On Wednesday 16 November, Mearns & Company was presented with the Gold Standard for Independent Financial Advice at a ceremony in the House of Commons. The award was presented to Margaret Mearns and Malcolm Steel by Sir David Amess MP, marking the seventh time we have been honoured with this award.

We are enormously proud, as this is an external validation, at the highest level, of the dedication to excellence which we strive to deliver every day. The Gold Standard is an award which is held in the highest esteem within financial services; it is very difficult to achieve, as evidenced by the fact that only six financial advisory businesses in the U.K. met the standard in 2016. The award is only given to businesses which are delivering impeccable service and client care, have excellent people practices, evidence financial stability and sound business practices, and have a strong sense of social responsibility. In order to be assessed by the judging panel, we supplied almost 300 pages of evidence and supporting documentation

The judges commented on our entry:

“Mearns & Company has a very clear sense of what clients expect and reflects this extremely well in how it operates. Mearns & Company demonstrates a culture of setting high professional standards, which are maintained through strong leadership and ongoing training. Mearns & Company has a fantastic sense of how to make clients feel comfortable with the financial advice process, which is driven by a ‘client comes first’ culture along with a strong sense of its responsibilities in the local community. Mearns & Company takes the time and effort to understand clients’ needs, which is reflected in the care and attention taken to ensure processes and services are not only relevant, but the best they can be.”