FAQs

Yes. We provide independent financial advice, so we can consider options from across the market and recommend what we believe best suits your circumstances and objectives.

Yes. DBL Asset Management LLP is directly authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and our Firm Reference Number is 468821. You can verify our details on the Financial Services Register at any time.

Yes. We hold most client meetings at our Wilmslow office (SK9 5EQ), but we can also meet at your home or by Microsoft Teams. This flexibility helps us make meetings convenient for you.

We can meet you face to face at our Wilmslow office or at your home. If travelling is inconvenient, we can meet by Microsoft Teams instead.

Yes. We keep a parking space available for client meetings at our Wilmslow office. Our address is 14 Kennerley’s Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5EQ. We will call you the day before your meeting to confirm it still works for you and that a parking space will be available.

We established DBL Asset Management in 2007 and have been providing independent financial advice since then. You can read more about our story on our About us page.

We are based in Wilmslow, Cheshire, and work with clients across the UK. We can meet at our office, at your home or by Microsoft Teams, so you do not need to live locally to work with us.

Lewis Carthew is a Chartered financial planner and a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society, reflecting his professional knowledge and expertise. Dacre Staines is a qualified financial planner, and you can find out more about both of us on our Meet the team page.

No. DBL Asset Management does not currently hold Chartered firm status from the Chartered Insurance Institute. Lewis Carthew individually holds Chartered financial planner status.

Yes. You can read verified client feedback on VouchedFor, and our 2026 Top Rated page explains how that feedback helped us qualify as a VouchedFor Top Rated Firm for the third consecutive year. We use this independent feedback to help prospective clients understand what it is like to work with us.

We have a tried and tested financial planning process built around trusted, fair and honest service. As independent financial planners, we can search the whole market and build a holistic plan around your goals without bias towards any product or investment provider, and our Why choose us page explains this approach in more detail.

Our Financial Conduct Authority Firm Reference Number is 468821. You can check our authorisation and permissions on the Financial Services Register whenever you need to.

Our office is in Wilmslow, Cheshire, and we work with clients across the UK. Locally, we work with people in areas including Alderley Edge, Bramhall, Knutsford, Prestbury and Wilmslow, with meetings available in person or by Microsoft Teams.

No, we do not provide regulated mortgage advice ourselves. We can consider mortgage decisions within your wider financial plan and, where needed, introduce you to a specialist mortgage adviser.

No, we do not advise on equity release ourselves. If it is relevant to your plans, we can introduce you to a specialist mortgage adviser and help you consider the wider effect on areas such as retirement income and long-term affordability.

Yes. We can review personal pensions as part of your wider retirement plan and consider how they fit with your other assets and objectives. Bringing your latest pension documents to the first meeting helps us start with accurate information.

Yes. We can include occupational pensions when building a full picture of your retirement position. If you have recent scheme statements or documents, please bring them to your first meeting so we can understand your existing arrangements.

Yes. We can assess whether consolidating pensions could improve simplicity, costs and suitability while taking account of any valuable guarantees or benefits you might lose. We will explain the advantages and disadvantages in the context of your own arrangements before you make a decision.

Yes. We can help you plan pension withdrawals with tax efficiency and long-term sustainability in mind. We can use cashflow modelling to show how different withdrawal choices could affect your future finances before you act.

Yes. We can help you invest an inheritance in a way that reflects your wider objectives, time horizon and tolerance for risk. If you know the amount and timing, tell us as early as possible so we can build it into your wider financial plan.

Yes. We can consider a self-invested personal pension (SIPP) as part of retirement and investment planning where it is suitable for you. We can explain the relevant platform options, costs and how a SIPP could fit alongside your other pensions.

No. We are not authorised to advise on defined benefit or final salary pension transfers. If you are considering a transfer, we can introduce you to a specialist third-party firm that is authorised to provide this advice.

Yes. We can build later-life planning into your wider financial plan, including modelling potential care costs and their effect on your assets and income. If specialist products or advice are needed, we will explain how that element can be handled.

Yes. We can help you consider Inheritance Tax and estate planning as part of your wider financial plan, and we can work alongside your solicitor on the legal elements. The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate tax or estate planning, so specialist advice may be needed in some areas.

