It’s that time of year again, when an assessor comes in from Standards International to take a look at our processes and approach to see how we measure up against the expectations for British Standard BS8577 – the framework for the provision of financial advice and planning services. 

This is year was our fourth assessment and we’re really thrilled to have again been found to be compliant – which is as good as it gets! 

The assessor highlighted three areas of excellence that they were particularly impressed by and didn’t identify a single area for improvement. Apparently, it was an ‘excellent assessment’! It can feel strange to be blowing our own trumpet but we’re proud of the service we provide and believe it’s important to share when it’s being recognised by others.  

Responsible investing 

We’ve talked a lot this year about responsible investing and so it will come as no surprise that this area was highlighted as one of our strengths. The assessment concluded that the fact that 97% of our clients are at least partially invested in responsible portfolios is ‘a fantastic achievement and a testament to Dave’s strong belief in the importance of this area’. 

Wellbeing 

For those that we’ve held meetings with over recent months you will be familiar with our new Financial Wellbeing-led approach and the steps we’re taking by introducing personalised financial plans in our annual reports. Our purpose at Gibson Lamb is to make our clients happier, not just wealthier and this was recognised in our appraisal: ‘Dave prioritises the wellbeing of his clients, his team and himself. This viewpoint directly impacts his financial planning style. Clients are encouraged to focus most on what makes them happy.’ 

Website and social media 

If you’re reading this, then hopefully you’ve noticed the work we’ve been putting in on our website to make things as clear as possible and give you as much extra context around our approach and portfolios as possible. So, we’re really pleased that our assessment came back with the comment: ‘The lifelike team avatars, messaging around sustainability and up to date blogs are striking and engaging’ and we hope you agree! 

There isn’t much glitz and glam in financial planning – we’re not likely to be off at any awards dos any time soon – so we’re keen to celebrate our wins when we get them. Our whole ethos as a business is grounded in our values and we put a lot of time and thought into the way we do things to ensure you, our clients, receive the best service we can possibly provide. So, here’s to another year of delivering the best we can!