A Hartlepool-based financial adviser has been named in a national campaign aiming to change the perception of financial advice – just six months after setting up a base in his hometown.
Harrison Smith has been recognised by the renowned VouchedFor platform, which will share positive client stories and articles to an expected three million consumers.
The VouchedFor Top Rated Adviser Guide for 2024 will be featured in three national newspapers – The Times, The Telegraph and the Mail on Sunday – across March, June and September.
Harrison will feature having gained positive independent client reviews about the service he provides, covering a range of personal insurances and retirement planning from his office at HartlePower’s Greenbank business centre.
The 27-year-old, who only moved into the industry three years ago, said: “I have always said that I want to be seen as a trustworthy adviser who is here to help. That is the top and bottom of the business.
“If you are not trusted then you won’t survive, especially when you are talking about guiding people with their money. Without that trust the relationship will never work.
“In a short space of time I have realised that people are often scared of receiving financial advice. People are rightly protective of their personal details, so that can be a massive barrier to overcome too.
“My ambition is not to go in with an agenda. I want to listen to what people hope to achieve because it is about their financial futures. My aim is to get someone from point A to point B in the best way possible.”
Harrison has been a self-employed adviser with Corbridge-based wealth management business Emerald Associates for the last two-and-a-half years and he moved his base to his hometown in June.
He has been listed with VouchedFor for less than a year but has swiftly been recognised for the advice he has given to his clients.
VouchedFor is an adviser review website that wants to make clear what advisers do for their clients.
That is why the latest Top Rated Guide will be trebling its reach and it has been welcomed by the Consumer Duty Alliance.
The latest Guide comes at a time when research from the Financial Conduct Authority, Boring Money and the Lang Cat revealed how a lack of trust remains one of the key reasons why millions have not engaged with financial advice.
Harrison said: “I want my office door to be open to anyone. I don’t want people to feel there is a barrier.
“I have created an online adviser hub where people can gain access to the tools they can’t ordinarily tap in to.
“I’m proud to have already been recognised in the latest Top Rated Guide and I want that to continue for years to come.
“I want prospective clients to feel like they can meet me and I will work with them. Having greater accessibility will go a long way in trying to break down the barriers that have scared people in the past.”
Harrison, a graduate of Francis Marion University in South Carolina, USA, and a former English Martyrs student, offers a long list of services, but the solutions are built specific to individual circumstances.
Harrison said: “A big part of financial planning is giving yourself time, don’t think about it five years away from retirement for example.”
*For further information or to book an appointment with Harrison check out his adviser hub https://linktr.ee/harrisonsmithea