We are pleased to tell you that our financial life planner, Ian Kemp, is now a Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA) accredited adviser!
SOLLA was established in 2008 as a not for profit organisation dedicated to higher standards and accessibility to regulated financial advice for older people and their families.
SOLLA later life advisers specialise in the financial needs of people throughout their retirement. Whilst many of these needs will apply across all ages – life planning, investments, tax efficiency etc – there are others which are specific to those in later life. The complexities of the many decisions you or your family may need to face when looking at issues such as welfare benefits and State support, NHS and local authority care funding equity release, and mental capacity, need careful and considered advice.
The Accreditation process requires confirmation of high level professional qualifications, but also adherence to a Code of Practice, demonstration of an understanding of the specific challenges people face in retirement, and inter-personal skills in explaining what are often emotional issues to clients and their family. It is widely recognised as the Gold Standard in later life financial advice.
The Society of Later Life Advisers is committed to:
Promoting and raising awareness amongst people, their families and professional advisers of financial issues faced in retirement and later life.
Building relationships with statutory and voluntary agencies, charities, housing and social care providers, financial services firms and those organisations who are involved in the financial wellbeing of those in later life.
Raising the standards of practice of those engaged in advising older people by promoting the highest levels of professionalism in financial advice.
Identifying and developing best practice by the provision of high quality training and the distribution of the latest information and know how in later life issues.
Acting as a source of technical excellence for later life advisers
Actively inputting into legislative and policy changes and contributing to debates on policy.
Ian Kemp said:
“I’ve known about SOLLA for a few years, but never quite got around to completing the accreditation process. As many of my clients have aged it has become increasingly clear there were aspects of advice that I didn’t know enough about to really look after them as I wanted to.”
“I am also hugely frustrated with the constant portrayal of people living longer in such a negative light. It’s not a ‘timebomb’ or ‘tsunami’ , but unbelievably good news that most of us will live longer and generally in better health. This means you are more able to do all the things you talk about with your Serenity life planner.”
“Becoming accredited gives me independent recognition of my knowledge and advice skills, whilst helping older consumers and their families recognise me as an adviser who can help them in a way that most advisers cannot.”
