Mark Bird

What were the circumstances that caused you to initially look for an adviser?

We had sold a property and needed to invest the proceeds securely. Mark has been giving financial advice to my family for many years. After the loss of my husband he supported me in managing all my financial affairs.

How has Mark Bird helped you?

Mark has provided financial advice across the board for me, managing my savings and investments with excellent results, enabling me to feel secure about my financial future, and confident in his professional expertise and personal integrity. Mark has outlined different scenarios and options available that I would not have considered due to lack of experience, allowing me to make decisions based on knowledge.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Yes I have confidence in the advise given.

What were the circumstances that caused you to initially look for an adviser?

Around 8 years ago we had reached the conclusion that whilst our businesses were pursuing planned strategies and being well-catered for whilst doing so by of having access to expert advice when required, our personal financial affairs were not receiving the same continual levels of structured attention.

How has Mark Bird helped you?

Mark's brief has been to treat our finances and financial aspirations with the same level of ongoing and detailed planning as we would like to if we could, and to have the same level of interest in proactively managing our finances as we do. Mark has done exactly that - since starting our relationship Mark has been instrumental in planning and delivering successful strategies to encompass investments, tax planning, company profits extraction, retirement and IHT planning.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Actually the outcome has been better than hoped for.

What could they have done better?

We've definitely seen outcomes substantially over and above those we'd originally hoped for; we've also noticed that the quality of the administrative paperwork has improved since Nina joined to help out in this area.

What were the circumstances that caused you to initially look for an adviser?

Mark reviewed my current investments, savings and pension after I became a widower a few years ago. I also needed advice on my final salary pension and whether to transfer out of the scheme.

How has Mark Bird helped you?

Mark reviewed my Pension, investments and savings. He took time to understand my personal circumstances, and what I was looking to do when I did eventually come to retire. After taking me on as a client Mark has diversified my investments which have eventually allowed me to retire early. He has also ensured that I have had used tax efficient savings when circumstances have required.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

I have seen a steady return on all my investments, even through the turbulent years that we have just been through.

What could they have done better?

I can't actually identify anything.

What were the circumstances that caused you to initially look for an adviser?

We were heading towards retirement and, although we had been saving and planning as best we could for many years, we felt we really needed a more expert eye to review our situation to ensure things were being done in the most a tax efficient way and to help us get things in place so we could be as prepared and confident about our "next stage" as possible.

How has Mark Bird helped you?

Mark took lots of time to find out about us and what we were looking for and really gave us great advice regarding moving some of our existing investments into other products which better suited our changing needs as we prepared to step down from a business we had set up and run for almost 30 years. Mark is extremely friendly and approachable, he takes time to explain things clearly and carefully, and is a real pleasure to deal with. He has gone over and above on several occasions, particularly in the months leading up to our retirement.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

Yes. We are so pleased to have met Mark. It isn't easy to find someone you can have real confidence in or someone who really takes time to understands your situation but in Mark we absolutely have that. The pension/investment strategies he has recommended have met our needs and his advice and support have been a huge help to us at a time of life which can naturally be quite stressful.

What could they have done better?

We can't really think of any area that could have been better - we have been extremely pleased with everything Mark has done for us.

What were the circumstances that caused you to initially look for an adviser?

I initially contacted Mark to seek advice for financial planning.

How has Mark Bird helped you?

Mark looked at all aspects of my finances and gave excellent advice on what to do moving forward.

Have you seen the outcome you were hoping for?

The outcomes I have seen have been very positive.

What could they have done better?

Mark always works to the highest standards and there is no area in which I think he could have done better.