 2024 from The Chartered Institute of Securities & Investment in October. The firm, established in Aberdeen in 2002, are the only firm in the UK to have been awarded this prestigious award three times. The firm provides independent financial advice on retirement planning, pensions, investments and estate planning to clients across the UK and currently manages £970M Funds Under Management.
The company has welcomed the new members to the Financial Support, Business Support and Compliance teams across their Aberdeenshire, Edinburgh and Glasgow offices, bringing the team number to 89, with 70% female employees, setting a welcome new trend for gender balance within financial services.
There has been further internal development with a director appointment for Laura Crowe, Chartered Financial Planner and Regional manager in Glasgow. Other team developments have included promotion from financial support teams to paraplanning teams and developments within the Compliance team.
Nicola Doohan, Recruitment & Development Manager from Acumen Financial Planning said:
“It’s a great feeling to be expanding our teams throughout Scotland and recognising fantastic work with well-deserved promotions. Having new employees on board who come from a variety of backgrounds is beneficial not only for our teams but the clients we work with daily.
“At Acumen we are passionate about career progression and encourage our team to develop their learning. We continue to work with schools and universities with ongoing placements with Foundation Apprenticeships at our Aberdeen office and placement from Napier University at our Edinburgh office. We look forward to seeing their growth within Acumen Financial Planning and welcoming new placements in 2025.”
Acumen Financial Planning forms part of The Financial Planning Group and offers a range of employee training and development, an extensive suite of employee benefits, and career progression opportunities with many of the team progressing into other roles within the business.
The team have collectively completed 38 exams in the last 12 months, all part of their ongoing training and support.
Over the year, the firm has hosted several successful ‘Ready, Set, Retire’ events across all regions providing key insights and guidance for those planning their next chapter. With more planned for next year. Commenting on this success. Director Keith Mackie said:
“We have a great story to tell as a successful business established in the north east and again recognised nationally as one of the leading independent firms in the UK in our profession. None of which would have been possible without serving our clients well over the years. We are tremendously proud of our team for working together, focusing on our clients over the long term.
Our group offering has evolved in line with demand and as The Financial Planning Group, we provide advice to businesses through Acumen Employee Benefits and NHS professionals are served through our financial specialists in our Medical & Dental team. Our tax consultancy, Enrich Tax provides specialist tax advice. For those starting their investment journey, we have our digital only offering SpringGen Advice and our latest service, Family Wealth launched earlier this year provides advice to those requiring specialist financial advice on intergenerational wealth transfers and philanthropy.
Much of our business development comes from referrals of our satisfied clients. There is always a lot of interest at our events whether starting to put retirement plans in place or looking for a second opinion. The firm will be starting the New Year with an open door ‘Financial Health Check’ event where you can simply pop in for an informal sense check on your financials and plans for retirement. This will be held monthly at their office in Aberdeen starting on Wednesday 15th January.
There has never been a better time for impartial advice to ensure your financial future is on track and your reach your retirement in complete financial security. More details on the Financial Health Check events can be found on our website.