As you will be aware from constant media reports, we have seen a sharp increase in the number of cyberattacks particularly on financial service firms which, has placed further pressure on the industry to improve data handling and security. In response to this, we have been looking at ways we can develop the way we interact and handle client data. Following our review, I am pleased to announce that we have become an IASME Gold Standard Certified Company. The IASME accreditation is awarded to companies who achieve international best practice across all aspects of data handling including data storage, physical security, staff awareness, and data backup. It focuses on the five most important technical security controls identified by the UK government as those that, if they had been in place, would have stopped the majority of the successful cyberattacks.
Advances in technology also mean our clients are increasingly choosing to interact with us across multiple channels; face to face, on the telephone and online. In response to this demand, we will be introducing the Personal Finance Portal (PFP) to our clients. We have been working with Intelligent Office (our back-office provider) to offer you secure access to your portfolio where you are able to view financial information and interact with us via a secure, online ‘hub’ anywhere and on any device.
Accessible across desktops, laptops and mobile devices, PFP gives you access to your long- term savings and investment information in an easy to use, online format. This will hopefully help you see a complete picture of where you stand financially. What’s more, everything is completely encrypted, meaning that you can communicate with us using the inbuilt messaging service safely and securely. Your Personal Finance Portal account allows you to house all your documents, both financial and personal, in a single online document vault that’s completely secure and fully backed up. It’s far more secure than keeping paper copies in your filing cabinet or in a computer file.
The introduction of PFP is not designed to replace any of the other services we provide and comes at no additional cost. We will continue to send paper copies of our reviews (for those who want them) and liaise with you via telephone and regular face-to-face meetings. The portal is designed to be used in addition to our other services and provide you with more regular updates on your portfolio.
During the coming weeks we will be contacting you with details on how to register for your free online account which I hope you will find of benefit. However, if you do have any questions on PFP or any other aspect of your financial planning please feel free to contact me.
