About Southwood Financial Planning
ELEVATOR PITCH
Southwood Financial Planning (FSP 13566) is an independent, financial life planning practice providing independent, well-researched and objective advice to individuals, families, trusts and corporates.
We believe that by understanding our clients’ needs, ambitions, aspirations and fears we are able to provide a unique and totally personalised service. Where necessary, we work in partnership with an established network of associates including accountants, fiduciary and tax specialists, short-term insurers and investment professionals.
Our “product” is ongoing advice and the relationship that we build with our clients which allows us to create unique and highly personalised Financial Plans.
IDEAL CLIENT
We work with clients from all walks of life, from young professionals just starting out on their financial journey, to retirees navigating their way through retirement.
FINANCIAL PLANNING PHILOSOPHY
The FPI’s six steps of financial planning forms the basis for all client interactions.
The value of our advice process lies in its holistic nature. Through the financial life planning process we focus on not just return on investment but a return on life. The process puts the interests and passions of the client first to help them manage their finances and achieve their personal goals.
We focus on the client, their history, circumstances, priorities, aspirations and dreams which allows for deeper more meaningful conversations and a clearer understanding of our clients values and money stories.
- We are wholly independent and have access to a wide range of product providers and services
- We provide initial and ongoing reviews and recommendations on the appropriateness of current allocations and current and future contributions to savings
- We ensure that investments are appropriately diversified across asset classes and geographical locations
- We look at reducing costs where possible and ensuring tax efficiency
- We look at protecting our client’s and their families through appropriate risk and estate planning
There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to financial planning and we believe that it is the 100 small decisions and adjustments that we make to your overall financial plan over time, together with the prevention of mistakes, that adds value over time.
PROFESSIONALISM
We are extremely proud that our all female team is one of the 16 FPI Approved Professional Practices® in South Africa. Southwood adheres to the highest standard of competency, professionalism and ethical conduct. Our standards and principles are aligned with the leading independent professional body for financial advisers in South Africa (FPI) being:
- high ethical standards
- ongoing professional development
- commitment to uplifting the industry as a whole
All of our planners are CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professionals; the internationally recognised academic mark of excellence.
FINANCIAL PLANNING FEE
As fee-based financial planners, we charge a time-based, quoted fees for a consultation and compilation of a full financial plan, and an annual asset-based fees for the ongoing management of a portfolio.
SERVICES
Our services include:
- Personal financial planning:
- Cash flow management and budgeting
- Risk management (life, disability, income protection and severe illness benefits)
- Health benefits
- Investment advice
- Retirement planning (including options on resignation and retrenchment)
- Estate planning
- Tax planning
- Business financial planning:
- Employee benefits
- Group schemes
- Business assurance (Buy-and-sell agreements, key-person assurance and deferred compensation agreements)
- Succession planning
- Legal Matters:
- Business arrangements
- Trusts
- Wills
OTHER
Mentorship
As an FPI Approved Professional Practice®, we undertake to mentor young professionals who will enter the industry with passion and commitment. Our aim is to contribute to the building of the pool of a new generation of financial planning professionals, equipping them with the knowledge, skills and abilities to enable them to embrace the principles laid out in the FPI Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility.
Social Responsibility
We take our role in supporting issues that affect society seriously and we sponsor the following charities:
Green Pop
We partner with Green Pop, a Cape Town based NGO, to contribute towards conserving and restoring ecosystems across Sub-Saharan Africa. Greenpop’s work includes planting trees and vegetation in urban greening and reforestation projects and, to date, they have planted over 100,000 trees. At Southwood Financial Planning we use quite a lot of paper, and while we are continuously making a conscious effort to reduce our paper usage, we cannot eliminate paper completely. By supporting Greenpop each month our aim is to balance out our paper usage with the number of trees that have been planted by Greenpop’s reforestation projects. We are proud to be sponsors of such an incredible organisation.
Sparrow Society
Sparrow Society is a Non Profit Company based in Cape Town South Africa working towards a more equal and unified society through skills development, job creation and enterprise development. With a mission of “Changing the world one really cool product at a time”, Sparrow Society offers a sustainable business model that empowers its creators with the experience, training and opportunity for upward mobility while creating a high-quality, reliable product and service for some of South Africa’s most reputable brands and companies.
Carthorse
The Cart Horse Protection Association (CHPA), a non-profit Cape Town based animal welfare organisation, was started in 1995 to improve the welfare of the working cart horses on the Cape Flats. The Cart Horse Protection Association is established as a centre of excellence for working equine welfare in the Western Cape. Its mission is to promote the welfare of the working horses and donkeys in the Western Cape through service provision, legislation, education and training. It protects the working cart horses and donkeys on the Cape Flats from abuse and neglect.