Yes. We can include individual savings accounts (ISAs) within your investment plan and review them alongside pensions and other assets. We can explain how contributions and withdrawals might support your wider objectives.

Yes. We can advise on protection, including life insurance and income protection, where appropriate. If you already have cover in place, please bring the details to your meeting so we can identify any gaps or overlaps.

Yes. We offer a no-commitment initial meeting at our expense so we can understand what you need and decide together whether we are a good fit.

We agree our fees with you upfront, with fixed fees for initial work and ongoing fees typically charged as a percentage for our ongoing service. We confirm the charges in writing before we start any work.

Our standard annual ongoing charge for investments held on a platform is 1.00% of funds under management, subject to a minimum fee of £1,250 a year. We explain the charges that apply to you before you agree to proceed.

We base the cost of a financial plan on the scope of advice and the complexity of your circumstances. We will give you clear written confirmation of the fee before we begin any chargeable work.

We use fixed fees for initial work and a percentage-based charge for our ongoing service. Before you proceed, we will give you a clear written breakdown of what you will pay and what is included.

We will explain clearly how we are paid before you proceed. If commission is available for a particular product, we will disclose it so you understand the full cost and can make an informed decision.

No, we do not charge value added tax (VAT) on our fees. The amount we agree with you is therefore not increased by VAT.

We believe the most useful way to assess our fees is to compare what is included, the ongoing service you receive and the value of proactive planning, rather than looking only at the headline charge. We will explain what you receive at each stage so you can compare our service with others on a like-for-like basis.

Our fees reflect the scope of advice you need and whether ongoing reviews are included in your service. We will give you a clear breakdown of our fees so you can compare them with other planners using the same service assumptions.

We discuss fees during the discovery stage and confirm them in writing before any work begins. Our client agreement also sets out how our charges work, and we can provide the relevant document when you speak to us.

We can explain how the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) may apply to your arrangements, because protection depends on the product, provider and regulated activity involved. For investment claims and certain pension-related claims, FSCS protection can be up to £85,000 per eligible person, per authorised firm, so we can explain what applies to your specific arrangements.

If something goes wrong, please raise it with us first so we have the opportunity to investigate and put things right. If the complaint is not resolved, you may be able to refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which deals with many complaints about regulated financial firms.

We explain how we collect, use, share, store and protect your personal information in our Privacy Notice. This includes the security measures we use when sharing data with third parties and how we handle information within the systems that support our service.

Yes. We have professional indemnity insurance as part of the framework around our regulated financial advice business. If you would like more detail about our cover, we can explain how it relates to the services we provide.

You can check DBL Asset Management on the Financial Services Register using our Firm Reference Number, 468821. The register shows our authorisation and permissions, and we can also explain which parts of our service are regulated.

We use ongoing review conversations and independent VouchedFor feedback to understand how clients experience our service. Our 2026 Top Rated information shows an overall client rating of 4.9 out of 5 and reports that 97% of clients feel confident they are on track to achieve their financial goals.

We have been named a VouchedFor Top Rated Firm for three consecutive years, including 2026, and Dacre Staines was named a Top Rated Adviser in the 2026 guide. Our 2026 Top Rated page explains that we were the only firm in Wilmslow to qualify that year.

Yes. You can read verified client reviews on VouchedFor, and our firm has also been recognised as VouchedFor Top Rated for three consecutive years. Our 2026 Top Rated page gives more detail about what that recognition means.

Yes. We can use cashflow modelling to test whether early retirement looks achievable and show how different retirement dates or spending levels could affect your plan. This helps you understand the trade-offs before deciding when to stop work.

Yes. Retirement planning and retirement income planning are core parts of our Life after hours service. We build your plan around your objectives and review it over time as your circumstances change.

We work with individuals and families, business owners and sports professionals. Our Life after hours and Life after sport services explain how we tailor financial planning around these different stages and circumstances.

Yes. We can work with younger clients who are still building wealth when there is a clear need for structured, long-term financial planning. We look at your circumstances and how your needs may develop over the next three to five years rather than applying a minimum level of investable assets.

Yes. We work with business owners, company directors and self-employed clients on areas such as retirement, extracting wealth and managing personal and business finances together. We can also use cashflow modelling to explore decisions such as dividends, pension contributions and long-term affordability.

Yes. We work with people approaching retirement and those who have already retired, focusing on retirement income, sustainability and regular reviews. We can model different spending levels to help you understand how your choices may affect your long-term financial security.

Yes. We can help you incorporate inherited wealth into your wider financial plan, including decisions around investing, gifting and long-term affordability. Where legal advice is needed, we can work alongside your solicitor with your permission.

Yes. We can help you plan for a business sale, including how and when to extract wealth and how the proceeds could support the lifestyle you want. Starting early gives us more time to build the sale into your wider financial plan before decisions become time critical.

Yes. We can help you review your income, assets and longer-term plans after a bereavement, giving you space to make decisions carefully and at the right pace. With your permission, we can also coordinate with solicitors or executors where that is helpful.

Yes. We have particular experience working with business owners and professionals through our Life after hours service, and with professional rugby players through Life after sport. Both services are built around long-term financial planning that adapts as your circumstances change.

No, we do not take on new work for expats or non-UK residents. If you are already a client and later move overseas, we may be able to continue working with you, subject to regulatory requirements and the support you need from us.

Yes. We can review existing investments and pensions and incorporate suitable arrangements into a new financial plan rather than assuming you need to start again. Please bring recent statements and policy details to your initial meeting so we can understand what you already have.

No, we do not set a minimum level of investable assets or income for new clients. We assess each person individually, including how their circumstances and financial planning needs may develop over the next three to five years.

You can book an initial meeting through our Contact us page, by calling 01625 529499 or emailing enquiries@dbl-am.com. We will then agree whether you would prefer to meet at our Wilmslow office, at your home or by Microsoft Teams.

No. We hold the initial meeting at our expense, with no commitment, so we can get to know each other and decide whether we are a good fit.

Please bring proof of identification and details of any existing pensions, investments and protection policies. If you do not have everything to hand, bring what you can and we will explain what we need next.

Our first meeting is about getting to know you, your circumstances and what you want to achieve through financial planning. It is also your opportunity to understand how we work, with our Your journey page setting out the five stages of our process.

Please allow around an hour and a half for your initial meeting. If you expect to cover something particularly detailed, let us know when you book so we can make sure there is enough time.

No. There is no pressure to sign up at your initial meeting, and we encourage you to take time to think through your decision before moving forward.

No, we do not currently have a female financial planner. You can meet our current planning and client service team on our Meet the team page before deciding who you would like to speak to.

If your financial planner is away and your query is urgent, another planner in the office can help where appropriate. Otherwise, you can wait for your usual planner to return, and we will make sure you know the best route depending on how time-sensitive your query is.

We agree ongoing contact around your review schedule and your needs, with regular reviews built into our process. You can also contact us between meetings whenever you need to discuss something.

Yes. We use cashflow modelling to show you what your future finances could look like and help you understand how different decisions may affect your plans. This gives you a clearer picture when deciding how to work towards your goals.

We review your financial plan regularly and can adjust it when your circumstances change. Please tell us about significant changes as early as possible so we can keep our advice aligned with your objectives.

Yes. With your permission, we can work alongside your accountant or solicitor, so everyone is working from the same information. This can be particularly useful when a decision affects tax, legal matters and financial planning at the same time.

Yes. With your permission, we can share relevant planning information with your mortgage adviser so the different parts of your planning remain consistent. We will agree what information can be shared and why before we provide it.

If your financial planner leaves the firm, your information and planning records remain with us, and we can arrange a handover to another planner. We will explain how continuity will work for your existing arrangements and review timetable.

We provide recommendations in a written report tailored to your circumstances, goals and existing financial position. If you would like to understand what this looks like before proceeding, we can explain the type of documents you will receive during your initial meeting.

Yes. As a DBL client, you can use our Insight client portal to access the information we hold about your finances online. The portal is designed to give you a more complete view of your financial position in a secure environment.

Yes. Our Insight client portal gives you online access to information about your financial arrangements. If you are unsure how to register or log in, please speak to us and we will help you.

We generally recommend meeting at least once a year to review whether your financial plan still reflects your circumstances and objectives. The exact frequency depends on the service you agree and your needs, and we can arrange additional conversations when something changes.